Clogged sewer lines

TJN66 · #1 02/07/10, 04:33 PM

Ugh! Our pipes were running slow, used liquid plummer. Nada. Went into the basement and there was water all over the floor. Rented a electric snake, got it stuck, now we are waiting for a plumber to come at 5:30 pm on superbowl Sunday.

Any idea how much this is gonna cost?

ibcnya · #2 02/07/10, 04:53 PM

Was u running a cutter blade on the end or a retriever type attachment? Did you try to reverse? You probably kinked the cable up when you got into something. Tree roots mbe?
Cost? Depends on if the plumber can get the cable back out. If not, digging is next. If he can get the cable out, and unplug yur problem the cost will be minimal.

TJN66 · #3 02/07/10, 05:12 PM

Lets hope your right. He's on his way now. We tried reverse...wont budge. No trees to get caught on any roots. It was a retriever type attachment. We are do it yourself kinda people. Never had this happen to us before. Moved water lines, gas lines, electrical lines, water tanks...whole room remodels. Inspections go without a hitch.
Stupid clog and snake!

dragonchick · #4 02/07/10, 05:52 PM

Please tell the plumber that you poured a caustic substance in the drain. This way he will come prepared and not be burned should a back splash happen.

TJN66 · #5 02/07/10, 07:25 PM

I did tell him that. He didnt seem too concerned since we already had the main line open and drained. $130 for him to tell me that my septic tank needs to be emptied. Ugh!

Kmac15 · #6 02/07/10, 07:28 PM

Did it get stuck on something in your septic tank?

TJN66 · #7 02/07/10, 08:33 PM

He said it either got stuck on something or it doubled back and got stuck on itself. There was no clog he could see or feel when he was using the snake.

rambler · #8 02/07/10, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJN66

There was no clog he could see or feel when he was using the snake.

He's the pro so I'm sure he is right, but..... I ran a snake through with no effect one time, pro came with a chopping head & ground out whatever the problem was. Worked fine then. The simple snake went right through whatever the issue was with little effect.

--->Paul

TJN66 · #9 02/08/10, 06:33 AM

Thanks Paul. He did change the head on the electric snake to a chopping one and used that for a bit. He didnt get anything back so that's why he determined that it needs to be emptied. I'll be calling people today as that company does not have the equipment to do it. Too bad too...they were really nice and professional.

Michael W. Smith · #10 02/08/10, 04:12 PM

Let us know if the full septic tank was the problem or not - how many gallon tank you have, how much it cost to have it pumped out, when the last time was it was pumped out, and how many people are in your household.

Why all the questions?

Because we periodically (several times / year) go through questions of "Should I have my septic tank pumped out?" or "How often should I have it pumped?"

It always gets into a a BIG debate with several variations on answers:

#1 It NEVER needs pumped. "I've lived here for 40 years, never had it pumped yet and it's still working fine."

#2 A strict guideline must be followed based on the size of the tank versus how many people live in the household with usual answers of every year to every 5 years or so.

#3 "I use Rid X (or some sort of addiditive - yeast, etc) and it doesn't need pumped - the directions say it won't need pumped." NO they DON'T say that!

#4 "Septic tank? Do I have one?"

JUllom · #11 02/08/10, 05:34 PM

With a full septic tank "clog" it is generally "sludge" in the line that had no where to go when the septic tank was full. Over a little bit of time not using any drains, the leach bed drained a bit allowing a place for some more of the septic tank to flow out to. Then the "sludge" clog was pushed into septic allowing the main line to drain out...the short answer is yes, probably septic cleaning is in order. If possible, always know how many feet of pipe are from the access point you are cleaning from to the septic tank and then push in that many feet (actually a few less) of drain cable so that you don't end up with several feet in the septic tank tieing itself into a knot...hope that makes sense, we run into this all the time - I own a plbg and drain company that does not pump septics and are often the guy you just called out...

TJN66 · #12 02/08/10, 09:28 PM

Ok...here's what happened.

I called the local septic place today at 9:15am. The were at the house by 10 am pumped out a 1000 gallon tank in less than 2 hours which included digging up the tank, taking down/putting back up a fence panel and putting back all the dirt.
Cost was $473.04

We have lived in the house for 15 years never had it emptied before. (Silly us didnt realize that you needed to do that for maintenance lol...now we know!)
Two adults here, no children.
I use Rid X monthly to help.
It sure is nice to be able to flush the toilet and not worry about where its going!
Hope that helps everyone that was reading this thread.

agmantoo · #13 02/08/10, 10:27 PM

TJN66
When the inspection lid was removed from the tank did water rush out of the lid opening?

rambler · #14 02/09/10, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJN66

I use Rid X monthly to help.

I know some people are true believers & do not want to hear this, but - you could save your money on these types of products, put it in a fund, and use the money to pump your septic every 5-7 years & be much money ahead.

If you have a healthy working septic, these products do nothing for you. If you have a sick septic, they likewise aren't going to overcome the problem.

They are like the magnet you can put on your gas line & increase your mpg......

Sure......

--->Paul

Sanza · #15 02/09/10, 01:13 AM

Wow that was expensive!! Why did they have to dig? Aren't they all made to be accessible from the top (above ground)?
I have a removable lid on both the solid and liquid tanks - is that called an inspection lid? I thought all you have to do is remove the lid, stick the hose down and pump it out.....no digging up the whole tank.
I just had a guy come last month to pump out my septic tank and it cost only $85.00. Very cheap considering he came from about 50 miles away. After the fact I was told it's not a good idea to clean it out in winter because a empty tank has a better chance of freezing up.
LOL the things we learn! At least we all know for next time...

