Septic Tanks

[Suicane75]

I'm getting my septic tank emptied in about an hour. For the past 3 years we've had serious problems during heavy rains with our toilets, after the rain stops we sometimes have to wait 8-12 hours for the toilet to go down fully. Does anyone know if an empty tank should give me a sigh of relief for at least a storm or 2? I hate hating the rain. :(

[Franklinnoble]

Yeah. Take better care of your tank from now on.

Drop a cup of yeast in the toilet every few months. Works wonders.

[Ben E Lou]

Your septic tank should not be backing up like that. Emptying it shouldn't make much of a difference. Unless something is wrong with it, there shouldn't be that much in it--especially in only three years.

[Suicane75]

Your septic tank should not be backing up like that. Emptying it shouldn't make much of a difference. Unless something is wrong with it, there shouldn't be that much in it--especially in only three years.

Yeah, i don't know too much about it and my grandmother wont let me ask any questions without going into a huff about dumb kids asking dumb questions so i pretty much just stay away.

All i know is that the septic tank keeps the solids, and the water passes into the water tank, and that empties into the drainfield. Well, when it rains, something get FUBAR and the toilet doesn't work at all, as i said it takes awhile for whatever happens to happen to cause it to start going down again.

I just hate this crap, pun intended.

[Suicane75]

Oh, she did say something about the vent being backed up, and i opened the tiny vent as she tried to unstuff it, but i have no idea what thats for.

[sachmo71]

I prefer the M1A1, myself.

[Suicane75]

I prefer the M1A1, myself.


Should i even ask what you're talking about? Im afraid it might scare me. :D

[dacman]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/images/m1a1-abrams0002-s.jpg

[hhiipp]

I'm assuming you're in a home since you have a septic tank. There should be a vent on your roof that comes up from the crapper. It might be a good idea to make sure there are no birds nests or anything like that in there that would basically seal off the pipe when it rains. You need to have that clear to have the suction work properly.

Other than that, I don't see why or how rain would effect the flushing mechanism.

[Suicane75]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/images/m1a1-abrams0002-s.jpg

LOL

[korme]

if you didn't poop 5 times a day you wouldn't have this problem

[sterlingice]

if you didn't poop 5 times a day you wouldn't have this problem
http://www.healthierliving.org/nutrition/graphics/prunes.jpg

SI

[Suicane75]

if you didn't poop 5 times a day you wouldn't have this problem


I havnt eaten since tuesday night :(
If i had a car i'd drive there and rumble with ya. :D

[sachmo71]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/images/m1a1-abrams0002-s.jpg


Word.

[lynchjm24]

We've had problems at a summer home because of a high water table and it filling up because of that. If that is your issue you are screwed.

[Glengoyne]

I was going to suggest expanding your leeach field, but if your problem is related to rainfall it doesn't seem like that would do the trick. I have heard of people digging deep deep pits, and filling them with rocks to promote drainage of a septic system. IIRC that is of use when there is a layer of clay or other substance on the surface or just below the surface, that prevents the drainage. The pit is dug through the problem material, and that allows the leach pit to do it's job.

[Suicane75]

Lynch, what is a water table?

Glengoyne, when i first moved back here my grandmother for some reason thought it would be a good idea to add dirt to the front yard, which is right over the drainfield, ever since then we've had the problem and my suspicion is that adding all that dirt caused the drainfield to not drain out fast enough to catch up to the rainfall.

I honestly have no idea of the cause, except that alot of people where I live have the same issues with rainfall. The area I live in has no drainage at all as we have no sidewalks and essentialy had just ditches for many years, but those have eroded, ie: been filled up over the years with grass and dirt to the point where there is nowhere for the rain to drain out to. A group of citizens started to complain to the township a few years back and they put in motion a plan to get sewage extended to our area but nothings happened yet, if i could i would sue the sons of bitches for lack of upkeep.

[Franklinnoble]

Here's a few illustrations that might help you out:

http://www.ctrwd.org/Web%20Content/septic%20tank%20basic.jpg

http://www.usinspect.com/car/images/Septic%20Tank.jpg

[Flame Eater]

It sounds like a leach field problem. The liquids leave the septic tank, and flow though the drain tiles/pipes of the leach field (and then into the ground). If the draining devices (tiles, pipes, etc) have rotted, broken, etc. the liquids cannot flow out and drain off well. This is very possible if they used old red clay drain tiles. They get soft and rotted, collapse, and then you basically don't have a leach field anymore. So then the liquids from the tank are trying to push trough solid dirt instead of a nice slick pipe; things back-up.

Call an excavator. In up-state NY you're looking at about $3,000-$3,500 to replace the entire system (tank and leach field). Your milage may vary.

[lynchjm24]

Lynch, what is a water table?



It's the level of the water underground. We had some sort of spring or something under the property and that was screwing things up somehow.

[Suicane75]

Well, there was a clog in the vent close to the house, I have no idea how things work but theres a vent right over the tank and a vent right next to the bathroom. I know the guy who did the septic draining so it wasn't hard getting him to snake the vent next to the house because after he drained the tank the toilet didn't go down. Once he snaked the vent and the toilet whatever was clogging it moved and it went down. It rained like a monsoon last night and we had no problems flushing the toilet, first time thats happened in 3 years, i don't know if it was the tank being cleared or the vent being snaked but it was nice to take a shower and go to the bathroom during a rain storm, how long it'll last is anyones guess.

I love my grandmother but for some reason she suggested I not shower everyday and not use as much as soap as the guy said there was a good level of grease in the tank and she thinks that it has more to do with soap than with the fact that she eats peppers, onions and steaks 4 nights a week.

[hhiipp]

I think I'm going to change jobs and become a septic tank consultant.