Septic System

So our septic system is not cooperating again. It seems to be an annual problem. It plugs up somewhere between where the line leaves the house and where it enters the tank. Last night I took my plumbers snake and a garden hose to the basement to try to clear the line thru the access hoe where the line goes thru the wall. I was going to push the snake thru with the hose taped to it and running in an attempt to force the offending material on down the line. I unscrewed the cap with a pipe wrench, forgetting that there might be back pressure from the last attempts to flush the toilets.

Now I've said all this before. I raise hogs. Hogs make manure. Lots of manure. I work with manure all the time. I get it splattered on me routinely. I wade in it. I drop tools in it. Its OK, I can handle it. But human waste is a whole different story. Nothing is as bad a human waste.

When I took the cap off, there was a rush of slurry that came back at me and I was unprepared for it. It splashed everywhere; on the freshly painted walls, the floor, on me! I'll leave the sight, smell, and the sounds to your imagination. But it wasn't pretty. I had to use the garden hose to spray down that corner of the basement, and a 5 gallon bucket to remove the offending substance.

I finally got the intended job done, and whether or not it is just a short term fix I don't know. We have been able to flush again. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to clean the golden slippers, but I don't want to lose them. The wash machine can handle the clothes.

And if we have problems with the line again, we'll be calling in the professionals!