Full cesspool or blockage in the waste line?

How can I test to know that I need to have the cesspool pumped?

The toilet flushes but waste backs up into the sink in the basement. I ran a 50 foot x 1/2 inch snake through the cleanout in the basement and that did not solve my problem. I poured 5 gallons of boiling hot water into the tub and it went down with no waste in the sink, but when I flushed the toilet I did have waste in the sink.

I had no problems in November and this developed when we got back home on Monday. The house is in Smithtown NY.

Posted May 5, 2016, 1:12 PM UTC

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DevilDog1966•10 yr. ago

Have you tried snaking your toilet with a 6' closet auger?

welmoed•10 yr. ago

Home inspector here, not a plumber. Is it a cesspool or a septic system? If it's a septic system, backups are a sign that the leach field has failed. Time to call a septic company to get it professionally checked out.

It can also be a blockage in the venting in the house, seeing as how the problem occurs in some fixtures but not others.

11787OP•10 yr. ago

It is a cesspool and I just realized that I probably made this problem for myself. We got home Monday after being in FL for 5 months. The boiler was off and drained. When I filled the boiler I ran the excess water into the sink because I could use a short hose and did not have to run out a cold 100 foot hose into the driveway. The water came out very rusty for a long time until it ran clear and bubble free....and all the while I was obliviously dumping rust into my pipes.

I did the same in November when I drained the boiler and all other water from the house.

In the future I will be running boiler water into the road, as I had been doing for the past 10 years.

I got cutters for my snake today and will be snaking again tomorrow.