# septic gurgling



## cfbutler31 (Oct 1, 2012)

we have a hunt camp double wide tapped into a septic system, we had the septic cleaned out about five years ago.  Lately, we have been noticing a gurgling in the toilet and shower.  the shower kinda backs up when using. but it will eventually drain.  

Is this a problem with the septic, maybe time to clean it out again.  or could the main line be stopped up, and maybe a liquid draino type fix is in order? if so, should i pour in shower, or toilet, or both, or kitchen sink?

we don't use the place often, except during hunting season.  i have been listening for the toilet running, but it isn't. i had been told that a running toilet would fill septic up, and then back up.  i don't think this is the case.

any help would be great, thanks.


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## rhbama3 (Oct 1, 2012)

We had a similar issue in the past. In our case, a tree root had broken our pVC pipe and the gurgling was caused by air getting into the system.
Hope somebody has a better ( and simpler) answer for you.


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## georgia357 (Oct 1, 2012)

Could something be stopping up the roof vent?


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## speedcop (Oct 1, 2012)

how old is your drain field? sounds like roots have got in it or if its old claypipe they may have collapsed. Dont sound like you use it enough to fill up the tank. If you dont have a filter in your tank thats plugged I'd quess drain field. Just went through that.


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## skiff23 (Oct 1, 2012)

Check your vent first, that will be hte easiest. After that look to the pipe going to the tank, a chemical like Liquid Fire will work wonder but is dangerous if not handled correctly. Then call a service tech and have it pumped and check the drain fields.


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## cfbutler31 (Oct 1, 2012)

how do i go about checking the vent?  is it on top of the house?


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## georgia357 (Oct 2, 2012)

cfbutler31 said:


> how do i go about checking the vent?  is it on top of the house?



Yes, should be on top of the house.


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## Wild Turkey (Oct 2, 2012)

Vent plugged by birds, dirt dobbers etc.


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## Amend2nd (Oct 2, 2012)

Depending on age of drain field and condition(closeness of tree root invasion) or just plain out and out drain line failure ... your problem sounds like mine. 

I had my septic tank pumped about two years ago. I had the problem before and a few weeks after once the tank refilled.

A normal septic tank is not completely full and usually the piping has a vent line installed prior to entry of plumbing in septic system.

When a large amount of water is introduced into the tank and the vent(for whatever reason) cannot sufficiently vent the air off to the atmospere outside the home/mbile home the air surges back through the plumbing system, i.e. toilet and sinks causing the gurgling sound and odors from the septic system. 

If the effluent(after the septic tank) drain system has failed... replacement/reinstallation is about the only option for a fix. 

If just used for a hunting camp.. a pump of the tank is temp... but depnding on fees for pumping you probably could replace the line for a longer range fix.


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## cfbutler31 (Oct 2, 2012)

i would suspect the septic and drain field less than ten years old, when the guy came to clean it out a few years ago, he said it was pretty clean, , but he would go ahead and clean it anyway since he was there.  

i suspected a clog in the line?  i thought this because the shower was stopping up and holding water, but would drain.  

if the drain field has completly failed, wouldn't the water have no where to go , and never drain.

also, about the vent on the roof, what do i do poke a pole down in it and see if there is resistance?

the drain field does run down between large, old oaks and pines, it is not a open space like a pasture.


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## Pat Tria (Oct 2, 2012)

Don't put any harsh chemicals, ie: drain cleaners down a septic system. If you add anything, add some bakers yeast that will stir up the bacteria.  You can never go wrong with a heathly bacteria population in a septic system.


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## Hooked On Quack (Oct 2, 2012)

skiff23 said:


> Check your vent first, that will be hte easiest. After that look to the pipe going to the tank, a chemical like Liquid Fire will work wonder but is dangerous if not handled correctly. Then call a service tech and have it pumped and check the drain fields.



^^^ This.



Liquid Fire is da bomb, and in the right conditions can be a bomb . . .


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## river swamp rat (Oct 2, 2012)

Chuck, Check with Jimmy L in the club he a plumber. I got a snake you can run down the vent pipe if you need it. Just let me know and I will bring to the club. Edward


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## cfbutler31 (Oct 3, 2012)

thanks Ed, i will call him, but first i am gonna check out this vent pipe,see if any visible signs of stoppage are there,  and go ahead and flush some rid x stuff down the toilet, and see what happens.


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## Supercracker (Oct 3, 2012)

Like was said earlier, check the vent and also dig up the outlet of your tank and check your outlet filter (if you have one that is, I suspect you won't) If the filter is not stopped up then it sounds like your drainfield is probably root bound. (IE: roots have grown into the pipes and clogged them, this is by far the most common cause of failure IME, the other usual causes being very unlikely in an seldom used system like yours)

like this






How the septic system is supposed to work is that the tank stays full with water/sludge to within 12-18" from the lid all the time. When you flush the toilet or drain the shower or sink that wastewater drains into the tank, when it hits this big tank the water slows down, the solids sink to the bottom and fats and oil float to the surface (where they are both digested by the digestive bacteria in your tank), and the "treated" water (or effluent) in the middle gets washed out into the drainfield where it stays while it soaks into the ground.





