Septic Tank Clogged Up

A clogged toilet can be a real nuisance.

Septic tank clogged up.

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. 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. This is commonly seen in septic systems that are more than 20 years old. When the backed up device is a household s only toilet that nuisance can quickly become a calamity.

The septic tank or septic vents have frozen due to low temperatures. A septic leach field also known as a drain field disperses wastewater from your septic tank and removes contaminants before it soaks deeper into the soil. Septic field lines can fail to drain when heavy solids accumulate and block perforations in the lines. No septic treatment dissolves sludge a major cause of clogged drain fields.

Caused by drain blockage versus caused by septic system failure. A full septic tank can cause problems by allowing solid waste and sludge to overflow into the drain field. It is often possible to clean and renew a clogged septic leach field instead of replacing the drain field lines. Sludge in the tank reduces the volume of water in the tank speeding up sewage movement through the tank.

The septic tank vent is blocked. Lines are clear and the septic tank has been pumped but there is still a backup into the building. Ways to unclog a main drain or full septic tank. Sometimes they become clogged with items that should not have been flushed such as tampons wet wipes condoms or paper towels.

Throw away paper towels wet wipes food scraps or other solid material in with the regular trash so it can t block the pipes. Use a snake or water jetting to unclog the main drain. The effluent sludge in the tank rises and leaves the tank and flows into the drain field plugging the field and causes the flow from the tank to back up. Part of the percolation pipes is clogged.

When a septic system that s less than 20 years old fails to drain it s sometimes a sign of tree. While a clogged drain field cannot be snaked out and cleared like a drain pipe you can. If sewage is backing up into your home or surfacing around the septic tank you might have a problem with the outlet baffle or effluent filter. Over time leach fields can build up sludge or tree roots can grow into them to form clogs which causes your septic tank to back up or leak into your yard.

Blocked drain or drain backup diagnosis. Part of the drain inlet or outlet of the septic tank is clogged. This is usually a drain field issue. A block in the distribution box.

Effluent from a septic tank with high sludge levels will carry solid waste that can quickly clog the leach bed.