Toilet always stopped up and now when using sink or shower water is bubbling back in toilet. Have a septic sys

Question

We have taken up toilet and cleaned drain under it and it worked for about a week then started to stop back up again. Very hard to unclog

We just bought the house 3 months ago and they said the septic had been recently cleaned but we have 6 people living in the house and there was only 2 before us. Any idea how much the cost is too have one pumped out

Thanks everyone we are going to have our septic system pumped out . The guy said rate starts at $280.00. The problem seems to be the draining if we wait 30 to 60 minutes between fllushing it seems to work better.

Answer 1

Your septic tank fills up in a few weeks after emptying. It is the drain system that keeps the fluids drained off the top, allowing the solids to go to the bottom. It sounds to me like your tank has filled back up and your drain system is not working any more. This happened to me last year and the septic guy told me my drain field was saturated and would not work any more. I had a new EZ Flow system installed, which is supposed to last as long as the house stands. It was about $1800 and took him all day to do. It is very land-needy; my entire back yard is now a drain system. But it was not a choice. Good luck. Draining tank is about $150 in Southeast, for a 2 bedroom sized tank.

Answer 2

One of two things may be the issue. One...check the pump in the septic pit. It pumps the grey water out. If particulate matter gets into the pump itself, or the float is broke and won't raise up, the pump may not work. This will cause the water level to rise up and nothing flows in.....backflow in the basement. The other you may need to just get it cleaned (the honeywagon) and pumped out. For a typical family (4- people) they should be pumped out ever 2-3 years. If you have a septic field instead of a tank, they have a lifespan. Septic fields last anywhere from 10-15 years before they have to be redone. If you are in an old neighborhood, sometime tree roots grow into the old lines (lines that are 80 years old) and you may need to get someone like roto-rooter to clean the lines that leave from the house to the city sewer service.

Good luck

Answer 3

Sounds like the blockage is past the point where your shower drain meets up with your toilet drain. When you plunge repeatedly, the air pressure is forcing fluids to spill over into the pipe coming down and across from your shower. The more aggressively you plunge, the more water gets backed up into the shower drain until it bubbles up. And when you shower, since there is some sort of blockage in your main line, the water flow is impeded. So the air that is going down the drain along with your shower water has to go somewhere, and the nearest exit is probably straight up through your toilet. At lest, that's how I envision what you've described. If you are on the ground floor and live in an older home, it's possible you have clay instead of PVC for your waste lines. If that's the case, there may be roots that have grown through the clay and are now interfering with your water flow. Sounds like it's time for a roto-rooter. Regards, Rich.

Answer 4

The tank may not be designed for 6 people living in the ouse...How many bedrooms here? Also if you have young ones, they need to be taught what to flush and what not to flush..buy septic tanbk designed toilet paper..I l;ive in a place that has a septic tank..we had ours pumped , it cost 300.00..but we have a large tank..the cost here is relative to how much they have to pump... You also have other factors...stopped up drain field lines, toys possibly flushed down the toilet..grease from the kitchen allowed to go in the drains etc.. This has to be controlled with the people that dwell there...

Answer 5

I'm not sure. Buy some heavy duty drain o and dump it down all the drains including toilettes. Then get some Rid-X and that should help your septic system. http://www.inspect-ny.com/septic/tankpump.htm
This is a link to a website that will tell you how often your septic should be cleaned based on it's capacity and your household size.

Answer 6

The "Y" pipe from the toilet runs to the shower so, it's going to plug and then back up into the tub. It could be clogged with hair from washing.
The vent from the toilet could be plugged from a plunger from a plugged toilet, check this out too. I run a garden hose down mine.
The septic could be plugged, have it pumped, about $75.00 have the guy check everything out.

Answer 7

i lived in a house that had a septic tank, one year for vacation, an it was backed up, things clogged a lot, an there wus a puddle in the backyard. it sounds backed up, regardless of what they;ve told u, i wud get a septic specialist to check it out, its gonna be way more expensive if the tank cracks ♥

Answer 8

I am not an expert on this, but I had this problem once. You need to call the honeywagon to come empty it. Sounds like it is either too dry or too wet where you live and the drain fill is not draining, or it is just full.

Answer 9

Get the septic people in fast - and see if there is an undisclosed issue. You need your tank emptied, and might have system failure. You might need to sue the previous owner if they said it was ok.

Answer 10

It's really not that expensive to have done but I imagine it would depend on where you live. I just had mine pumped out this summer and it was $ 145.