Who knows about septic systems?

[freebullet]

I would not be putting caustic/corrosive products down my lines septic or not. In a septic system it will jack up the bacteria that breaks down the solids.

Sounds like it needs pumped down AND cleaned out. That is one nasty job.

[GRUMPA]

Like what was already mentioned it sounds like there's more than just 1 problem. We just had our septic pumped out after 9 1/2yrs of use. Everything checked out OK but I also put them in as well by the same company that put in ours. If your tank isn't draining it's in the leech field somewhere. The quickest way to ruin a leech field is to dump grease or oils of any kind down the drain. It sounds like your tank is doing it's job OK but the water I guess doesn't drain fast or fast enough to the leech field.

Out here they sink a 3" leech pipe at the end of each leech line, when you can poke a stick down the pipe and bring it up it tells you at that point how well the water is draining into the surrounding soil. Since you weren't there the entire life of the system it's anyones guess what was put down the drain. That's about the only thing I can add to this. And yes I've had to basically create more leech fields from folks dumping oils and fats down the drain which coats the leech field so nothing drains.

[daniel lawecki]

You have your tank short run of pipe then distribution box that transfers to leech field runs. If the septic tank was ever over filled with solid waste and such this pipe will clog. this will lead to several problems with drainage.

[OBIII]

The average person uses 88 gallons of water per day. It would only take one person 12 days to fill a 1000 gallon tank with water. As long as the sewage is not backing up to the house, or coming out around the septic entry, then all is working as it should be. The purpose of the tank is to allow the solids to settle to the bottom, where they are decomposed. As long as the drain field is working, the water will eventually flow from the tank to the field. The solids, as they are broken down, will float to the top and be drained to the leech field. A tank is not full when it is full of water, it is full when the amount of SOLID material rises to a certain level. Then the solids are pumped out. There are products that can be used once a month to add additional bacteria to the tank to allow it to function more efficiently. Caustic chemicals, cigarette butts, etc., are all harmful to the bacteria. Grease and oil will coat the drain pipes to the leech field causing the water to not disperse. All of this has been said in previous posts, just tried to put them all together for you. If you are on well water, that will cause the build-up of the sludge that you mentioned in the pipes. I think it is a combination of bacteria and sediment in the water that causes it. Snake will push right through it without removing it.

OB

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

The average person uses 88 gallons of water per day. It would only take one person 12 days to fill a 1000 gallon tank with water. As long as the sewage is not backing up to the house, or coming out around the septic entry, then all is working as it should be. The purpose of the tank is to allow the solids to settle to the bottom, where they are decomposed. As long as the drain field is working, the water will eventually flow from the tank to the field. The solids, as they are broken down, will float to the top and be drained to the leech field. A tank is not full when it is full of water, it is full when the amount of SOLID material rises to a certain level. Then the solids are pumped out. There are products that can be used once a month to add additional bacteria to the tank to allow it to function more efficiently. Caustic chemicals, cigarette butts, etc., are all harmful to the bacteria. Grease and oil will coat the drain pipes to the leech field causing the water to not disperse. All of this has been said in previous posts, just tried to put them all together for you. If you are on well water, that will cause the build-up of the sludge that you mentioned in the pipes. I think it is a combination of bacteria and sediment in the water that causes it. Snake will push right through it without removing it.

OB

So if it wasn't draining to the field at all, or very slowly, I would have probably had some sort of overflow/backup by now, right?

[shooter93]

Kaf and OB are correct. Having a full tank is not necessarily a problem. In fact they will hold liquid right up to the exit line in a gravity system. It MAY be possible for a freeze but the top of my tank and leech field are not over 12 inches deep and it has never frozen and we have been well below zero often. If it backs up....then there is a clog or something. One of the best things you can do for a septic system is to pump the tank every 2 years. Many localities now require this. Yes.....many people can or do go longer but it's a small price to pay for peace of mind. Sewers and septic systems only fail at midnight Christmas eve....it's a rule I think....lol.

[altheating]

I bet the ground is frozen and not allowing the liquid to drain off into the leach field. Not sure of your frost line, but I hear ours here in upstate NY is down to 52". The line to your distribution box may also be frozen up.

[montana_charlie]

If you find that your septic tank is full and that makes you think it should be pumped out, the guy who runs the pump won't argue with you. He'll just pump her out and take the money.

If you ask somebody if having a full tank is a problem, then you are on the way to finding out if you can let the pump guy stay at home.

As said, the septic tank empties from the top.

Here is a diagram of a typical septic system:



As you can see, the tank is almost full, but the 'riser' (which is the round entry to the tank) is empty.
This is the 'normal' state.

What was the situation when you thought your tank was 'full' the second time?

If you need more information about septic systems, you CAN come here and ask people.
Everyone who answers will try to be helpful. But, as you have already found out, many don't read what has already been said ... and they keep trying to help you fix stuff that you have already fixed.

Better (in my mind) to go to a place that specializes in septic system information ... like the place where that diagram came from ... which is http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/..._septic_1.html

CM

[Tom Myers]

The shower runs great now that I took it apart and snaked it, now leI'm just concerned about my tank not draining off the water.

Thanks for the advice so far everyone, keep it coming.

You are probably ok now that your shower drain is clear and draining into the septic system.

