Know anything about septic tanks?

You have a clogged drain line going from your tank to your field bed. If you have a company like roto rooter in your town give them a call they will be able to run a auger down the drain line and clear out any roots or matter that has clogged line. In the long run it will be cheaper than installing a new one.

a reply to: buster2010

Hey thanks! Is there any way for me to tell when they check the thing? Since everything is underground and I don't know anything about it I'm worried what may be something like a clogged line will turn into getting the entire drain field replaced when it doesn't need to be.

a reply to: Domo1

you should be able to call the service folks and tell them you need your lateral lines rooted.

I have a 150ft root snake that we have used a few times over the years. It was my dads. LOL...the things us rednecks pass down to our children.

alternately, since tomorrow is Saturday you can try to see if you can clean it yourself

www.ehow.com...

You may not have roots causing the entire problem. And once you root a line, it is much more prone to collapse....so there is risk. If you can clean it out, you may be better off.

ETA: to add a link to the clog hog:

www.cloghog.com...

gross? yes...but that pudding substance is what clogs septic lines. We have a place locally to rent equipment like backhoes, bobcats, rototillers, etc. You might find a local place with some sort of clog busting power washer tool.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

The guy just came out and we did some digging. Here's what I know now.

The baffle is gone, as is the pipe to the D box. The D box was completely full to the lid of dry dirt and rocks, the guy said he'd never seen anything like it. The pipes leading out were completely packed, but I was able to snake them somewhat with a hose. They're not taking enough water. The D box is in excellent condition and the pipes leading away from it are too. He said he'd give it a 70% chance it's not the drain field.

I actually really like the guy that came out. He told me to just start digging, following the lines until I find a place where they'll take water and start replacing sections. He said if the drain field needs to be done it's $5-8k minimum. It's certainly worth it to me to dig for a few hours and potentially save thousands.

I think I might try to find something that I can use to force water in. I'm thinking I might stick the pressure washer in and see if it knocks out what I can't quite get with the hose.

Thanks for the help all. If there's anything else you can recommend I do it's greatly appreciated.