Clogged Vent Pipe...

[Greg Cuetara]

question for those plumbers out there. having some problems with my plumbing. the toilet and sink would not drain earlier tonight and it seemed like a regular clog but i couldn't plunge it out. after about an hour and a half the toilet finally drained down and i was able to flush it but when i do flush it it gurgles and pushed air back through...is this a problem with the venting? possibly a clogged vent pipe? not much i can do during the dark right now but before i try to get on the roof tomorrow and snake it out is there something else i should try? or just call in the pros?

[Brian Libby]

I would guess the tank needs pumped out. They need to be pumped out every 3-5 years.

[Greg Cuetara]

just had it pumped about 15mo ago so don't think that is the problem although it has been very cold up here but **** creates so much heat don't think that would be it

[Myk Rian]

Whatever you do, DO NOT use a leaf blower to clear the vent pipe.
I did that last summer to remove a wasp nest. Blew all the water out of the toilet.
Invented a new style Bidet, I did, but was glad my Wife wasn't sitting on it.

When the tank was pumped out, was there much water running back from the field?
A lot of it would indicate a replacement field is needed.

[Brian Elfert]

Here in Minnesota the media is running reports about septic systems freezing up due to lack of snow cover and below zero temps recently.

[Jerome Stanek]

If it is ice build up in the vent do not use any flame. I have seen people catch there house in fire by using a torch trying to thaw them.

[Brian Libby]

If recently pumped, it sure sounds like a clog somewhere.

[David Helm]

Often birds and/or wasps build nests in vent pipes. If the pipe is clogged it creates a vacuum that does not let the water drain. A snake would be the appropriate tool to clear it. I think that's what I would try first.

[William Payer]

I would try a snake.

We have a half bath whose vent line runs horizontally into the adjacent garage attic space, then turns 90 degrees and exits through the roof. Occasionally in the winter the pipe saga a bit (pvc) causing water/melted snow to build up near the right angle plugging the vent stack. ( Your post reminds me to take time in the spring to permanently prop this pipe so it has a slight upward run!)
Flushing the toilet will cause the U-trap from the adjacent sink ( to draw its water out and gurgle as it vents air from the sink drain. Fortunately, all we have to do is run water in the sink to re-establish the water in the trap.

[Greg Cuetara]

well i took the offending toilet off the base this morning and then went out and bought a snake and a new wax ring....snaked the line and nothing so went down stairs to the cleanout that goes to the septic tank and when i gently took the cover off i got **** all over me as i was trying to fill buckets of water. got about 8 gallons of water and crud out of the pipe before it settled down. i can see the slope of the pipe and it was filled with liquid so tried to snake it and nothing and finally the liquid went down enough so that i could see something whiteish at the end....the snake wouldn't do anything so i got some rigid rods and extended them out and it seemed to hit concrete.

the only thing i am thinking right now is that the leech field has failed due to the cold weather or something like that and there is a slow leak out which is then creating enough room for us to wash flush the toilets etc but not enough push a lot of water through....anyways i am at a loss right now so i am going to go reassemble the offending toilet and hope for the best right now...

[ray hampton]

I hope that you get this problem solved soon , otherwise your winter will be bothersome

[Larry Frank]

Sounds like a bad situation in a lot of ways. The best thing is to get someone out to look at the tank and the leach field. It is a real issue because of the health concerns.

I think that it is likely to be kind of expensive and hopefully will not need a new field.

Most of us with such systems know that they have to be maintained with regular pumping out of the tank and not letting the wrong stuff get in there.

[Greg Cuetara]

well spent 3 hours this morning digging through 2" of top soil using a blow torch, maul, shovel, and other implements.....got the tank pumped and found a blockage in the inlet baffel and got that finally cleared out so hopefully that will solve the problem...guess we shall see what happens from here but i think it solved the problem