If you suspect one of the
You can use a sewer jetter to clean perforated PVC septic leach field lines from 2" to 6" ID. A sewer jetter can help you scrub away sticky sludge and flush out dirty residue to help reduce the need for subsequent cleaning of the lines.
If a blockage occurs, it may be possible to dig up the pipe on one or both sides of the blockage and use rods to clear the roots. The section of pipe will often need to be replaced with a sealed pipe.
The best way to fix clogged underground drainage pipes is to use a drain snake or hydro jetting. A drain snake is a long, flexible cable with a corkscrew-like tip that can be inserted into the pipe to break up and remove blockages. Hydro jetting uses high-pressure water to blast away debris and buildup in the pipes.
There are special chemicals designed to kill tree roots in a septic tank system so they don't grow back. Copper sulfate septic treatments are the most common. This method is especially effective as it creates a poison barrier within the soil that kills the tree roots before they can grow into the pipe.
Snaking the line with a root cutter is one of the most common ways to remove roots. But be sure the heads and bits used on the ends are specifically designed for cutting out roots. Some heads can expand to adjust to the exact inside diameter of the pipe, completely cutting the roots down to the inside face of the pipe.
After your drain is mostly free of water, simply pour around half a cup of soda crystals or caustic soda into the drain followed by boiling water. Be very careful when using caustic soda because it can be extremely dangerous.
A plunger can be effective for dislodging clogs near the drain opening. For deeper clogs, a drain snake or auger can reach and break up blockages inside the pipe. Hydro jetting kits, which use high-pressure water to clear pipes, are also available for more persistent clogs.
Leach field rejuvenation or drain field repair costs $1,000 to $5,000 on average.
When the drainfield fails, or is saturated with water, sewage may backup into the home. Wet, soggy areas may develop above or near the drainfield and you may see spongy bright green grass over the area. There may also be odors near the tank or drainfield.
Based on 2024 prices, typical drainage costs per hectare are around: £2,500–£3,500 with permeable backfill.
Once annually, you should make sure you flush your drain field lines. This is something you can do yourself, by using these 8 steps! (Need additional help? You can also follow our instructional video.)
Some early warning signs of a clogged leach field include foul odors, slow drainage, and even sewage backing up into sinks and showers inside the home. Outside, you may notice taller, greener grass above your leach field, and puddling or sinking soil as well.
Ultimately, store-bought cleaners can lead to expensive damage. Most septic tank additives don't really work and have caused enough system failures that some states have banned them.
Drain snakes also called drain rooters or augers, use a long cable with a spiral-shaped head.
The Santeen Sulfuric Acid Drain Opener proved to be the most potent among all the chemical drain cleaners we tested, effectively dissolving 80% of the hair, 80% of the organic matter, 40% of the grease and 76% of the paper products.
Caustic soda is one of the best chemical drain unblockers to use when unblocking a drain.
The fizzing reaction and gas created may help loosen some small blockages. However, it is not typically strong enough to break down larger clogs or remove hard-to-reach debris. As a result of the above facts, if you have a serious drain clog, using baking soda and vinegar is unlikely to be effective.
Use a drain snake
The process of unblocking drains with rods is variously called snaking, cable rodding, augering or rooting. It involves pushing a specialist, heavy-duty metal cable through the pipe to break up the blockage, thus allowing water to flow through.
If you are connected to a septic tank, and you have a blockage in the drain between the house and your septic tank, your toilet paper will overflow through one of your external gully traps.
If your leach field system has several cleanout access points, you may treat each leach field line separately. Pour5 gallons of water per pound of RootX used to activate the root-killing foam. The natural flow of the line carries the foam and root killing aquatic herbicide down the pipe.
Simply mix one-third of a cup of vinegar with one-third of a cup of baking soda and when it starts to fizz, quickly pour it down your clogged drain. Let it sit for an hour or more (or overnight if you suspect the blockage is really bad) and then flush with hot water.
Copper sulfate will require several days to several weeks to work, although spectacular results are sometimes obtained when a rapid breakdown of the organisms within the root mass is achieved and flow is quickly restored.