I have a septic system in the country. The toilet flushes but today the water is now brown every time I flush.?

Question

The house was built in seventies. Located where the weather is freezing often in winter. There has recently been some rain but not more than usual for the area. When I flush the toilet the shower gurgles, as well as the mud room drain when I do laundry. I have been pretty careful about using too much toilet paper, have used RId-Ex occasionally. So today for the first time in 2 and a half years of clean toilet water, it is now a brown. Do I call septic people and get the system snaked? The brown water is freaking me out, not to mention the gurgling.Is it an indication of broken pipes?

Answer 1

i would check the pump outside(pumps liquid from tanks runnof to leeching field) had same problem and i had to replace it(the pump). open the manhole type concrete grate, and if there is water high, than i'm right. this was an interesting diy project that involved channelocks and romex(used as a pull chain for the pump, nothing electrical) not hard to do yourself if you have basic plumbing and electrical knowledge. yes there are several possible problems, but this is the one that is the easiest fix. buy a new sump pump at a plumbing supplier or home depot.

Answer 2

You did not give enough information. That is the reason for a wide range of answers most of which COLUD be right if the assumptions made by the answerer are right. Is the he brown water only in the toilet? When did you have the septic tank last emptied? Does you well have a low water issue? Does the water tank of the toilet have a lot of sediment?

The gurgle could be a vent problem or it could be a slow draining system, could be a clogged crossover vent, could be a partially clogged pipe TOO MANY could be's. If you are not a DIYer then get a pro ASAP before this turns into a $$$$ situation.

If I had to guess I would start with a septic tank cleaning and diagnose from there. If the system runs free with an empty tank then you do not need a snake and most likely have a slow or failing drainage area. Good luck.

Answer 3

If you're referring to the water that comes into the toilet from the tank after you flush as being brown, that has nothing whatsoever to do with the septic system. That's most likely rust in the tank that's finally decided to come loose and come into the bowl. The gurgling sound you hear could very well be from a partially plugged vent system. The shower would gurgle as the water from the toilet goes past the connection of the drain system that comes from the shower, probably pulling the water out of the trap that protects the shower. When you have a plugged or partially plugged vent line, water traveling through the main line sometimes creates a vacuum, (siphon action), that will pull the water out of any trap it goes past. This can also sometimes result in sewer gas smells coming up through these traps once the water is gone. If it were mine, I'd get a shop-vac, (something that will vacuum water), and clean the tank out on the back of the toilet, maybe install an iron filter in the water line and have someone run a garden hose down the vent from the roof. That could very well take care of all your problems.

Answer 4

When was your septic last pumped? It could need pumped OR you could have roots that have grown into your pipes that need to be taken out. We live on a septic and have had to pump it. It never backed up into anything, the toilet just didn't flush right and the drains were slow. However, the very first house we owned (city sewer) we had the sewer back into the tub. We put draino type stuff in but it didnt work. We couldn't figure out what was wrong so we called Roto Rooter and he had the equipment to snake down the pipes into the sewer mains and actually saw the roots from the inside of the pipes. After that we would occasionally put down stuff to kill off roots that grow into the pipes. We lived there 6 years and never had another problem. Good luck and Goddess Bless!

Answer 5

You have 2 problems. The brown water is from your well, or the pipes. This is the incoming water that you use to flush the toilet. Nothing to do with the septic system.



The gurgling COULD mean the sewer pipe is clogged, which is the septic end of things.



By the way, Rid X is a total waste of money.

Answer 6

You definitely have a sewer stoppage, but is the problem between the house and the septic tank, or beyond the septic tank in the (possibly) over-saturated leach field?



Professionals will tell you to have the septic tank pumped every 5 years. The Rid-X is good to use, but you're beyond that doing you any good now.



If the tank has not been pumped in over 5 years, I would call around and get estimates to have it pumped. When they pump it, they have to dig it up (to access) and remove the lid, which is heavy concrete and covers about 1/4 of the tank on the inlet side. When they remove this lid and pump the tank out, they will inspect the inlet baffle tee (solids can collect here)- if the tee is clogged (hopefully) then you have your stoppage cleared and your tank pumped in one shot, however...



...the problem could be more serious, there could be roots (or a crushed pipe) causing the stoppage between the house and the septic tank, then this problem will have to be remedied in addition to the tank pumping.



The worst case scenario would be a saturated leach field, which is where the gray water goes to soak into the ground, then evaporate. If the field is oversaturated or the (gravel) in the leach field is clogged with dirt, it could be a costly situation

Answer 7

I just wanted to vouch for the answer Corky gave. I have used the garden hose to clear my vent and it stopped the tub from gurgling. I turned the hose on full blast and not only let it run down the vent but while it was running I also shoved it down the vent as far as it would go. Also fill a large container with tap water to check it's clarity to be sure that you don't have more than just a rust problem with the toilet.