- 1). Hire a professional plumber to inspect your system. The plumber will have a remote camera which they can feed into your drain lines to accurately determine where the clog is, and what the clog is made of. This is by far the most accurate method of identifying the source of a clog. If you cannot afford a professional plumber, or wish to do it yourself, there is a do-it-yourself alternative.
- 2). Locate the distribution box of your septic system. The box will be made of concrete and will be located just in front of your field lines. Dig down to the box and remove enough dirt so you can remove the lid without allowing loose dirt or debris to enter the box. The box will have a single inlet from the septic tank and an outlet port for each of the field lines. Use a scrap piece of screen to temporarily block all outlet ports.
- 3). Open an access port in your drain line. If your system was installed properly, there will be a clean out port, or access port, at some point in your drain line. If the pipe is over 100 feet in length, there may be multiple access ports. Once you locate the port, remove the lid(s) so you have access to the drain line below.
- 4). Install blades on the end of the drain router and feed the cable into the drain line. Work slowly, allowing the cable to slowly move through the piping. Keep a firm grip on the cable and do not allow your hands to move too far apart. If you allow too much cable between your hands, the cable has a tendency to buckle and could result in a nasty slap across your forearm. It may be necessary to work the cable around any corners or pipe joints.
- 5). Feed the cable through the entire length of the pipe. As it reaches the clog, the blades will cut through the clog and the debris will flow with the water toward the field lines. Once you reach the end of the pipe, slowly retract the cable. Use caution when you near the end of the cable to avoid the spinning blades.
- 6). Inspect the contents of the distribution box. Any materials cleared from the drain pipe should now be in the distribution box. You should be able to determine if the clog was sludge, roots, or another foreign object. Once you have cleaned all debris and trash from the distribution box, remove the screen, seal the box, and cover the distribution box with dirt.
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