Removing a Septic Leach Field Blockage
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2021
- Our septic pumps uphill from the house to the distribution box at the leach field. It is then supposed to flow in to 4 pipes that feed into the septic drain field chambers. However, one of the pipes is slow to drain and will backflow into the distribution box. When the level gets high enough, it drains into the other 3 pipes. I figured the blockage was either biomat or roots. I didn't want to do this job. I called many septic and drain cleaning companies so I could pay someone else to do it. The drain cleaning services wouldn't hydro-jet or use a drain auger on a leach field and the septic services just wanted to dig it up for thousands of dollars. *UPDATE: Unfortunately, this fix only lasted about a year. I could have kept clearing the roots with a drain auger, but I decided to dig up the pipe and fix it right ( • Digging Up a Septic Le... ). See the links below for the parts and tools I used:
Roebic Foaming Root Killer:
amzn.to/3jlPgwh (affiliate*)
*Purchasing from these Amazon affiliate links earns my channel a small commission. Think of it as a tip that doesn't cost you anything. Thanks for the support! - Навчання та стиль
![ОРБАН приехал к ПУТИНУ и "отчитался" о поездке в Киев 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_0ukDovOWq8/mqdefault.jpg)
Foaming Root Killer:
amzn.to/3jlPgwh (affiliate*)
*Purchasing from these Amazon affiliate links earns my channel a small commission. Think of it as a tip that doesn't cost you anything. Thanks for the support!
Glad you came back a year later to say in the comments that you had to treat the system again.
Yeah, I got a manual drain cleaner for $40 and it works just as good. The roots aren't that far down the pipe so, in the fall, I plan to do another video digging up the pipe in hopes of a more permanent fix. Thanks for watching!
Love the septic guys. They did the same with us: Well, let's just dig it up and install a new field. While we're add it, we can add a secondar field over yonder ... for a nominal fee, of course.
Hahaha, yep! This repair only lasted about a year before I had to do it again. I could have just removed the roots with a drain auger each year, but I did a follow up video where I dug up the pipe and fixed it right.
Thank you for the video. These tips will be my next approach to get a water coming up to the surface from the leach field in a area of the yard.
Unfortunately, this fixed only lasted about a year, so I did a follow up video last month where I dug up the pipe and remove a big mass of tiny roots. Thanks for watching!
Excellent job
Thanks! :)
Lots of great information. Thanks!
Thanks! I did a follow-up video with a more permanent fix: ua-cam.com/video/bUlRKPmNkFk/v-deo.html
Great job..video extremely helping
Thanks! Unfortunately, the roots blocked the pipe again within a year, so I did a follow up video where I dug up and repaired the pipe.
Very helpful, thank you.
I had to remove roots from the same line about a year later. The good news is that the blockage isn't far down the pipe so I plan to dig up that line in the fall in an attempt at a more long-term fix. Thanks for watching!
Good video - thx!
Thanks for watching!
Good job ! As a licensed septic contractor, ideally, in this scenario, the system should be treated for roots often. Currently, my rate is $25 a foot to replace drain lines. That can be avoided easily by using some sort of root killer.
Cheers
Thanks! I actually did a follow up video where I dug up the pipe, removed a large mass of fine roots, and fixed it right. Luckily the blockage was only about 10 feet down the pipe. :)
We do camera inspection and hydro jetting on leach fields all the time.
I wish I could say the same for the companies around here. I did a follow-up video where I dug up and cleared the offending roots. Luckily it wasn't too far down the pipe and I was able to fix it properly.
I’d recommend root-cutting bit. It has flat head with saw teeth to cut roots. The C cutter you used at first, is for cleaning grease.
I was able to use manual drain snake with root cutting bit to feel blockage, drive a bit through with power from drill, and retrieve root mass after its dislodge.
Be careful when using auger bit against root. Don’t try to punch in too hard. Root can wrap around and get your drain snake stuck inside. Should use root cutter bit to cut off root before pulling it out.
Thanks for the tips! I tried every head the rental place supplied but I don't think they gave me one like you're describing. The roots are only about 10-15 down the pipe so I'm going to dig it up in the fall and attempt a more long-term fix.
@@Mikeattempts digging up is definitely the last resort. Locating pipes along, is hard enough without specialised locator (drain camera in the pipe with a detector sweeping from above)
@@MrTimjin Yeah, I can either use the auger once per year or dig it up and fix it right. The lines aren't that deep at 10-15 feet down the pipe so hopefully it won't be too much for me to handle.
