I just moved into a house with a septic tank and the toilet is flushing really slow. Could this be a problem?

Question

the toilet fills to the very top (like it's clogged) then drains very slow but it doesn't do this every time.

Answer 1

could be a vent on the roof plugged up. I had the same problem, mine was plugged up from birds making a nest. Its alot cheaper to check that out before getting a plumber.

Answer 2

Could also be a vent problem.

Answer 3

Did the seller tell you how big your septic tank was and the last time it was emptied? The septic tank could be full or plugged, specially if it does not have a french drain. First thing I would do is go buy some Rid~X, made for septic tanks, you might just be stopped up. Otherwise, It could be a tree root in the line. Home Depot sells a product for roots, located where the  Rid~X will be. I'd try both products before calling a plumber.

Good Luck

Answer 4

Follow the advise which DumDum stated. Do the easy thing first. If that doesn't fix the problem, call the plumber. The plunger will come in handy at some future time. That is guaranteed.

Answer 5

Could be a couple of problems.  

1.  Lines going to the tank are clogged.

2.  Tank needing drained.

Your answer lies in answering a few questions.  Are there trees around your septic lines going from the house to the tank?  Some trees have roots that are invasive and can get into the lines & clog up the works.

When you moved in, was anyone driving on the lawn?  Vehicles driving over the lines can cause issues with the pipes.

Was the septic tank inspected when you got your home?  Many lenders won't give you a mortgage without an inspection being done on the septic.  You might want to check into that & see if they did it.  Whatever the reason, it needs to be fixed.  Hopefully you got some kind of homeowner's warranty that will help pay for any repairs.  It might be as minor as cleaning out the lines, but it might not.

Here are some sites that might be of help to you:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/0740.ht...

http://www.inspect-ny.com/septic/tankpum...

http://extension.umd.edu/environment/Wat...

I typed in "septic tank maintenance" on my search bar and got 200,000 hits.

Answer 6

i would have a plumber come out and take a look at it.could be a problem in the future or the begining of a problem don;t let it reach that point.

Answer 7

There ate four areas that may be causing the problem.

  the commode may be stopping up, and you may be able to free it up with use of a plunger- the line between the commode and the septic tank may be clogged up and will require a plumper or someone that has access to a rotor-rooter to do it for you, the outlet in the septic tank may be stopped up and if that is the case , you will have to lift the lid to the tank and unstop it. - the last thing that could be stopped up is the line that runs into the oxidation pond and that would require cleaning out the clog. The most likely problem would be the commode, and you can unstop it yourself with a plunger that you can buy in any hardware store. If it is not that, you will need a plumper to check out and unstop it. Good luck.