The level of fluid in your septic tank should be the same all the time. It should not "drain off" the water.
The fluid level in the tank needs to be at a certain level for the bacteria to change solids into a liquid type emulsion and provide a place for sludge that cannot be converted while allowing scum and as-yet unconverted solids to rest so that they are not carried on out into the drain field.

Do some Google research on the concept of septic tank waste removal processes.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

by full I mean past the point of being 6 to 12 inches from the top of the tank. I understand that it is supposed to normally be mostly full of water, the problem is that mine keeps filling past that point, at times to the point that it begins to fill my access riser.

[Wis. Tom]

Washing machine water is the worst for septic tanks, but hard to get around.

[Tom Myers]

by full I mean past the point of being 6 to 12 inches from the top of the tank. I understand that it is supposed to normally be mostly full of water, the problem is that mine keeps filling past that point, at times to the point that it begins to fill my access riser.

Your drain field may be partially frozen and only slowly accepting the liquid from your septic tank.

Right now my drain field is completely frozen and we are simply using the septic tank as a holding tank. This means monitoring the level in the tank and then have the pumping truck come in and pump it out and haul it away. This will be our only solution until the ground thaws completely sometime in May.
Our only options are closely monitoring the tank and drastically reducing our water usage.
This summer will be spent adding an additional spoke to our drain field and perhaps digging up and refreshing the sides and bottom of one or more of the other spokes.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

Your drain field may be partially frozen and only slowly accepting the liquid from your septic tank.

Right now my drain field is completely frozen and we are simply using the septic tank as a holding tank. This means monitoring the level in the tank and then have the pumping truck come in and pump it out and haul it away. This will be our only solution until the ground thaws completely sometime in May.
Our only options are closely monitoring the tank and drastically reducing our water usage.
This summer will be spent adding an additional spoke to our drain field and perhaps digging up and refreshing the sides and bottom of one or more of the other spokes.

Thanks, this is along the lines of what I suspected it might be. I'm going to call the Septic inspector at the county health department tomorrow morning and see what he says.

[Alan in Vermont]

Having a full tank is not necessarily a problem. In fact they will hold liquid right up to the exit line in a gravity system.

I am so glad somebody pointed this out. The tank has to be "full" before any liquid goes out to the field. If the tank is full right to the very top, then you have an issue.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

I am so glad somebody pointed this out. The tank has to be "full" before any liquid goes out to the field. If the tank is full right to the very top, then you have an issue.

Which it is, like I said I know it is supposed to be mostly full, my concern is the lack of a half a foot of space on top.

[flounderman]

The septic tank has the drain near the top. It is supposed to stay full up to the outlet. It is a settling tank that the solids decompose and settle to the bottom as sludge. The outlet is a foot or so down from the top and the water level is going to be up to the level of the outlet. When you pump it, the water will have to fill the tank before it will drain. If you just have one slow drain, the problem is in that drain pipe and not the septic tank. I have lived here 25 years or more and never had to pump the tank. I wouldn't call that plumber again.

[histed]

Wealth of knowledge on so many things here. OP - my apology, I had forgotten that drain openers can mess with the bacteria in your tank. It does seem to be a rule that septic and wells cause problems only in the worst weather. It is possible that your out flow/drain may be clogged. I had that happen at our first house and still don't know how or what caused it.

[BD]

Although septic tanks drain from near the top, there should never be septic waste in the riser above the tank cover. That indicates a problem beyond the tank. Could be a clogged distribution box, or a pinched pipe. Or in the the worst case a clogged field. A properly installed system designed for the location should pretty much never freeze, as the system in use generates heat. However, skimping on the cover fill or plowing over the field could lead to a freeze up. If the house sat empty through a cold winter, (no sewage to generate heat), it is possible that the tank frost heaved a little and pinched the outlet pipe, (tank goes up a couple inches, outlet pipe does not, so the pipe gets squeezed or even sheared off.) I have had this issue with new systems that get installed in the fall, but do not see any sewage unit the following summer.
I'd be as easy as possible on the system until the ground thaws, then start digging from the tank outlet and see what you find. If you have the original plan and can locate the distribution box, I'd dig that up as well. Lacking the plan, you find the box by following the pipe out from the tank. After you get done digging up and repairing, put down 2" blue dow board over all the pipe you have accessed between the distribution box and the house before you re-bury it. Two inches of foam over the tank will help a lot as well.

[Petrol & Powder]

Don't attempt to solve multiple issues at once, too many variables makes the solution difficult to pinpoint.
Based on what has been posted already, I would do NOTHING for now. If the drains are working the full septic tank means nothing. As long as it is working, leave it alone.

As for the long term, bacteria is your friend, try not to kill it off.
The washing machine is the worst offender for filling the tank with water. We used to run the washer drain down the hill but that was in a rural area where you could get away with that. If you're in the market for a new washer, the front loaders use far less water.
If the drainfield is failing there's not much that can be done short of replacement. Roots, sand, crushed pipes, etc. can all cause problems in a drainfield.
In theory, a septic system shouldn't require any attention. In practice they eventually fail for a lot of reasons but keeping grease, chlorine, and anything that inhibits the bacteria from working out of the system is a good plan.

The drainfield should be deep enough that it shouldn't freeze but it has been so cold that is a possibility.

[powderburnerr]

if it is 20+ years old ,there is a good chance the tank has settled and the outlet has a kink in it ,slowing the flow down. ,it takes a lot of cold bare ground to freeze a leach line.especially if you emptyed it and it refilled so quickly.