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Author:
hines (MI)
I had this house built 14 years ago. It is on a well and septic system. It is on a hill. Septic system is two 1000 gallon tanks in series, which drain to a leach field of 5 legs each having 2 distribution rings. I have the tanks pumped every 4 years. The house has 4-1/2 baths. All toilets and sink drains drain fine. The kitchen is furthest away from the septic as compared to the other drains. The vent pipe to the roof is above the kitchen and a bathroom on the second floor.
About 3 months ago, we noticed that about 30 seconds after draining the kitchen sink, a clicking sound starts, 2-3 times per second. It goes on for a couple minutes, then fades and stops. It seems like the water falling away to the septic system (that small amount of water from the sink would not at all fill the 4 inch pipe going out to the septic) is pulling a vacuum that pulls small amounts of water over the trap, equalizes, more vacuum develops, pulls another bit of water over the trap, etc. We have NO sewer smell coming from the kitchen sink trap, indicating that it is not being completely emptied by this vacuum that I surmise.
I have not mounted the roof to look in the vent pipe to see if it is plugged. It seems like it cannot be the vent being plugged, since everything else drains and flushes fine. Any ideas?
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Author:
packy (MA)
not being able to see the piping makes guessing difficult.
but, if the kitchen is the only fixture making the noise then the vent thru the roof is OK and more likely there is a partial clog in the kitchen drain.
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Author:
North Carolina Plumber (NC)
Could it possibly be thermal expansion ? Either from the drain pipe or hot water pipe ? I'd try it with cold water only to rule that out.
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