Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Septic Froze

Wasn't ever considering this but my septic output is frozen. I have a Norweco Bio-Kinetic Model TNT. It is an aerobic system so no septic field just a discharge pipe. Well while I was in Jersey last week we got about 8" of snow. This ended up clogging the discharge pipe and it is now frozen. This caused the system to go into alarm and shut down due to high water level. I found the discharge pipe and it is frozen solid. I am charging the cordless drill to attempt to drill through the ice to see how far up the pipe it goes. I hope I can get through it. Any other ideas on how to thaw the pipe out (other than wait for spring). I was thinking of starting a charcoal fire on the ground about 2 to 3 feet from the end of the pipe in hopes of thawing out the ground and pipe. Figure this may take a couple of days.

Can you drive a piece of 1/2" rebar through the blockage in a few spots to try and get some discharge flowing out? That might open it up pretty quick.

Most likely that will be possible. I should have some in the pole barn will have to look. If not a run to town to get some.

You can wrap some electric roof/gutter melters around the pipe, or if possible get some salt or ethanol on there.

The discharge pipe is underground and 250 feet from the house.

Obviously I grasping at straws here but has anyone heard of this product?

http://woodsmansinternational.com/Liqui-Fire%20Endorsements.htm

Just had to thaw out 35' of frozen waste pipe last week. It ain't easy. Your best bet is a salamander style heater and a tarp or something over the pipe to hold the warmth til it thaws. I wound up feeding a 1/4" nylon hose which I duct taped to the end of the snake down about 30 feet to where the ice was- pumping out all the standing water- then I dumped 1 cup of rocksalt and washed it down with heated up RV antifreeze. Did this 4 times and waited overnight with an electic heater right under where the ice was. You'll be wasting your time with the charcoal fire unless you have a way to blow the heat up under the pipe. Good luck- nothing fun about this project. The other option is to cut & replace the pipe in the frozen area.

Mine was the result of letting the faucets drip to avoid freeze up of the inlet pipes (which are now wrapped in heat tape & will never be allowed to drip EVER again!)

Lassig - been there done that. Last year we had the same problem at my parent's place. Same type of septic, with the 'clear' water discharge maybe 250-300 feet from the tank discharging at ground level. We had to use a propane salamander and set up a little tent over the top of it. Took a couple of days to thaw.

Then last summer we resolved the problem permanently. We went back up the pipe maybe 30-40 feet (where it was still 3 feet down or so). Dug down and cut the pipe, then dug an 8 foot pit maybe 4 feet in diameter in front of the new drain spot. Filled the hole with 4-6" rock, layered with landscaping material every 3 feet or so. Then covered the last 3 feet back with dirt.

Now the drain runs into the underground pit and soaks into the groundwater. No chance of freezing up. It's worked like a charm this year, and it's been a LOT colder than last year.

Hollywood

The pipe is in the ground and is the clean water discharge of the septic tank. SO was going to use the charcoal to thaw the ground and the pipe.

Dale,

Thanks for the idea, my discharge pipe is only about 50' long. The tank is 200' from the house. Going to talk about my installer about doing this "dry well" approach. The only change I would make is to have a pipe coming out of the pit encase the ground is too wet to absorb the water, perk is not good here. When I dug the perk test holes I got a 2+" rain storm the next day. I never had to put water in the holes since they didn't drain down in over 30 days.

Forgot to mention that my installer is on his way here now to pull the motor out so the water doesn't run over the top of it. Trying to prevent damage. While the motor is out thinking of pumping the tank out to buy myself some room until the pipe thaws out. Current approach that I am thinking of is to wait till the winter thaw clears out the pipe. Hopefully that will only be another 6 weeks or so, hope not.

Good luck... But food for thought... We've built some pretty good fires out on the ice while ice fishing... hardly bothers the ice under the fire at all.

Another thought is finding a plumber with a "steamer". I don't know for sure what they are called, but when I had my clog this winter that I thought was ice, this was an option. Basically a steam-driven snake for getting ice out of drain pipes.

A few years ago the place I used to work at had their incoming water line freeze up. After deducing that the blockage was outside in the meter pit itself, they called the city.

They arrived with a pickup truck, and 20' of that heavy rubber hose that garages use to vent automotive exhaust to the outside. One end on the tailpipe with the truck running, and the other down in the pit. Took less than two minutes to thaw it.

Mark, that sucks. I have never had to deal with that, and hope that I never have to! I agree, get the installer out there and try to prevent any more damage. He might have an idea how to thaw it out.

I think I remember seeing steam used going thru a flexible pipe to thaw stuff out, but can't remember where or exactly how they did it.

Hollywood/Scott,

No one in this area has heard about using stream to thaw frozen pipes so not an option here. Being this far south (west central IL) we don't typically have cold spells that last this long, without a thaw in between.

Hook garden hose to hot water outlet (washing machine has one) and run to end of frozen pipe. Turn water on and push hose into pipe as ice melts in front of it. You can work a hose a considerable distance this way.

You're right it's more common farther north. We had a culvert freeze shut on us a few years ago. The hwy department didn't have a clue how to deal with it. Someone I knew in Northern Wisconsin told me their highway department routinely thawed them out with steam.

Come spring my neighbor found a mailbox wedged inside which due to a heavy rain and then hard freeze caused the blockage. No clue whose mailbox, as no one was missing one nearby. My neighbor and I share a driveway where it meets the highway and consequently the culvert Underneath.

Bearbait has a good idea. Had a 4 inch pvc that takes excess water away from our leach field freeze several years ago. The open end is at a creek some 300 ft from the water heater. Water heater has acme (garden hose) threads on the bottom so ran hose out and put a brass jet nozzle on. Band clamped the first 2 ft of hose to a telescoping paint roller pole and blasted a hole after a tank or two for full flow. May of had 6- 8 ft of blockage dont remember.I had a cleanout some 100 ft away from the blockage that I put some large pellet softner salt in for the rest of the winter and the line stayed open.That water runs to our lower pond and caused no problems.We are colder this year but have a lot more snow so no freeze up to date.

Thanks for the ideas folks. I had the honey wagon here yesterday and pump out the tank to give me some head room. Hoping with the warmer temps foretasted that it will thaw itself out next week. If not guess that I am off to the hardware store to get more hose to give the hot water a try. I am about 100 - 150 feet short on the amount of hose needed. I do have the hose in a warm place (now) so it will be thawed out by next week.

You don't need steam to thaw it. You don't even need warm/hot water, but it helps.

A sewer nozzle on a pressure washer will get the job done pretty simply. Nothing rotary required just a good pressure washer and water source. The sewer nozzle will help pull itself in with the back jets. It will push hundreds of feet typically. Just be sure if you have any quick couplers that they are taped securely closed.

We put gutter heat cables in our drains in winter to make sure they stay open. I'd highly recommend this for next season.

Do you leave the gutter heaters on 24/7 or just "X" hrs. per day?

Just found out the water line to top off tanks in one of my high school systems is frozen.

For roof applications they say to only run when warm enough outside to have melting. They also make temperature and moisture sensors. Ours are on constantly at this point, but could easily be altered.

Our shop gutters drain down into PVC that collects and runs out on lower lawn. I "washed" a string down through the one leg and then pulled the heat tape up through the pipe. We plug this one in seasonally. Thawing with a pressure washer is not that big a deal, but I did not learn until after melting the end of the pipe with my bullet heater...


Wrap On brand tapes seem to do quite well for us.

https://wrap-on.com/products/rgdic.html