I just had Roto-Rooter pump out the septic tank here at my house. The tank had not been drained in at least the last 5 years and it was full to the top. The tank has a riser on it so the guy couldn't get a good look at the pipe leading from the tank to the drain field pipe, but he used a mirror and looked at it from inside the tank and said it was partially plugged with gunk. He said the entire drain field would need to be replaced/re-done and there is no way to clean out the pipes. Is that really true or are they trying to make more money off of me? Seems to me I could dig out the other end of the tank and remove the pipe and flush it out myself with a plumbing snake and/or a water hose. I asked the Roto-Rooter guy about that but he wouldn't answer me. He just said "call the phone number on the invoice, they will go over it with you".
The septic tank was slap full to the brim, and the Roto-Rooter guy said having it pumped will only buy a few weeks' time before we have plumbing trouble again. Is there any kind of chemical I could put in the system to clean the drain field pipes? The septic never backed up into the house but we had some bubbling toilets and slow drains. The washing machine drained back into the bathtub on the opposite side of the laundry room wall the other day. We have had a few plugged toilets or toilets that just wouldn't drain and flush like they should, after they sat overnight they flushed OK the next morning. When my gf or I would take a shower, both toilets in the house would bubble and gurgle and the water level would go down very low. After you flush the toilet, the water level would be normal again.
A few months ago I cut a hole in the wall and used about 20 feet of PVC pipe and re-routed my washing machine drain out into the back yard. That has helped and will continue to help but if I can, I want to fix this drain field problem myself. I have a feeling Roto-Rooter charges a lot for drain field repairs. I appreciate any help you guys can offer here. Thanks.
The septic tank was slap full to the brim, and the Roto-Rooter guy said having it pumped will only buy a few weeks' time before we have plumbing trouble again. Is there any kind of chemical I could put in the system to clean the drain field pipes? The septic never backed up into the house but we had some bubbling toilets and slow drains. The washing machine drained back into the bathtub on the opposite side of the laundry room wall the other day. We have had a few plugged toilets or toilets that just wouldn't drain and flush like they should, after they sat overnight they flushed OK the next morning. When my gf or I would take a shower, both toilets in the house would bubble and gurgle and the water level would go down very low. After you flush the toilet, the water level would be normal again.
A few months ago I cut a hole in the wall and used about 20 feet of PVC pipe and re-routed my washing machine drain out into the back yard. That has helped and will continue to help but if I can, I want to fix this drain field problem myself. I have a feeling Roto-Rooter charges a lot for drain field repairs. I appreciate any help you guys can offer here. Thanks.