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.
Septic tank full of water not draining.
Blocked drain or drain backup diagnosis.
Septic tanks gradually fill with solid waste.
In a properly functioning system solid matter stays in the tank while black water exits the tank and ends up soaking into the ground in the drain field.
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.
The grey water is allowed to pass through the tank and out into the underground drain field lines in your yard.
If you live on a sloping property your drain field may be on higher ground than the tank so your system may also include a transfer pump that cycles on when the tank is full.
The drain field also known as leach field or absorption bed is an essential part of the sewage disposal system.
Caused by drain blockage versus caused by septic system failure.
If your septic system isn t draining the way it should your backup issues will return soon enough.
Once the tank is full of solid waste you may experience sewage backups in the toilets or slow drains in tubs and sinks.
In addition if the ground is saturated because of high water table or heavy rainfall then the septic tank will not drain and it will back up into the house.
If you discover puddles of water in your yard and it hasn.
It functions by accepting and processing waste water from the septic tank and absorbing it.
The frequency of pumping depends on a few factors.
Pumping the septic tank can give temporary emergency relief to a slow flush or drain backup problem due to a failing septic system but depending on the daily volume of wastewater produced the tank will fill up again in just a few days or less.
If the drain field fails to drain properly or begins to drain slowly it may compromise the whole septic system.
This however is not true.
The whole system is dependent on the drain field s ability to absorb water.
Not every full septic tank is nice enough to give you the warning of slow or sluggish drains.
Keep in mind that getting your tank pumped is only a temporary solution to a drain field issue.
You may need to dig up the access lid with a shovel or use a pry bar to lift.
The most common cause of septic system problems and failure is their septic system absorption component more commonly known as a drainfield becoming.
More times than not the sewage will just begin to back up into the house when the septic tank is full.
This particular sign of a full septic tank can be astronomically expensive as a homeowner.
If you have a septic tank cleaning service clear the lines and pump the tank and it s still not working properly then the drain field is having a problem.
If the water level is above the inlet but there isn t anything blocking the end of the pipe then the clog may be in the leach field.