Toilet Still Misflushes After Septic Pumpout. Help?

[Robyn]

Hi, I'm hoping I can get some advice about this before spending more money. I HATE not knowing what I'm doing! Anyway, we noticed our toilet was flushing slowly, and/or incompletely. At around the same time, we also noticed an odor outside and some dampness. Turns out the septic tank was full. (We've lived here less than a year, and never had a septic tank before.) So we called and had it pumped to the tune of $350.00, which I think was insane for the amount of time it took. Instantly the problem with the toilet disappeared, so we just shrugged it off and were happy all was well.

So here it is three days later and the $%&# toilet is flushing slow again, and sometimes not at all, after being fine since the pumping. I don't see how it could still be the septic tank, if there was a back up in the drain field, wouldn't the tank have to refill up with water first? I don't see any way that two adults can fill a 1,000 gallon tank in three days.

So I'm mystified. If there was a blockage in the pipe, I don't think pumping the tank should have helped, right? And the toilet is only about

10 feet from the septic tank, just the other side of the wall. (BTW, the tank *did* need pumping, badly.) I really don't want to call this company back, the guy they sent out seemed way too eager for me to have a lot of expensive work done. And if I call someone else, I'm just as afraid of getting taken. Any advice as to things I can do, or check on would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Robyn

[James Nipper]

Is the toilet the only thing not draining (or as you say, flushing?) well in your house ?

It would seem to me that if you have a septic tank problem , OR a clog in your main drain pipe, then your bathtubs and other drains should be slow to drain as well, don't you think ?

Can you better explain what you mean when you say it doesn't flush well? The water comes in fine from the closet (or toilet water tank), but does not flush out down from the bottom ?? What happens to it ? If it does not flush, I would think it would run over , as it starts out full when you do a flush.

Some more details might help.............

--James--

[Runningwater]

Robyn, Im not sure about where you live, but I just had a couple 1000 gal. tanks pumped to the tune of $125.00 each, and I thought that was reasonable price. (I live in Ohio, so that could be the problem too) But you probably have a clog from the toilet to the tank itself. I see this alot when tanks dont get pumped too often. You will need to call a licensed plumber, that does sewer cleaning, and tell them the same story you told us. He will snake your line from the toilet to the tank, and more than likely have a minimum fee. (mine is $120, but like I said rural Ohio) Good luck and let us know what happens.

[Randy Anderson]

Sounds like a field line problem. Yes you can refill a 1000 gal tank in

3 days.. Get a qualified septic pumper that also does field lines to check your system.

Could be a water leak (like a running toilet) has saturated your field lines. Could be that the field lines have failed. Could be excessive rain water has flooded your field lines.

Good Luck

Randy