Why is my Toilet Gurgling?

If you’ve ever had septic trouble, there’s a good chance you’ve heard gurgling noises in a toilet or a drain.  Most people have no idea what that noise is all about and why it’s happening.  Many people call a plumber thinking there’s a clog in the line (a normal response).  While there may be a clog in the line, if the problem is related to issues with your septic tank, most plumbers do not have a pump truck and therefore can’t resolve the real issue.  After you call a septic contractor, he or she brings a pump truck, digs up a small area in your yard, pumps out your septic tank, cleans the filter if you have one, and then hopefully explains and educates you about what is going on and how the system works.

Gurgling toilets…

Septic systems are simple.  If 10 gallons comes into the tank from the house, 10 gallons needs to go out to the drainfield.  The most common symptom of trouble with a septic system is gurgling noises in the toilet when you’re taking a shower or doing laundry.  It will typically be the toilet that is closest to the septic tank that will manifest these noises whereas the water that is running and causing these gurgling noises could be coming from any part of the house.  Other common symptoms include wetness or ponding in the soil above the tank or in the drainfield area and water around the toilet itself.  No matter what the symptom you experience, the long and short of what is going on is that the level in your septic tank is above normal.  There should be about 6” of airspace between the level in the septic tank and the top of the tank itself.  When your outlet filter clogs up or your drainfield is not taking the effluent (dirty water that comes out of the tank and into the drainfield) at the rate waste is coming into the tank, that 6” of airspace gets filled up and the symptoms described above start to happen.  If the homeowner does not call a septic contractor for service, there is sure to be a mess in the house or in the yard.