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Message
Toilet Gurgling
Posted on 12/7/23 at 9:57 am
Posted on 12/7/23 at 9:57 am
I have a two story house. Lately, we have noticed that when the washer drains, the downstairs toilet will gurgle. We have also noticed this when the washer is running and an upstairs toilet is flushed. We had our septic tank pumped about 4 years ago because it was filling up due to a cracked discharge line(probably from a root). Piece of PVC pipe was replaced and we have been good until now. I looked into the tank and it’s not filling up like before. My first thought is that I may have a drain line that is partially blocked. Does this sound like a possibility or could it be something else? Any ideas on how to diagnose and fix myself would be appreciated.
6
Posted on 12/7/23 at 10:47 am to damonster
does it just sound like its gurgling or is the water in the bowl actually bubbling/moving?
also, everyone is going to say its a venting issue and I would join them in that assessment.
also, everyone is going to say its a venting issue and I would join them in that assessment.
Posted on 12/7/23 at 11:03 am to damonster
quote:
due to a cracked discharge line(probably from a root)
I pour this down the toilet twice a year and no more problems from roots.
Posted on 12/7/23 at 12:30 pm to damonster
Does the tank need to be pumped again?
Posted on 12/7/23 at 12:38 pm to Turnblad85
quote:
does it just sound like its gurgling or is the water in the bowl actually bubbling/moving? also, everyone is going to say its a venting issue and I would join them in that assessment.
It is moving. I’ve seen where the water has risen higher in the bowl and then fell out without flushing it.
Posted on 12/7/23 at 12:42 pm to La Squared
quote:
Does the tank need to be pumped again?
I don’t believe it needs to. I looked down into the tank and it isn’t close to being full. I mean it probably wouldn’t hurt to have it pumped if I wanted to pay it but I don’t think it needs it yet. The last time I had it done, it was overflowing and that’s the only way I knew I had a problem.
Posted on 12/7/23 at 1:49 pm to damonster
Sounds like a vent issue. One of the air vents is partially clogged, or there is not a vent between the washer and noisy terlet.
When the washer discharges, the water rushing into the line creates an upstream low pressure which should be relieved by the vent. If the vent is partially clogged it will cause gurgling upstream.
When the washer discharges, the water rushing into the line creates an upstream low pressure which should be relieved by the vent. If the vent is partially clogged it will cause gurgling upstream.
Posted on 12/7/23 at 2:43 pm to eatpie
quote:
Sounds like a vent issue. One of the air vents is partially clogged, or there is not a vent between the washer and noisy terlet. When the washer discharges, the water rushing into the line creates an upstream low pressure which should be relieved by the vent. If the vent is partially clogged it will cause gurgling upstream.
Do you have any suggestion on how to clear the vent? I’m in a 2 story house and the roof has a fairly high pitch so it doesn’t make access very easy. Possibly some type of snake? Wouldn’t a piece of mesh secured over the vent help prevent junk from getting down the vent?
Posted on 12/8/23 at 6:51 am to damonster
The only reasonable DIY solution is clearing the vents from above (roof). Suggest perusing youtube for ideas, there are some creative solutions.
Posted on 12/8/23 at 7:44 am to eatpie
quote:
The only reasonable DIY solution is clearing the vents from above (roof). Suggest perusing youtube for ideas, there are some creative solutions.
Do you know of any type of test that can be done to tell if it is the vent or at least rule it out?
Posted on 12/8/23 at 9:18 am to damonster
quote:
Do you know of any type of test that can be done to tell if it is the vent or at least rule it out?
The best test is to clear the vent. If the problem goes away afterwards, then it was the vent.
Posted on 12/8/23 at 9:56 am to damonster
something else I would check is the main pipe going to the septic tank from the house. If your shite level is higher and covering the outlet of the pipe, then that may be causing an air-lock thing that I could see causing gurgling. Normally proper venting inside the house would prevent this but maybe your system isn't quite up to par. The septic level rising from an issue downstream would cause this. Hopefully you can see the outlet pipe from the manhole cover of the tank. Have someone flush a toilet to see how well the water flows into the tank.
Vents are usually pretty damn reliable unless you have some design problem unique to your system.
Vents are usually pretty damn reliable unless you have some design problem unique to your system.
Posted on 12/8/23 at 4:00 pm to damonster
quote:
It is moving. I’ve seen where the water has risen higher in the bowl and then fell out without flushing it.
That’s probably a main line clog issue. Is anything backing up into your tub?
Posted on 12/8/23 at 6:42 pm to BigBinBR
quote:
Is anything backing up into your tub?
No, we haven’t noticed anything like that. No smells. It was backing up about 4 years ago when we pumped it out though.
Posted on 12/8/23 at 7:35 pm to damonster
You can sometimes correct vent issues by turning off your supply and then running all your faucets until all the water and air is out of your lines. Then just turn the supply on and reopen your faucets until the pipes refill.
This post was edited on 12/8/23 at 7:36 pm
Posted on 12/12/23 at 1:31 pm to BigBinBR
quote:
That’s probably a main line clog issue.
Agreed…I typically hear gurgling when my main sewer line is clogged between my house and the street. I would call a plumber before you start backing up. This always seems to happen around holidays when the load is heavy and plumbers charge extra.
Posted on 12/12/23 at 1:45 pm to damonster
Does your A/C condensate line run to the vent stack? If so, you could maybe run a garden hose into it to blast some water to open up the vent from above.
Of course the best method is to just climb on the roof and look down the vent. If that's out of the question, you might just pay somebody. I can definitely understand the apprehension if you're a little nervous.
Of course the best method is to just climb on the roof and look down the vent. If that's out of the question, you might just pay somebody. I can definitely understand the apprehension if you're a little nervous.
Posted on 12/13/23 at 4:04 pm to tigerbaiter
If it's only happening in the one downstairs toilet but not in the downstairs kitchen sink, dishwasher, any other plumbing that is downstairs, then it is a clog somewhere between the toilet and the mainline.
Plunge the ever-loving shite out of that toilet, like Jim Varney in an Ernest movie. Plunge it like a cartoon character.
I paid over $3000 to find this out, with the exact same symptoms and exact same house description.
You have already determined the septic tank is not full.
It is in a pipe somewhere inside your house. An air pocket, so when upstairs water flows down, it pushes air back up to that toilet. It's hard to describe in words without a diagram.
Plunge it like crazy.
Plunge the ever-loving shite out of that toilet, like Jim Varney in an Ernest movie. Plunge it like a cartoon character.
I paid over $3000 to find this out, with the exact same symptoms and exact same house description.
You have already determined the septic tank is not full.
It is in a pipe somewhere inside your house. An air pocket, so when upstairs water flows down, it pushes air back up to that toilet. It's hard to describe in words without a diagram.
Plunge it like crazy.
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