I have a recurring problem with my septic tank It's 14 years old and will probably have to be replaced sometime in the next few years. About every 6 months for the last year and a half it backs up on me. The tank is routinely pumped every 3 or 4 years.
When I open the lid I can see the horizontal inlet pipe which ends at a vertical baffle pipe which is about a foot or so long. What has happened is that the tank has settled and tilted to the point where the top of the baffle pipe is nearly under water, so when toilet paper gets flushed it tends to accumulate in the baffle instead of dropping into the tank. Eventually it forms a solid mass which then extends into the inlet pipe and blocks the flow.
My question is this - It seems that I can solve the backup problem by removing the baffle so that all the water and solid material just flows to the center of the tank instead of accumulating in the baffle pipe. Would this cause more problems than it solves?
Scott E.