Hidden Plumbing Problems: What to Look for

Septic Clean-Outs: Service Holes, And How Plumbers And Septic Contractors Access Them For Repairs

29 July 2019

Herbert Chambers

Traditional sewer systems have lateral lines and sewer drain clean-outs. These are the portals that plumbers access to get a clog out of the way and help the system clear. It is necessary to keep a sewer line clear so that all of your home's waste goes into the sewer system.

A septic system has similar lines and clean-outs. However, the location and function of these parts of your septic system are a little different than a traditional sewer system. Here is where you can find these lines and clean-outs, and how plumbers and septic contractors access them for septic system service and repairs. 

Obvious Portals in Your Yard

Figure out where your septic tank is. You should have a pretty good idea if the previous owner of the property or the real estate agent showed you where it is before you bought the property or during the buying process. From the tank, walk back up to your house and look left and right of where you are walking. There may be some hard, lumpy areas in the lawn. If you scuff the soil off these areas a little, you may see what looks like a bucket buried in the ground with a cover that appears to have a raised square on the lid.

These are your septic clean-outs. The technician or plumber will use a large and unusual sort of wrench to clamp down over the square, and then open the clean-out by turning the wrench. Once the lids are off these clean-outs, the plumber or septic repair technician can send augers or cameras down the lines toward the septic tank to see what is going on. Jet-flushing may also be used to clear these areas.

The Lateral Lines

The lateral lines of your septic system are (or should be!) well buried. They extend out from the tank toward the leach field. These, too, can become blocked and will need regular maintenance services and repairs to stay open. Your plumber or repair technician will need to be adept at fitting the right instruments through other openings in the system and feeding those tools into the lateral lines for cleaning and clearing. This is part of a more in-depth service call for cleaning out your septic system, but it is worth it to avoid a very nasty and catastrophic problem later on. Most people would prefer to let the lateral lines do their job and empty into the leach field than have their septic systems rupture from being too full and not being able to empty through these lines because of blockages. 

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