Gurgling shower when toilet flushed

[Tammy Roberts]

Hi we just closed on our house on Friday and now when we flush the toilet in the master bathroom we are hearing gurgling coming from the shower. We are on a septic system, but do not know much about it other than it is not an aerobic system. The toilets in the other bathrooms, the kitchen sink, washer and dishwasher are all working fine. We have also noticed some standing water in the front yard. The toilet will not always flush and the bathtub drains very slowly.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Reach4]

Get the septic tank pumped NOW unless it was pumped as part of the sales process.

It depends on location etc, but figure about $200.

Waiting can be very expensive. I would look for a small operation that has been in business for a while. Listen to any advice he gives.

Ask the neighbors for a recommendation.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Tammy Roberts]

Get the septic tank pumped NOW.

It depends on location etc, but figure about $200.

Waiting can be very expensive.

We have a home warranty that was gifted to us by the seller. I believe it covers pumping the tanks. Thank you. I will call them ASAP.

 

[CountryBumkin]

I hope your right but I think you will find the Home Warranty is useless in this case. Pumping out the septic tank is a maintenance item, and they will tell you maintenance is not covered by the warranty - then if there is a problem, they will tell you "too bad" the failure is related to lack of maintenance. Unless you have the previous owners receipts showing the tank was pumped routinely, there's not much of a defense you can provide.

My attitude is from experience with "third-party" home and car warranty companies.
I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Reach4]

My attitude is from experience with "third-party" home and car warranty companies.
I wish you the best of luck.

They will answer the phone. They will send somebody out in a timely manner, and the person will do a great job. He will not say that the warranty covers only $250 of the $500 job and ask for the other $250 to complete the job. Think positively.

 

[Jadnashua]

Standing water in the yard when you have a septic system is a big red flag that means something is not right. Especially if it has not rained a lot recently. When any fixture drains, if the drain lines are already full because they cannot fully drain, it can push air around and create problems. But, in normal times, if the fixture IS draining properly, and you heard gurgling in the shower, that would imply a blocked or incorrect venting system. That won't work if the lines are full.

 

[Tammy Roberts]

The good news our home warranty does cover the tanks to be emptied one time. Bad news they are having a hard time find a contractor in our area. About ready to throw our hands up and just pay for it ourselves. The home warranty was paid for by the seller, so at least it's not our money that went to that.

We have had a LOT of rain lately. We are in South Texas in the area that was flooded so badly due to rains last week. Things are drying out thankfully, but still believe there is an issue with the septic. If warranty people can't figure something out this morning, going to just call someone myself to go out there.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Jadnashua]

If you've never dealt with a septic system before, keep in mind that the tank, except just after it is pumped dry, is almost full all of the time. So, anything that goes in, something must come out into the leach field. IF the leach field is saturated, that can limit or prevent anything from going out, and the pipes will back up.