A septic emergency is sewage where it should not be: coming up through a shower drain, pooling over the tank or the drain field, or about to. It is a health hazard as well as a mess, because raw sewage carries bacteria and viruses. The immediate job is to stop adding water to the system. The next is to find out whether the cause is a full tank, a blockage or a drain field that cannot take any more.

  • After-hours and weekend pumping
  • Blocked inlet and outlet lines cleared
  • Pump and alarm failures diagnosed in pumped systems
  • Temporary measures to restore use while repairs are planned
  • Assessment of what caused the backup

What to do right now

Stop using water. No flushing, no laundry, no dishwasher, no showers — everything you send down a drain will come back up. Keep children and pets away from any sewage, indoors or out. If sewage has entered the house, avoid contact, ventilate, and do not use a household vacuum on it. Then call a septic company and describe exactly what you are seeing and when the tank was last pumped.

Can you shower if the tank is full?

Not safely. A shower sends thirty or more gallons into a system that has no room for it, and the water will find the lowest outlet in the house — often that same shower or a ground-floor toilet. Once the tank has been pumped, normal use can resume, though if the drain field is the real problem the relief will be temporary.

Storms and flooding

After a hurricane or days of heavy rain, a system that backs up is usually suffering from saturated ground, not a mechanical failure. Reduce water use to a minimum until the water recedes. Do not pump the tank while the ground is flooded — a buoyant empty tank can shift or pop out of the ground, and floodwater can pour in. If the drain field was underwater, have the system inspected before returning to full use. Keep well water in mind as well: flooding over a septic system can contaminate a nearby private well.

Common emergency septic service situations in Jacksonville

  • Sewage coming up in a tub, shower or toilet
  • Toilets that will not flush anywhere in the house
  • Sewage pooling over the tank or in the yard
  • A septic alarm that will not stop
  • A backup the day before guests arrive or a closing

Emergency Septic Service FAQs

What does emergency septic pumping cost?

More than a scheduled visit. HomeAdvisor's national figures put routine pumping at $292 to $565, within an overall span of $200 to $1,287; nights, weekends, holidays and tanks with buried lids push a call toward the top of that span or beyond. Ask for the after-hours rate when you call.

What happens to the toilets when a septic tank is full?

They flush slowly, gurgle, and eventually stop draining. Because the lowest fixtures back up first, a ground-floor toilet or shower usually shows the problem before upstairs fixtures do. Slow drains at every fixture point to the septic system; a single slow drain points to a clog in that fixture's line.

This content is reviewed by the Jacksonville FL Septic Tank Pumping editorial team and informed by licensed-contractor sourcing, manufacturer documentation, and established industry standards for Septic Tank Pumping. Read our editorial standards.