Blocked Waste Pipe to Septic Tank

The waste pipe leading to our septic tank was plugged today and started to back up slightly. Lucky me, in subzero temps I got to dig the snow off the yard to try to find where to dig to get to the cover. Finally found it and dug the semi-frozen dirt and sod off of it, removed the cover and “gaffed” out the TP that SOMEONE in our house uses by the truck load…

Still blocked.

Went inside and thought about snaking the waste pipe from the floor drain that branches off of the main line but since there was a bit of water pooled on top of the drain I thought I’d try using a plunger. The plunger sucked up a bunch of black water and TP fibers and then miraculously, it cleared the line and everything seems fine now.

So including the clean up, that’s how I’ve spent my day so far.

I guess it could have been worse.

I could have been ice fishing!

Dan

As long as you have everything open and exposed, might want to rent a steamer and open the pipe all the way to the mound if frozen even a little bit. With water not moving as result of clogg its possible that some freezing might have started. Just a suggestion.

Cleaning drains is kinda like fishing Dan. Sometimes it big. Sometimes its little and you never know what your going to catch. Hauled a nice football sized clog out of a drain in a apartment in down town st paul last night. Owner asked me what it was. Told him I didnt really look. Just be happy its un clogged. Now I get to drown the end of my snake in fuel and try to burn off what ever it was.

Yuck. One household duty I am more than willing to pay for.

I would also put a lot of straw or something over where you dug up. The frost is going to get through that very fast and could freeze stuff up. better yet, buy a couple sheets of 4’x8’styro insulation and lay that first then straw on top! VERY cheap insurance!!!!!

u may want to get that pipe cleaned, pry is frozen with these temps we see this alot. it may just fix itself when the temps coem buck up too. other thing u wont beable to clean it through a floor drain because there is a trap under it that the snake will not go through, you need too find the clean out before it leaves the house too do the cleaning. good luck.

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Hauled a nice football sized clog out of a drain in a apartment in down town st paul last night.

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Ya know Mikey, sometimes your job sucks.

Nothing was frozen, and the line flows freely to the tank now. I used a hose to run hot water down the floor drain, had the toilet flushed several times, and filled the wash tub in the basement about 2/3 full with hot water and let that through to see if anything flushed through. Nothing noticable came through while I was there to see it – though it was hard to see with the steam rising from the tank.

Thanks for the suggestions to keep things from freezing. While we’ve never had a freezing problem, I’ll go shovel some snow on top of where the tank is buried to “blanket it.”

Dan

Sometimes eating your veggies can really help.

Mike

have you ever snaked out a creature from a drain?

I thought this was some how going to be another Bears Packers post.

had to hold the flashlight for my dad when i was a kid. got a great view of poo shooting out the pipe and all over him. never thought you would use your waders for that huh.

There is a reason we call plumbers “turd herders”

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Hauled a nice football sized clog out of a drain in a apartment in down town st paul last night.

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Ya know Mikey, sometimes your job sucks.

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Rootski;
That’s kind of a “chitty” thing to say!

No critters yet but there is always hope. Have found plenty of these little white cottony things with tails. Still cant figure out what they are.

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There is a reason we call plumbers “turd herders”

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That just “Cracked ” me up.

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There is a reason we call plumbers “turd herders”

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That just “Cracked ” me up.

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Yep keep laughing funny boy. The real humor starts when you get the bill. An just so you know you are dealing with a real plumber here is you sign.

Dan, not sure what the codes are in your area for septic / Sand filter installation. Here in SE iowa most systems have a two compartment septic tank with a plastic filter that should be cleaned twice a year, then a dousing tank, then a sand filter or leech field. Don’t know if you have a filter or not but it will be located near the back end of the septic tank, might be a green plastic cap with a couple screws in it to keep the cap on. Thought that this might help.

Thanks
Chad

Been it the same boat with septic system.Just a suggestion and depending on how old/new the system is run a couple bottles of lye down threw it that will/should get rid of the debris thats left then flush it good.Then start feeding it a box of rid-x monthly.