DrainMonkeys

After hour emergency availability
Call now to schedule service!
Menu

Common Causes Of A Clogged Septic Tank

The Common Causes Of A Clogged Septic Tank

Common causes of a clogged septic tank in Kalamazoo, Battle creek, Portage, Three Rivers, Delton, Plainwell, Richland, Otsego, Climax, Vicksburg, Comstock, Plainwell, MI. Drain monkeys recommends one of the first thing that you should do is have your septic tank pumped every 3 to 4 years depending on the size of your family. A family of 3-5 you should have the septic tank pumped every 3 to 4 years. If your family has more than 4 people you should have the tank pumped every 3 years this is recommend by the health department. If you don’t have it pumped on a routine basis the you risk clogging up your septic tank plumbing (drain pipes) you will have a pipe coming into the tank from your house, the sewer main (inlet pipe) dumping into the tank. When your tank gets to full with solids it can back up into the inlet pipe (sewer pipe) causing your drains to back-up into your home or business. 

When your tank is clogged full of solids it can also back up into the outlet pipe (drain pipe) going into your dry well, leach field, drain field causing it to clog & not carry the grey water to your drain field, dry well. If this drain pipe outlet (to the leach field or dry well) clogs it will have a chain reaction & back up the septic tank all the way back into your home possibly causing sewage to back up through your drains in your home.

Roots can cause a major clog when they get into the septic tank, inlet pipe & outlet pipe. When roots get into your septic tank system they will have a water source to keep them thriving & they will multiply very thick inside the drain pipes & your septic tank. Usually the roots will enter through cracks in your septic tank & drain lines. I have personally seen where roots have dangling down from septic tanks covering the main drain (sewer pipe) the inlet dumping into the tank. This can also happen to the outlet pipe as well. The roots get so thick that they will chock of the pipe not allowing sewage & grey water to enter the tank or for the gray water to exit the septic tank.

When roots get into the outlet pipe which is at the back end of your septic tank going over to your drain field or dry well it can cut off the flow to drain the grey water off of your septic tank. This is not the end of the world as the roots can be cleaned out of the drain pipe from the outlet at your septic tank Drain Monkeys has all the equipment to clean the roots out, either with their Ridgid K-750 or a portable hydro jet. Once the outlet drain pipe is unclogged & free of roots you are back in business. Some times you may need to have the drain pipe dug-up & replace if drain Monkeys cant get all the way through the pipe. The drain pipe (outlet) is usually schedule 30 (thin wall) pipe. If you have been driving over this drain pipe with heavy equipment or a truck, car it can collapse the drain pipe as this is just a light weight pipe not meant to be drove over & if the ground is soft you risk damage to the outlet pipe causing it to clog up. 

If you septic tank is completely full of solids (sewage) you risk clogging up your dry well, leach field (drain field)  because all the solids will start to fill up in the dry well, drain field clogging them up & there will be no where for the great water to go. but take the least resistance which will result in sewage backing up into your home. This is way I mention how important it is to keep your septic tank on a scheduled maintenance to be pumped every 3-4 years.

You should always dump RID-X down your toilet as this will flow into the sewer main going into your septic tank. The rid-x will help eat the solids (sewage) to help keep the level to a minimum. You need the bacteria in the tank because if you didn’t then your tank would have to be pumped a couple times a year if it didn’t clog first of the heavy build up of solids. It is best to stay away from the antibacterial soaps as this will neutralize the good bacteria you need in your septic tank. The faster the solids full up in your tank the quicker your septic tank can clog if yo don’t get it pumped soon enough. So always remember bacteria is your friend when it comes to a septic tank they are your little helper to keep your septic tank healthy.

If your drain field or dray well are failing it will cause your septic tank to clog up as the grey water has no where to go. If the ground around your leach-field or dray well is completely submerged with water then you may have to get a new drain-field or dry-well installed. When the snow melts it will make the water table very high in the ground & this can be a cause of a failed system. This is the same if you are getting several days of heavy rain fall it will make the water table very high saturating the ground around your dry well & leach field causing it to fail.

If you do get a new dray well or leach field installed it would be a good idea to have a diverter valve installed as this will give you the power to switch back & forth from the new system to the old one. When you switch the diverter valve it will give the other system time to dry out when your using the opposite system. It is recommend to switch systems every couple of years to keep it from clogging up.

 

We Service clogged septic tanks & drain pipes in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Portage, Vicksburg, Climax, Plainwell, Richland, Otsego, Scotts, Fulton, Athens, Union City, Burlington, Albion, MI. We are available for drain cleaning of your clogged septic tank & drain pipes to your drain field (leach field) or dry well day or night.

Call Drain Monkeys day or night we are here to help you when you need us, (269) 366-8087

To learn more about Drain Monkeys drain cleaning services please visit the home page.

Check out our rates for drain cleaning pipes to and from your septic tank.

common causes of a clogged septic tank the inlet and outlet of a septic tank going to a bad drain field leach field and dry well
common causes of a clogged septic tank the lay out of a septic tank and how it works
Categories