Septic System Problems

[TheFarmerInAdell]

you may also have a partial blockage on the drain lines which is backing things up temporarily until it clears....this would force air upstream until it clears and also account for the toilet backing up....buildup over the years especially from tub soap scum and hair can slowly reduce the width of the drain line......I would pull the toilet and snake the drain to the tank if you can ......Jack

That thought had come to mind, but once again, why would the air not just go out the vent instead of the toilet? If the 2nd floor plumbing had no effect on the 1st floor toilet that would be where I would be looking right away. I'm afraid to pull the toilet because it is original to the plumbing (almost 60 years old!).

I'm not trying to dismiss any ideas, just playing the devil's advocate to get some thought behind the ideas.

 

[RNeumann]

If your septic pumper is correct and the leach field is working correctly then this is a blockage between the house and septic tank. I don’t believe it’s a venting issue. A venting issue wouldn’t magically start 60 years after the House was built......not sure how this went down that rabbit hole.

 

[dodge man]

We have some place in our plumbing that has an occasional backup. I think toilet paper hangs up and it will back up and make a bubbling sound. Sewage will also come up in the showers, but pretty much all my plumbing is at the same level. It will also the sudden break loose normally and everything will drain all the sudden. You can hear it when it happens. I'd do something about it but we have lived there 21 years and its only happened 3 times.

 

[prof fate]

If your septic pumper is correct and the leach field is working correctly then this is a blockage between the house and septic tank. I don’t believe it’s a venting issue. A venting issue wouldn’t magically start 60 years after the House was built......not sure how this went down that rabbit hole.

tree leaves, bird or mouse nest, dead squirrel in the pipe, a bat...

Something pitched wrong can cause issues, undersize pipes can cause issues.

To the OP - did this occur BEFORE you did any second floor addition to the plumbing? And did that work make any difference to the first floor issue?

 

[Hunter29]

500 gallon tank and from WWII , not a problem ?

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

tree leaves, bird or mouse nest, dead squirrel in the pipe, a bat...

Something pitched wrong can cause issues, undersize pipes can cause issues.

To the OP - did this occur BEFORE you did any second floor addition to the plumbing? And did that work make any difference to the first floor issue?

It started about a month before the 2nd floor plumbing was added. The added plumbing didn't make a difference.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

500 gallon tank and from WWII , not a problem ?

The tank is concrete and the piping is cast iron. I will upgrade the system, but I'm hoping to wait a few years to do that until I have the area cleared out for the new system (moving it farther away from the house). I was also hoping to wait until I have all the work on the house done so I don't have to drive over any part of the new system when working on the house. It was pumped a year ago. I also have to run all my grey water into the system per code.

 

[RNeumann]

tree leaves, bird or mouse nest, dead squirrel in the pipe, a bat...

Something pitched wrong can cause issues, undersize pipes can cause issues.

To the OP - did this occur BEFORE you did any second floor addition to the plumbing? And did that work make any difference to the first floor issue?

I’ve been doing plumbing for a few decades now. Yes it could be a vent issue, just like you could hear hoofs clacking, look and see zebras running down the street. On the other hand, I’ve seen too many to count, down stairs toilets gurgling that were the by product of a mainline and or septic blockage.

If the place has a cleanout at the structure pull the cap. If it’s lower than the toilet you may get sewage so use caution. Send a snake, camera and or water jet down that until it gets to the tank. Another easy check is to pull the lid off the septic. That would isolate it and verify it’s not a tank and or leach field issue.

 

[AllDodge]

Might just be the way the vent was installed. I'm not a plumber either, but the correct fittings need to be used and not just a regular Tee's, and how they are installed is another issue

A tank will last forever so long as it doesn't have a top or side wall failure.

 

[JPRambo]

The cast iron has rusted on the inside and the rust has fallen into the vent. Use the snake with a couple magnets attached to see if I am right. It has happened many times at the hospital I work at.