Glad to see you're one of few men left that do what needs to be done. Too many people would've sucked it up and paid the septic repair guys thousands to dig up the field. Very informative video and I'm also glad you showed a year later how the flow was. One question for you, do you know what material the leach lines were made of ? Schedule 40 pvc with holes or perforated corrugated pipe ? Thanks again.
Thanks for the comment! Just to be clear, that was only a few months later in the video. And, probably no surprise to some people, the roots blocked that pipe again about a year later. I used a $40 manual auger this time and it did a great job. It's exactly like the machine I rented except it's manual. The roots are getting in only about 10-15 feet down the pipe so, in the fall, I plan to dig it up at that spot in hopes of a more permanent fix. I'm pretty sure my leach lines are schedule 40 pvc pipe inside those large black domed leach field chambers.
Hi, what is that pipe you poured the treatment into? Is that the pipe running into the leach fields? Did you build that yourself?
That's just the end of the pipe that goes through the concrete box. It was put there by the septic installer and I assume it's for backflushing. When I poured in the foaming root killer, it just came out of the four smaller PVC pipes, inside the concrete distribution box, and then fed into the leach field.
i wonder if you can test that stuff by just putting some roots into a pipe (above ground) and mimic it going through underground, to see what actually happens.
Yeah, that would be a better test. I can tell you that the 1 treatment I used didn't seem to do much because I had to remove more roots from the same tube about a year later. I'll be doing another video this winter where I attempt to dig down to the problem.
Nice job.reql men do it themselves
I just had to do it again last week on the same line. I ended up buying a 50' manual drain auger and it worked just as good. I thought I would have been able to go longer between blockages but it looks like I'm either going to need to do this once per year or dig up the spot where the roots are getting in for a longer term fix. Thanks for watching!
Is that a Massey I spy? I had one of those many years ago. I wish we had the same chemicals here in the U.K as you guys have.
Just about to go and locate my blockage. Thanks for the vid👍
It's actually a Ford 860 tractor. :) I'm not sure if the foaming root killer did any good. I had to remove more roots from the same line last week. I ended up buying a 50' manual drain auger and it worked just as good. I thought I would have been able to go longer between blockages but it looks like I'm either going to need to do this once per year or dig up the spot where the roots are getting in for a longer term fix. Thanks for watching!
@@Mikeattempts lol looked like a Massey from behind, still I've known a few women like that in my time:). Yeah, I got conifers growing over mine, i think it maybe chainsaw time.We don't get that root stuff here. Take care cheers👍
@@edmundblackaddercoc8522 Hahaha, I lightly smacked the rear of the wrong girl once, that was hard to explain. ;) Yeah, get those trees out of there! There aren't any trees on our leach field but they're all around it and I guess at least one has grown some really long roots to make my life difficult. :)
@@Mikeattempts those roots are tenacious. A regular treatment (2/yr) of root killer would probably help. But really, you should find the tree that is the source of the roots.
@@chad-122 My leech field is surrounded by trees so I'm not sure which it's coming from. The good news is that the roots are only about 10-15 feet down that one pipe so I think I might just try to dig it up and fix it properly.
Why do the plumbers refuse to use the drain auger?
I'm not sure but I did a follow up video where I dug up the pipe and fixed it properly.
Did the root killer kill the trees?
No, I don't think the root killer would have done much for my situation. I did a follow up video where I dug it up and fixed it right.
Why do they not hydro blast?
The local companies I contacted said they don't do hydro jetting in leach fields. Check out my follow up video where I dug up the problematic pipe and properly resolved the root issue: ua-cam.com/video/bUlRKPmNkFk/v-deo.html
Just because you pulled out some root material from the pipe doesn't mean the pipe is still intact.
I did a follow up video where I dug the pipe up and did a more permanent fix.
You have ne clue what you are doing.Trying all these short cuts don't work .
Thank for the encouraging words! ;) I did a follow up video where I dug up the pipe, completely removed the root blockage, and fixed the pipe.
This is all cool if it is your primary residence. However, if you are selling your house or renting your house, it has to be certified. Therefore, you must have the leach field repaired or replaced. The big dollar option. Ultimately there is no choice.
If you're renting, then it'd be the landlord's problem. :) I did a follow up video where I dug up that pipe and fixed it properly.