How to Unclog Your Septic Tank Drain Pipes
Dealing with a clogged septic tank drain pipe can be a messy, smelly situation for any homeowner. When the pipes backing up your septic system get blocked, wastewater can overflow into your yard or back up into your home. Left unchecked, clogged drain pipes can cause extensive damage and be a precursor to complete septic system failure.
Luckily, there are several methods DIYers can try to unclog a septic tank drain without calling a professional.
Understanding Why Septic Drain Pipes Get Clogged
Septic drain pipes carry wastewater away from your home. Over time, solids, oils, and debris can accumulate along pipe walls and restrict flow. Common culprits of septic pipe clogs include:
- Tree roots infiltrating pipes seeking moisture and nutrients
- Buildup of fats, greases, and solids from the septic tank
- Intrusion of non-biodegradable items like wipes, feminine products, and cigarette butts
- Broken or misaligned piping allowing solids to snag and accumulate
As drain flow decreases, you may notice gurgling sounds, pipes surging and slow drains. Without intervention, water will back up and come out of the lowest opening it finds first - likely floor drains inside the home.
Checking for Signs of a Clogged Septic Pipe
Catching a clogged drain pipe early makes clearing a blockage easier. Warning signs signalling a potential issue include:
- Sewage odors around your septic tank or yard
- Water pooling over the septic drain field after rain
- Toilets, sinks and drains emptying slowly
- Gurgling noises from plumbing vents on the roof
Periodically checking cleanouts and vents for proper wastewater flow is smart preventative maintenance. Use a flashlight to look for standing water or debris. Inserting a wire shows if flow passes freely. Any slowed flows indicate developing pipeline restrictions. Addressing minor clogs quickly prevents major blockages.
Preparing to Unclog Your Septic Drain Pipes
Before attempting to unclog piping, assemble supplies and gear up properly for the messy job. Have your septic tank pumped if overdue to remove solids adding to the clog. Key preparations include:
Assembling the Right Tools
Useful items for clearing drain pipe clogs include:
- Sewer snake or hand auger to break up and hook debris
- Water hose with optional nozzle attachment to jet and dislodge gunk
- Wet/dry shop vacuum to remove loose material
- Gloves, eye protection, coveralls to limit exposure to sewage
For severe clogs, a motorized sewer snake reaching 50-100 feet may be required. Consider renting an industrial-strength power auger if your DIY effort fails.
Learning Safety Precautions
Since drain pipes contain raw sewage, protect yourself from bacteria exposure. Where eye shielding, impermeable gloves, waterproof boots, and full coveralls during the process. Avoid direct skin contact with wastewater. Thoroughly wash hands and clothing after finishing.
Locating Drain Pipe Access Points
To clear piping, access the drainage line's cleanouts and vents. Cleanouts are removable caps allowing rodding access into the pipe. Vents along the roofline also work but may require extensions to reach down into buried pipelines. Opening cleanouts near where the house line leaves the home targets the likely clog location.
Unclogging Methods for Septic Drain Pipes
With preparation complete, try these methods to open your drain pipes:
Using Septic Tank Additives
Specialty septic additives available at hardware stores can break down organic material and fats. Simply flushing additive doses down the toilet may gradually clear a mild clog without major rodding. Look for natural active ingredients like bacteria, enzymes, or vinegar that digest buildups safely.
Snaking the Drain Pipe
For most home sewer clogs, snaking the line clears out the gunk. Slowly spin in a hand auger or sewer snake until resistance indicates the clog. Work the cable back and forth through the restriction to break up and extract blockages lodged in place inside the pipe.
Getting through long sections of piping takes patience and experimenting with cables of different lengths and diameters. Avoid excessive force and retract equipment if unable to push past an obstruction to prevent damaging pipes.
Jetting Pipes Using a Hose or Compressor
Another DIY approach is using flowing water to dislodge stubborn drain clogs. Attach a garden hose to a cleanout or vent opening and blast away. Add an optional nozzle attachment to jet pressurized streams deep into the pipeline.
Where higher pressures are needed, renting an air compressor with specialized sewer nozzles can drive through difficult grease or root obstructions. Caution is required to avoid damage, so limit air compressor pressures under 150 PSI.
Manually Rodding the Drain Pipe
For households lacking proper power snakes, manually snaking offers a low-cost method to try. Assemble several hand tools with hooks to run through the pipeline:
- A wire coat hanger straightened out
- Stiff copper wire
- Plumber's "closet" auger with crank handle
Feed rods into cleanouts or vents to poke, scrape, and pull out wastes blocking internal pipe surfaces. Repeat pushing the full length in different angles until the available access point if flow resumes.
Preventing Future Septic Drain Pipe Clogs
While impromptu snaking keeps your septic pipes free today, several maintenance tips avoid clogs returning tomorrow:
Limiting Fats and Solids Down Drains
Adjust inputs going into sinks and toilets prevent solids accumulating inside drain pipes long-term:
- Scrape food waste into trash instead of the garbage disposal
- Collect grease into containers rather than pouring down sinks
- Only flush pee, poo and toilet paper to reduce solids in wastewater
Pumping Out the Septic Tank Regularly
Allowing excess solid waste to carry from the septic tank into drain pipes increases clogging risk. Routinely pump out the tank every 3-5 years disposes of sludge before it escapes.
Installing Effluent Screens
Adding an effluent screen filter attachment on your septic tank's outlet baffle prevents larger debris passing beyond the tank. These filters collect non-biodegradables like wipes for easier removal during tank pumping.
For households with pipe-invading tree roots, visible aboveground root pruning provides temporary relief. Long term, consider rerouting pipe sections away from problem trees or planning root removal via trenching alongside pipes.
Staying proactive keeps your septic drain lines flowing freely for the long run. But when issues inevitably occur, this guide covers various methods to clear out clogs yourself. Just remember to take safety precautions when dealing directly with sewage blockages.