How to Fix a Cesspool Backup

Locate the sewer pipes that run from the house to your cesspool. Inspect the lines for root intrusions or breaks. Large trees and invasive weeds can surround, penetrate and fracture sewer lines, which lead to cesspool backups. If this is the case, the affected pipes will have to be removed and replaced, and the roots or offending plants taken away.

Remove solid waste clogs from the cesspool waste tank. These clogs consist of accumulated waste, which is too dense to allow the flow of water through and out of the tank to the surrounding absorption field. Use a cesspool pump to remove the waste clog and restore the cesspool to working order. Check the location of the sludge inside the tank in relation to the baffle at the dispersal opening. If the waste has reached a point 1 foot or less away from the baffle, pump out the tank.

Reduce the amount of water that makes its way to the cesspool from anywhere outside of the sewer pipe system. If rain is flooding the system or runoff from any other source is overwhelming the tank, channel the water away and halt its accumulation at the cesspool location. Close any leaking fixtures inside or outside the home whose steady dripping can lead to a sewer system overflow in time. Too much water will result in a failure of the septic system to disperse waste, and backups will occur.

Inspect the sewer pipes that connect your household plumbing fixtures to the cesspool. Check for breaks anywhere along the route, remove the broken or damaged sections and install new pipe. If the system is recently installed, check that the pipes are sloped toward the cesspool and away from the home.