OT - potential drain issue
Ok, so it's not that gross, but needs to be taken care of.
I noticed earlier in the summer (after SDs had been with us for their three weeks and while we were prepping for house repairs to begin...so I remember when I noticed it) that one of the pipes in the crawlspace of the house looked wet. I did some research on it, and decided to wait until the weather cooled off to check it again because it could have been condensation.
Checked it again and NOPE it's leaking. It's the main pipe from house to septic system.
FANTASTIC.
Called a plumber who is coming out later this week, thankfully not an emergency but he'll have to likely dig up part of the line.
Told DH after I discussed with plumber that his first suspicion is a direct partial blockage; i.e. feminine supply or TP (one of his questions: "you have kids in the house, right?") most likely cause, but he won't know till he digs it up.
Now, when we moved in I sat DH down and explained exactly what the system could/couldn't handle (it had just been inspected and pumped) - I also grew up with a septic system so I KNOW what I was talking about...along with the information printed out from the septic maintenance company, right there in black and white.
So I went over it with him again.
* No excessive use of TP - both DH and SD10 do use a HUGE amount of it at one time. He admits to this.
* No putting kleenex in toilet - DH admits to still doing this and thinks the SDs might be as well. WTH?!
* Could be a feminine product due to SD12 flushing something. I had a SERIOUS discussion with her back in April after she got her period, stressing the fact that she can NEVER EVER put anything down the toilet because, well, this exact thing will happen and could be very, very expensive. She claimed she understood.
DH wants me to ask about the feminine product potential with SD12 this week. I said I would, because I'll get to the freaking point. And we agree to let her know that we will find out what the problem is, and she needs to be 100% honest in her answer. So we'll see....I get to take time off work for this now too. Maybe it's not her, but it's a major cause of this problem in general.
Today I am ordering special biodegradable toilet wipes for all those not using TP appropriately and may switch to special TP too if the usage doesn't slow down. We just paid for some exterior house repairs, got married, our dryer broke down now this expense!
So now we get to wait for this issue to be resolved....
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Why not wait until you
Why not wait until you actually know what the blockage was before asking SD about her flushing feminine supplies? If you make it sound like her fault, and then find out it's only TP and Dh is just as guilty, why drive yet another wedge into a blended family. After all is said and done though I think you need to set her and DH(!) down and go over proper septic system use if they dont already "get it."
I like the idea of sitting
I like the idea of sitting everyone down once we know the problem. DH and I decided to discuss with both SDs this week to let them know to regulate their water/TP use so a follow up will be done.
I have a septic system and I
I have a septic system and I flush tampons. It has never clogged my lines or backed up my tank. I get it pumped every 5 years. I also use septic friendly toilet paper. What brand are you using? That right there could be your issue. Also, are you treating it monthly? If you think it is a partial blockage or full go to Lowe's and buy a snake and stick it down your downstairs toilet and run the line out or buy one of those bull frog things that hold pressure and stick it on the hose and down the toilet to blow out the line. If it isn't backing up into your home or draining slow it isn't a blockage.
Since you said it is leaking and not backing up, it is more likely the seals are bad and need redone. You can do that yourself by having everyone dig up the lines and where they connect you use that foam spray from Lowes to seal the connections. My parents had septic issues all the time when we teens. I helped my dad fix it every time. My neighbor has an issue with hers every couple of years and I help her with it. I even replaced her pump.
It could be a lot of things
It could be a lot of things really.
We knew a lady once who was "cleaning out" all her candle holders of the stubs of wax. She put them in the sink and ran hot/boiling water over them and dissolved all the wax and rinsed it down the drain. Well, it didn't clog the kitchen sink.. but as the wax got cooler as it went through their plumbing it eventually gathered and hardened in their main pipe in the basement which had to be CUT out (old iron).
I do have a question about what you are potentially dealing with. If it were truly clogged, wouldn't you have a BACKUP? ie your drains wouldn't drain and toilets would not work? It sounds like a leak which could be from a crack in the pipe (possibly due to freezing over winter?) or the joint seal has given way.
The plumber thinks it's
The plumber thinks it's backing up just enough to rise above one of the pipe joint seals where there's a constant leak developed (got worse over time). So it leaks more when it's under heavier use as the water doesn't have a chance to drain and it's put pressure on that joint. Sine the water is supposed to flow through not sit there.
At least he thinks it's a fairly simple fix in the end.
But I know that DH has a reality check because gee, bad stuff does happen when the user doesn't appropriately follow the instructions.
After talking with the
After talking with the plumber he thinks it's a partial blockage (some is getting through) and he thinks it's an object...we live in a septic heavy area and he's a go-to person for this...he thinks it's either too much TP or feminine product. We don't use wipes. We decided to discuss issue with both SDs this week so we don't single anyone out.
No trees near the lines (and the system passed inspection just over a year ago with no issues at all). I've seen a tree root problem before and this isn't it I think. I'll also getting some spray that turns TP into wet wipes for both baths and DH will explain its use to SDs. Our TP is septic friendly for sure. Kleenex not so much. DH knows I am so PO'd at this preventable situation.
Hair: yep some of you know my recent battles with the SDs bath drain screen being removed and my discussion with DH about porential issues (ad naseum).
Yep I use treatment every other month.
Cover dear.... why not simply
}:) }:) Cover dear.... why not simply plant tomatoes over the leak mmmm
you can make a fortune in selling tomatoes, tomato jam, tomato paste... you name it...
my money is on womanly products.... cause you have not mentioned SD having a stash of used products under her bed/pillow/drawers....... and of course DH's and his kleenex..... why does he need kleenex so much hiehiehiehiehie, the one arm bandidt
stop buying kleenex it's that simple.....
we have french drain system (the system as yours, just not a septic tank, normal tank to be pumped monthly) and yes I know all the things not suppose to go down there......but some people give a crock about it, thus I switched to recycled toilet paper (disgusting, hard and rough... I do not care,) I buy it for SO's house and it's only one ply.... him and Aergia can use it till they understand the concept of right usage of TP....my house has nice TP....
Ah, but the leak is under the
Ah, but the leak is under the house so sadly, and I love tomatoes, they will not grown in semi-darkness.
LOL the kleenex...DH has allergies and never can remember to take the allergy pills on a regular basis so he can go through boxes like nothing flat (oh, he doesn't flush all of it, just when he's in the bath...so he doesn't have to take out the trash? Which is next to the toilet?).
Yeah, we are waiting to see what the plummer says, give the SDs a heads up on what's going to happen and what they need to do before he gets to it. And let them know that a spray for the TP will be put in the bathroom for use and they are not to use hand fulls of TP at a time. I hope SD12 will be sweating because I'm betting that's it too. I'll be happy if it's not but in meantime I cannot assign blame.
If we could afford this I'd be anticipating the result more but since we are trying to pay off some debt from other household repairs I'm quietly fuming while trying not to think about it....