Many people with septic system problems such as odor slow draining sinks and tubs gurgling pipes backups and sewage water ponding in their yard mistakenly assume the cause of these issues is their septic tank.
Slow drain septic system problems.
This however is not true.
All the drainage lines of your home drain slow and there is a backing of the drain water from the main drainage line.
If your household has too many people who give out waste and use water more than what your septic tank has the capacity for then expect a slow drain to develop pretty soon.
When a building drain or main sewer line is clogged or slow or when there is a septic system backup it s important to determine where.
In case you have slow draining fixtures plumbers will check the drain vent system.
Once the tank is full of solid waste you may experience sewage backups in the toilets or slow drains in tubs and sinks.
Here we explain how to determine if a blocked or slow drain is due to a problem inside the building or outside in a sewer line or failing septic system.
Blocked drain or drain backup diagnosis.
If the kitchen sink bathroom sink shower or bathtub are draining slowly it could point to a problem with the pipes in your home a plumbing company issue or the septic system a septic company service.
The frequency of pumping depends on a few factors.
Slow draining septic systems can be caused by several things.
When your toilet is slow to flush or won t flush at all and a toilet plunger is unable to fix the problem it is possible that there is something wrong with your septic system.
If however more than one of your drains runs slow then you could have a much bigger problem.
Part of the main drain line is clogged.
Possible causes for a slow drain.
The most common cause of septic system problems and failure is their septic system absorption component more commonly known as a drainfield becoming.
Part of the drain inlet or outlet of the septic tank is clogged.
Also if you already have a failed septic system qualified plumbers will be able to detect this easily.
And while you might be tempted to pull out the drano or another drain cleaner.
If the problem is in this area they have the expertise tools and equipment to fix the issue.
Caused by drain blockage versus caused by septic system failure.
Your septic system could be backing up.
Slow flushing is a possible indication that your septic tank is full and the only way to address this is by having your tank pumped out.
The grey water is allowed to pass through the tank and out into the underground drain field lines in your yard.
If you smell a sewer odor or worse yet if you see raw sewage in your basement then you will need to contact your city s local sewer department if your system is hooked up to a city line.
The septic tank vent is blocked.