If everything works right when one gallon of wastewater comes in through the inlet on one side, one gallon of effluent flows out to the drainfield on the other. If the pipes (or outlet filter)going into your drainfield are clogged with roots, solids, grease, dead rat, etc, the water cannot flow out as fast as it's coming in. In that case as the waste water flows into the tank the water level rises and it must force out an equal amount of air to make room for itself. This displaced air SHOULD go out the vent, if the vent is clogged it comes out the next best place. Usually either the toilet or shower. That's your gurgling sound. 

So while the vent may indeed be clogged that's just helping a symptom show and there is probably really another problem. Most likely a failing drainfield. Whether or not you really need to do anything about it is another issue. If you only use it occasionally you might fix your vent and not have any real problems for years. 




If it were me I would skip the Ridex. It is my opinion that it does more harm than good. True, it will keep you from having to pump out your tank as often, but it seems to do so by suspending solids and allowing them to get flushed out to the drainfield. So you save having to get the $200 pump out every 3 years or so but you have to replace your $8000 drainfield every 15 years instead of every 30. YMMV




If you have an outlet filter it will look kind of like this




The filter itself is the blue part. It slides down inside your outlet sweep (the vertical piece of pipe that keeps floating waste from flowing out into the drainfield. They're incorrectly labeled "baffles in the second picture )  

When you dig it up it will look something like this if you have one. 




If you don't have a filter you'll just be looking down into the piece of 3" pipe your sweep is made from.


*I've been a septic tank contractor in FL for about 25 years. I've helped train inspectors here.


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## Supercracker (Oct 3, 2012)

cfbutler31 said:


> i suspected a clog in the line?  i thought this because the shower was stopping up and holding water, but would drain.
> 
> if the drain field has completly failed, wouldn't the water have no where to go , and never drain.
> 
> ...




When the drainfield starts to fail the water will drain slowly....then slower................then slower..................................................then slower....................................til it finally stops altogether.
the vent stoppages that I've seen have usually been right at the opening. But unstopping those isn't something I really do, so that's not a rule or anything.
Oak trees and shrubs/brush are the worst offenders for clogging up drainfields. Figure the roots on an oak spread out farther than it is tall. So now consider how many trees are within that radius from your system.


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## cfbutler31 (Oct 3, 2012)

ok, so i'm gonna check the vent this weekend, and then if that ain't it, gonna get somebody in the septic business to check it out for me, ie. the filter on the exit, if there, or if the drain field is gone bad.

other than digging up the whole drain field, how do you know it is full of roots, if they haven't made it all the way to the holding tank itself, where you can see them.


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## Bilge Rat LT 20 (Oct 3, 2012)

There is a head that you put on the end of a pressure washer hose that cuts roots in the drainfield pipe. Run it thru, it pulls itself thru with water pressure. THis cuts out roots and washes the pipe out.

If the field is collapsed/ clogged you get it terralifted. This is a machine that pushes a pipe down into the gravel/field then blasts water down with air breaking up the field giving some space for the water to perk.

This as only 1500.00 compared to ripping up the field and replacing.

You may have a plug at the inlet baffle. this slows the water into the tank check this too. The vent needs ckecking also.


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## Six million dollar ham (Oct 4, 2012)

cfbutler31 said:


> ok, so i'm gonna check the vent this weekend, and then if that ain't it, gonna get somebody in the septic business to check it out for me, ie. the filter on the exit, if there, or if the drain field is gone bad.
> 
> other than digging up the whole drain field, how do you know it is full of roots, if they haven't made it all the way to the holding tank itself, where you can see them.



Just wondering...is this property leased or owned?  If it's leased I say take up a collection and have it pumped.


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## Six million dollar ham (Oct 4, 2012)

Supercracker said:


> Like was said earlier, check the vent and also dig up the outlet of your tank and check your outlet filter (if you have one that is, I suspect you won't) If the filter is not stopped up then it sounds like your drainfield is probably root bound. (IE: roots have grown into the pipes and clogged them, this is by far the most common cause of failure IME, the other usual causes being very unlikely in an seldom used system like yours)



Outstanding, informative post sir.    I went through this myself a few years ago and now have the infiltrator drain field out back.  If you don't mind me asking, is Roebic K77 the ideal root prevention agent?  Also, how many jugs and how often for your average ranch house?  I was told 2 bottles, 3x a year.  That's about $100 a year.  Ouch.


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## Jim Ammons (Oct 4, 2012)

Copper Sulfate will kill the roots. Here is a link http://www.coppersulfatecrystals.com/catalog/item/7412893/7750732.htm


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## Wild Turkey (Oct 4, 2012)

Most vents are plugged right at the top. Dirt dobbers, bird nests etc.
Especially for seldom used systems like yours.
If you can get a hose to the vent jet down the vent to push thru obstructions. If the jet of water fills up the shower you have a blockage before the tank or full tank. You shoud have a cleanout right outside the bldg. Snake it.


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## cfbutler31 (Oct 17, 2012)

ok , here's an update.  i checked the vent, there was nothing visible clogging as well as i could see with the flashlight looking down into it.

i put some ridx in, the generic version, and flushed it.

the toilet was running, i adjusted it, and it doesn't run anymore.

we used the house pretty strong this past weekend, and no gurgling, no backups in the shower, no nothing.  at this point, not sure what to do.  i may try some of that root stuff someone posted above, as a clean out, or maybe preventative if we don't have them right now.

if it happens again, i will have the septic dude come out and clean it, probably needs it anyhow since it has been a few years, around five maybe.

thanks for all the information, if it happens again, i'll be back


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