Help!!! Situation is Escalding!

[PowerViolence]

This being my first post I'd like yto introduce myself. So Hello!

I have been browsing the forums for some general knowledge but since the situations keeps deteriorating (or so it seems) I just need to ask for help.

I live in an older house built sometime pre50's maybe earlier. It has 2 showers, 4 sinks but only 3 are used ever, and 3 toilets and only 2 are used since the 4th sink and the 3rd toilet are in a room used for storage. The house uses a septic system. There is no Septic Alarm

Anyways about month ago we would notice the smell of stagnant/sewage water. At first it seemed to come on randomly, but then we noticed it seemed to only happen after someone ran a bunch of water, mainly after someone took a shower. That went on for a little while and I did some research and could not find anything conclusive.

Well our toilets started to act up. Slow flushing, not flushing, over flowing. Sometimes when you flush my roommates toilet the sink in the same bathroom starts to bubble and make noise...

We have plunged the drains, snaked the shower drains. Treated all drains with Drano Max, multiple occasions.

As I am writing this my roommate is in the shower and I can smell the sewage!

I checked the yard, the drain field is not over flowed.

Any ideas? Is my Septic tank full? It seems highly unlikely because the tank was changed no more than 3 years ago. Please help!
I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this!

 

[havasu]

Using Drano on a septic tank is a no-no. You are killing the enzymes needed to break down the waste in order to go into the leach field. Sounds to me like you need to suck out the waste and start over, with no Drano this time.

 

[johnjh2o]

You could have a main line stoppage before it reaches the septic tank. But as havasu suggests it would be a good idea to have the tank pumped. The frequency tanks need to be pumped isn't based on the number of fixtures you have. It's based on the number of people using it. There a no alarms on septic systems unless they are pumped up to the drain field.

John

 

[PowerViolence]

My roommate seems to be convinced it is a mainline clog and not the septic system. I used the Drano that said it was for toilets, I don't know if that makes a difference.

Is there any thing else I should try before calling them out here to pump the tank? I don't want to have it pumped unless its totally necessary.

 

[johnjh2o]

The only other thing that can be done is snake the main with the proper sized power machine. Drano will do nothing for your problem. If you don't have any experience with this I don't advise you to try it. Call a plumber.

John

 

[PowerViolence]

thanks for the input guys

 

[Tech]

Could this be part of the cause. When there are multple bathrooms there will be multiple traps. If you do not use certain bathrooms, the water in the traps evaporate. When this happens sewer gases will come into the home. I suggest using these fixtures more frequently to keep the traps full of water. Also check to make sure the plumbing under the fixtures are p-traps not s-traps. Toilets have built in p-traps so flushing seldom used ones will keep those traps full.

 

[johnjh2o]

Could this be part of the cause. When there are multple bathrooms there will be multiple traps. If you do not use certain bathrooms, the water in the traps evaporate. When this happens sewer gases will come into the home. I suggest using these fixtures more frequently to keep the traps full of water. Also check to make sure the plumbing under the fixtures are p-traps not s-traps. Toilets have built in p-traps so flushing seldom used ones will keep those traps full.

I think he said his toilets are slow flushing and overflowing. That doesn't happen from lack of use.

John

 

[PowerViolence]

I thought about the water traps being empty, as that can be cause to the smell. There are 2 sinks and 1 toilet that jas not been used in a while. I already poured a few gallons of water down both sinks though, it did not help.