Birthday Interruption

by Gary on June 17, 2009

On the evening of Seth’s birthday we discovered water coming up the drain in the downstairs bathroom as the dishwasher was running. We ran some tests and concluded that the septic tank was full. So for the rest of the night we were unable to use any of our drains. Before we went to bed we made a “restroom run” to the Bi-Lo grocery store. The next morning (this morning) we called someone who, as it turns out, was able to come right away. By 10:30 the issue was resolved.

Roto-Rooter Truck

Roto-Rooter Truck

{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

Jannylynn June 17, 2009 at 9:29 pm

Is there a test or gauge to see how full the tank is or do you just have to wait until it backs up? I wonder because we have a septic system too. We’ve never done anything with it so far.

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Gary June 17, 2009 at 9:42 pm

No gauge on ours. Short of opening it up and looking (not easy on mine) you could find out how big it is (ours is 1000 gallons) and find out the estimated number of years of use for how many people you have in your family.

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phyllis June 17, 2009 at 10:10 pm

The guy said ours should be done every 5-7 years. He said ours had never been emptied. I am glad it happened now and not July 4 weekend. He said the stuff we used to keep the bacteria alive wasn’t doing anything and told us to use Robic every 6 months. We also had roots getting into the system so he said you can buy Root Destroyer. We spent a good amount of time cloroxing the bathroom floor and throwing out the rug for good measure.

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mabrauer June 18, 2009 at 9:45 am

I’m glad the issue was resolved. I remember when we had the same problem at our Lookout Mt. house one Thanksgiving week-end when Woody’s whole family was visiting.

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Audrey June 18, 2009 at 9:51 am

What a terrible time to have that happen, Aunt Sharon! It is nice to have it emptied before our mini family reunion. Whew!

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Jannylynn June 18, 2009 at 10:22 am

I thought you all had it emptied a few years back. Hmm. Guess I’m thinking of something else. I have scattered thoughts, you know. 🙂

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Linnea June 18, 2009 at 11:48 am

Sounds like quite an event (fun)! 🙂

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Audrey June 19, 2009 at 8:33 am

Aunt, Janice, I didn’t know you had scattered thoughts. Huh, I guess you learn something new every day 🙂

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phyllis June 22, 2009 at 1:29 pm

Janice I think you are thinking about when the AW’s were here with us and we were having a problem but what we needed was more dirt on top of the leech field.

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