Slow Drain!?!

[z085688]

I just recently bought a older home (~45 yrs old) with cast iron piping and I seem to be having problems with my septic system. Whenever I use a generous amount of water (showering or laundry) it seems to me that it doesnt drain (from the house to the tank) very well because after a little time I end up with standing water in my main cleaout pipe. I had a plumber come and we ran a snake through this pipe and the bigger snake head kept getting stuck at a certain point but we were finally able to get a smaller snake through. He suggested that the pipe running from my basement to the septic tank could be broke. But there is a catch to this story, I seem to get this problem easier when it is very wet outside. The first incident was when it was raining for about three days straight and now about 1-2 feet of snow is melting with rain on top of that. Does it seem a logical conclusion that the problem is still the drain pipe or is it something more? Also how hard is it to work on septic problems (outside of the tank, that is)? I'm fairly handy at things and would rather not fork over a couple thousand dollars to fix something that would just take some work. Thanks for the help.

[joed]

First thing to do if you haven't since you bought the house is to have the septic tank pumped and inspected.

[suemarkp]

And after it is inspected, I'd guesstimate where you think the break is and dig up that area where the line is between the house and the tank. This is commonly the first thing that goes. Then the drainfield may be next 10 to 20 years later depending on how diligent you are about pumping the tank.

A broken pipe is going to let excess water and dirt into your tank and possibly cause the back you're seeing (could be rain water). That will put an extra load onto the drainfield making it slow too. It is possible that your drainfield is a problem, but the pipe from the house to the tank is much easier to deal with, so I'd do that first.

[Wgoodrich]

When you have your tank pumped out the first time take a few pictures of each chamber before he starts flushing the hardened residue out. This should tell you if your slurry from the tank overflowed into your finger system from the tank if the tank solids built up to high to invite the slurry to contaminate your finger system. This will give you your best analysis of your finger and tank conditions. Then have the tanked flushed continuesly by the pump company till the solids break up and you get the tank empty to the bottom again. After it has been pumped it will take a while for the tank to fill up and start working the fingers again. Once the tank if full and working the fingers again your next rain should tell you if you have finger problems.

Good Luck
Wg