My kitchen sink was draining slowly. I tried Liquid Plumr and it didn't wor= k. I rented an electric drain opener with a 25 foot auger - the auger went = in all the way and came back bone dry and clean as a whistle, all 25 feet o= f it, meaning there is no clog up to 25 feet from the sink. The trap is als= o clear. BTW, the Home Depot rental guy said my 2 inch PVC kitchen sink dra= in tubing is rather small and can only take a maximum auger length of 25 fe= et.
A few months back, the drain was starting to slow and there were gurgling a= nd popping sounds as the water drained down the sinkhole. Now the popping s= ounds are gone, but the water accummulation has gotten worse, even after th= e auger operation described above.
I'm beginning to suspect it might be our septic tank which hasn't been empt= ied out in 20 years. But if it is the septic tank is full, how come the bat= hroom which is on the same floor as the kitchen sink is flushing normally? = And there are only 2 people in the house - we never put food particles in t= he sewage because we manually strain them before putting dishes in the dish= washer. We hardly use tissue and toilet paper since we rely on European sty= le bidet faucets for personal sanitation. Also, the portion of our lawn whe= re the septic tank is buried has been having dead grass over it, so it make= s me wonder if the tank might be seeping through if not overflowing.
One other suspect is the air vent. But would a blocked air vent cause the k= itchen sink water to back up? And how/where do you unclog a clogged air ven= t?
I don't mind calling a service person but if I can't do it myself, I still = need to know if I should call a plumber to drain it (I already did that), o= r a septic tank hauler to clean it out, or a roofer to fix the air vent.
I would appreciate any help - I am pretty desperate at this point.
Thanks!
Fil