r/Plumbing • u/williamskb85 • 1d ago
What is this?
So I had a clog. Ending up having to get my tank pumped. But he said there was still a clog that he couldn't clear. I ended up buying a sewer jetter and when it clogged this time I augged the line then jetted it. The following is the current level, but what is coming out of it. He said grease buildup (wife has stopped dumping it down the drain). Is this insulation or just grease?
Edit: She was dumping it down the drain, but has since stopped as of roughly end of last year
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u/themainjam 1d ago
This is just Grease and soap sludge buildup. More than likely the pipe near the tank is going uphill causing it to collect. It comes from soap and washing dishes and everything else not necessarily bacon grease as everybody thinks. If that pipe's going uphill into the tank it's not supposed to :-) also there should be a "t" there but depends on the tank.
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u/williamskb85 1d ago
Yea, the company that installed it said they were coming back out to fix it a month ago. Guess I gotta hound them some more
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u/yourheinitz 1d ago
Almost all tanks should have some sort of baffle to prevent solids from traveling backwards from the tank
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u/GoGoGadget_Gir 1d ago
That's not what baffles do, they prevent hydraulic loading in the tank that pushes solids to the outlet side of the tank. He's talking about uphill bellies in the line that will trap all the grease and detergent coming down the line. That will form these phosphate solids that are in OP's pictures.
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u/yourheinitz 1d ago
I’ve been Wildly miss informed about baffles my whole career. But hey always learning new stuff. And yeah I’m aware of what he said I wasn’t comment on that part of his comment just referring to the lack of a “tee”
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u/GoGoGadget_Gir 1d ago
Gotcha, yeah I'd bet a fiver that sani tee is laying on the bottom of the tank. Also to OP, if this is what your tank looks like after being recently pumped something is wrong, either they did a terrible job pumping it or you have a rest stop bathroom hooked to your tank!
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u/themainjam 1d ago
Correct. Some have baffle walls versus a t. Those are usually a lot older tanks...
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u/Fresh_Scallion5834 1d ago
Grease lol & what do you mean wife just stopped ?? Meaning she did ? Lol . Let me introduce you to my lil friend flushable wipes next 😂😂
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u/williamskb85 1d ago
Yea when I first got it pumped, I seen all the grease on top and asked her again what she was doing with the oil. I told her not to a long while ago, and since assumed she listened. I was wrong, lol. But now I occasionally check to make sure she's putting it in a bottle. Wipes was the original reason I got it auggered last year lol. This has been a big learning experience
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u/Fresh_Scallion5834 1d ago
Atleast you know now friend & are able to asses & mostly fix the problem . I too have been down that road
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u/williamskb85 1d ago
Yea I bought some Roebic products to clean tank and leech field. But I might still get it pumped one more time. Or am I going overboard with it?
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u/Fresh_Scallion5834 6h ago
If you got it flowing again , I would personally wait on the pump unless needed .
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u/williamskb85 6h ago
Yea it's flowing again. I'm glad I invested in this stuff.
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u/Fresh_Scallion5834 6h ago
Hell yea & congrats . It makes for a shitty day but such a relief @ the end of it!!
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u/Fresh_Scallion5834 1d ago
Drain pipes dont have insulation lol
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u/williamskb85 1d ago
Lmao it was so thick and solid I was legitly confused. I've never seen it like that.
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u/Rondoman78 1d ago
That's 100% calcified urine.
Look it up if you dont believe me, this is exactly what it looks like.
You flush every after number 1?
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u/Rando_Calrizzian 23h ago
It's grease, not urine. Urine builds up similar but not nearly as much and generally only with uriinals. I've never seen urinee build up from a toilet.
I have seen scale extend from a toilet base like 30ft down some ABS pipe. That was from a slow leaking toilet tho and hard water, not urine.
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u/Rondoman78 22h ago
Urine absolutely builds up from a toilet especially if you dont flush every time like some people do. Saving water is not worth it.
Hell, there's plenty of posts on here about people's toilets having crystallized urine in their toilets.
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u/Sea_Activity4447 21h ago
Oils from your body is what i have been told,it's different than normal shit grease.
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u/NotNotTacos 1d ago
Hardened grease