TheFarmerInAdell
Gold Member
- Joined
- May 15, 2018
- Messages
- 396
- Location
- Adell, WI
- Tractor
- Massey Ferguson 2706E, Massey Ferguson GC1705
I have a old septic system put in WWII era. Small tank (500 gallons). Last spring I started having trouble with the 1st floor toilet bubbling when a large amount of water went into the system (drain the tub for instance). It was only the 1st floor toilet, not the sink. There is no gurgling sounds from anywhere indicating the vent is plugged. In fact, there are 2 vents in the system (one tied to the 1st floor bathroom, one tied to the 2nd floor bathroom/laundry room, plus an AAV on the kitchen). The venting on the 2nd floor is new. I installed it when I added a bathroom and moved the laundry room up there with all new plumbing about a month after this trouble started. I had the system pumped when this trouble started, assuming the tank was getting full and blocking the exit to the drain field. The pumper said everything was good, and no "runback" -not sure if that's the right term, basically when he ran water from the tank into the drain field it didn't come back indicating a blockage. Also the drain field vent was dry. The bubbling starts after probably 30 gallons or so in less than a 2 hour time window, doesn't matter where the water comes from, and the bubbling always comes from the 1st floor toilet. Also, any other fixture will drain properly, but the 1st floor toilet will back up when flushed if it's gone to the "bubbling stage". I've attached a diagram of my system to give some insight. If I open the inspection cover at the piping leading to the tank the problem seems to go away indicating that the air is not escaping from the system. Why would the air escape there, but not through the vents in the roof? I'm at a complete loss as to the cause of this...
Anyone have an idea on the cause of this? I don't want to install a new septic system if I don't have to right now. I know I need a new one in the future, but I'd rather wait to install it until I have the area for it cleared first.
Anyone have an idea on the cause of this? I don't want to install a new septic system if I don't have to right now. I know I need a new one in the future, but I'd rather wait to install it until I have the area for it cleared first.