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Forgive me for being dense, but are you saying you think the tree is the problem? It is about 40 ft from the problem toilets. Also, if the tree is the problem, why is all the rest of the plumbing working except the two toilets?
And really a company that cleaned out the septic and 4 plumbers who have seen the tree wouldn't think of this?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blondy
Can anyone explain to me why a dip/belly in a pipe would only cause a problem once a year rather than being an ongoing problem?
My brother had a really nice birch tree in front of his house. Not too big, but it blocked his view, so he had it removed. He did not have a septic tank; he had pipes going right out to city sewer. Every year like clockwork, the first-floor toilets overflowed. No plumber had any clue, as the tree had been cut down. Finally one guy who snaked it came up with roots. We knew immediately what it was.
For two years in a row, my brother and I dug up his front yard around the pipe. The first year, we thought we had gotten all the birch tree roots. Nope. Even a tree that HAS to be "dead" can still have roots that live on the effluent of a sewer pipe. Second year, we got all the roots out of there. Tough job.
That was a "dead" tree. Imagine what a living one can do...or two, or three!
Last edited by Nor'Eastah; 06-07-2015 at 03:57 AM..
RotoRooter
That's the name
and away go troubles
Down the drain.
RotoRooter
That is a service worth the cost.
It could be a slope problem, but it could also be a flow problem. Sanitary pipes have low slopes. If it is a long way to the tank, toilet paper can stop in the pipe. It may be hours before the next flush. That flush may also result in stopped paper. It can build up in low flow systems. As a preventive measure. The first time it gurgles, it means low flow. Fill your tub. Flush and drain your tub simultaneously.
Also, have the plumber make sure your vent pipe or pipes are clear.
RotoRooter
That's the name
and away go troubles
Down the drain.
RotoRooter
That is a service worth the cost.
It could be a slope problem, but it could also be a flow problem. Sanitary pipes have low slopes. If it is a long way to the tank, toilet paper can stop in the pipe. It may be hours before the next flush. That flush may also result in stopped paper. It can build up in low flow systems. As a preventive measure. The first time it gurgles, it means low flow. Fill your tub. Flush and drain your tub simultaneously.
Also, have the plumber make sure your vent pipe or pipes are clear.
Thanks. Slope could make sense. These two toilets are probably the furthest plumbing from the septic. They're at the back of the house and the septic is at the front on the opposite side of the house. Probably 40-50 feet apart.
Unfortunately, no tub in either. Ones a half-bath and the other only has a shower stall. I have run water in the sink before when I thought the toilet was sluggish and that worked.
I tried running sink and one toilet flushed normally, but then water backed up in shower and the other toilet farthest back and then again in the other toilet.
Thanks for the other tips. I think they checked the vent pipes and didn't find any problem. Will double check.
My brother had a really nice birch tree in front of his house. Not too big, but it blocked his view, so he had it removed. He did not have a septic tank; he had pipes going right out to city sewer. Every year like clockwork, the first-floor toilets overflowed. No plumber had any clue, as the tree had been cut down. Finally one guy who snaked it came up with roots. We knew immediately what it was.
For two years in a row, my brother and I dug up his front yard around the pipe. The first year, we thought we had gotten all the birch tree roots. Nope. Even a tree that HAS to be "dead" can still have roots that live on the effluent of a sewer pipe. Second year, we got all the roots out of there. Tough job.
That was a "dead" tree. Imagine what a living one can do...or two, or three!
That sounds like a nightmare, but at this point I would almost welcome tree roots being the problem if it meant digging up the yard instead of the house.
Anyway, so what is the proper way to get rid of the tree so there are no roots left alive?
Its hard for most to detect if the slope of the pipes are off because it all looks like a flat tube from that position. I know some have tips that not only have the camera but can also read the angle of the camera head in relation to the pipe wall. But any sediment in the pipe or even things on the head can mess with the reading. What the camera can do is see if there is a noticeable change in the slop or if there is any negative slope. Sometimes they can use the water flow to guesstimate the angle.
Thanks. Should they be able to see tree roots with the camera if that's a problem?
The lint trap sounds like something I may need. I forgot that the last plumber who was here said he felt like he was hitting something like rags. I knew we didn't put anything like that in the toilet so kind of ignored it. He watched what came out into the septic and said he saw a few fibers like from a carpet. I think I asked him if it could be from laundry(like a bathmat). No rags came out, just a few fibers and he really never gave me a straight answer so I figured it was no big deal.
The amount you see in the dryer is pretty much what you can expect from the water. It's a lot.
Guy had a newer house. It was just him and his kid living there. The plumbing worked fine. Never noticed any problems.
Then one day they had a party. People were using the bathrooms, doing the usual sink and toilet stuff, when all of a sudden the plumbing started backing up.
Plumber came out with a camera and found that a tree root had made its way into the guy's main line and had been growing in there for years to the point that it was filling up almost the entire pipe. When the problem was dug up the plumbers pulled out almost 40 ft of tree root from out of the pipe.
Bottom line, trees can and do screw with plumbing. Get a camera down there to figure it out. Anything else is just guessing.
Guy had a newer house. It was just him and his kid living there. The plumbing worked fine. Never noticed any problems.
Then one day they had a party. People were using the bathrooms, doing the usual sink and toilet stuff, when all of a sudden the plumbing started backing up.
Plumber came out with a camera and found that a tree root had made its way into the guy's main line and had been growing in there for years to the point that it was filling up almost the entire pipe. When the problem was dug up the plumbers pulled out almost 40 ft of tree root from out of the pipe.
Bottom line, trees can and do screw with plumbing. Get a camera down there to figure it out. Anything else is just guessing.
That's the plan. They are supposed to be here today with the camera. So far they are an hour late, so we'll see.
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