TJN66 · #16 02/09/10, 06:34 AM

They had to dig because we did not know where the tank was. I guess I should have explained more. They had to dig up the top of the tank not the whole tank. No inspection lids here where I live.

Agmantoo when they opened the lids it was full to the top but not overflowing with water or sewage.

Thanks Rambler...thats what hubby was saying too. It's working so why pour ridx down there and waste money.

Sanza...we didnt have any choice really but to have it pumped out as it was full. Couldnt use any water, toilets, shower or it would all back up. Please dont let it freeze!!!!

fishhead · #17 02/09/10, 06:59 AM

I think that's a myth about empty tanks freezing or at least causing a problem.

If the tank is empty it "might" be cold enough to freeze incoming sewage but once it builds up enough in the tank the first sewage on the bottom will thaw from the heat of the earth and start producing it's own heat.

When I had my new system put in this fall I put 2" blue foam over the tank and the incoming line from the house. The tank for my 1 bedroom house is 2,650 gallons. It took me 4 months to fill it enough for the pump to kick on. That was without the washing machine water.

**Cabin Fever** · #18 02/09/10, 08:06 AM

Tanks do freeze (when full), but not solid. They typically freeze near the top, which is the location nearest to the surface of course. The top of the tank is also where the inlet and outlet pipes are. So, freezing a few inches of the top of tank can effectively plug the sewer. Septic tank pumpers in our area do a big business of steam thawing septic tanks.

Rambler is correct of course about the Rid-X. Save the money you'd normally spend on Rid-X and use to have your septic tank pumped more often.

TJN66, I hate to be the bearer of possible bad news. Since it appears that your septic tank was full of sludge, your drainfield trenches may also be filled with sludge. The outlet line from your septic tank (to the trenches) is at a lower elevation than the inlet line from the house to the tank. As sludge builds up in the septic tank, it will eventually reach the height of the outlet line. Once this happens, sludge is discharged to your drainfield trenches. Once your drainfield trenches are full of sludge wastewater will no longer enter the soil and thus the septic tank will fill to capacity (to an elevation above the inlet line) and it will "appear" that the sewer line is plugged.

If in fact your drainfield trenchs (or mound system) is filled with sludge there is little you can do to rememdy the situation other than installing a new leachfield or mound. Time will tell if this has happened to your sewer system. If in a few weeks (after the septic tank fills with wastewater) it appears that you have a plug again, it is likely that your drainfield (or mound) is sealed and no longer seeping wastewater.

fishhead · #19 02/09/10, 09:02 AM

My septic designer suggested installing 2 drainfields. That way a person could switch from one to the other every 5 years.

I had one of those bottomless tanks with perforated sides that hadn't been pumped for 20 years. It was full to within a foot of the surface but in this sand it kept working. I had it pumped but within a few weeks it started to act full again. I figured that the surrounding sand was sealed with anaerobic bacteria and that by exposing it to oxygen the slime bacteria would die and decompose.

I pumped it out a couple of times over the summer and the tank started to drain like it did originally. It worked for several more years before the surrounding sand plugged again.

That makes me wonder if a person could restore their drainfield by blowing air (oxygen) through the pipes or chambers. It would also dry the ground so that the anerobic bacteria would be replaced by aerobic bacteria and they could break down the sludge that was pumped into the field.

**Cabin Fever** · #20 02/09/10, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishhead

My septic designer suggested installing 2 drainfields. That way a person could switch from one to the other every 5 years.

I had one of those bottomless tanks with perforated sides that hadn't been pumped for 20 years. It was full to within a foot of the surface but in this sand it kept working. I had it pumped but within a few weeks it started to act full again. I figured that the surrounding sand was sealed with anaerobic bacteria and that by exposing it to oxygen the slime bacteria would die and decompose.

I pumped it out a couple of times over the summer and the tank started to drain like it did originally. It worked for several more years before the surrounding sand plugged again.

That makes me wonder if a person could restore their drainfield by blowing air (oxygen) through the pipes or chambers. It would also dry the ground so that the anerobic bacteria would be replaced by aerobic bacteria and they could break down the sludge that was pumped into the field.

Yes, fishhead, you are on the right track. Some sealed drainfields have been somewhat restored by allowing the drainfields to "rest." When this happens, the septic tank becomes a holding tank and is pumped when near full. This way the drainfield recieves no wastewater, it dries out, and aerobic decomposition will breakdown the sludge that is sealing the drainfield.

There has been some success with restoring sealed drainfields by adding 100s of gallons of hydrogen peroxide to the drainfield. The peroxide oxidizes (breaks down) the sludge and some infiltration is restored.

Our county required that we but in a drainfield sized for a 4-bedroom home even tho it's just th etwo of us living there 99.9% of the time. Our home has only two bedrooms but since we have a guest cabin...without sewer or water, mind you...they required us to add that as two more bedrooms into the design. At any rate, since it's only the two of us, we have the luxury to load and rest our system. Two trench lines one year recieve wastewater and then the other two trench lines the next year, back to the first two lines the third year and so on.