Set #3 FAQs About a Home Seller's Guide to Septic Systems and septic system testing.

This article series gives advice for home owners who are selling a property with a septic system, including useful information that you can prepare and provide to a home buyer, septic system testing, and making septic system safety repairs before even listing a property for sale.

FAQs about selling a home with a septic tank #3

These questions and answers about selling a home with a private septic system or septic tank were posted originally at HOME SELLERS GUIDE TO SEPTIC INSPECT - be sure to also check out the advice given there.

On 2018-12-18 by (mod) - neighbor's septic tank smells and leaks

Kate,

A septic dye test, described at

SEPTIC LOADING & DYE TEST PROCEDURE - home

Can demonstrate whether or not effluent seen on the ground surface is from the wastewater of a particular home - but your neighbour would have to agree to have the test done and the dye inserted into their septic system.

The same test performed on your own home's system can demonstrate if the problem is yours.

If a neighbour has a failed septic system - a health code violation in most countries and cities - and won't address it, the usual recouse is to ask for help from your health authorities or health department.

See detailed advice on this problem at NEIGHBORING SEPTIC SYSTEM PROBLEMS

On 2018-12-18 by Wendi

I have a question. For years my neighbor's septic has stunk up the neighborhood, it kept the back yard swampy. I figured bc to many people are on the tank.

Well now I'm a widow and all of the sudden the property line is swampy and 3 different areas have an awful odor.

Her husband had taken a position pumping out septics, well now one of the swampy smelly spots is less than 10 ft. From my well. Her husband is now no longer pumping the septic tank ....

how can I find out if it is the waste from their home? It's obvious to me bc of the past years. Would a dye test work? The neighbors and I don't speak. Thank you.

On 2018-05-10 by (mod) - time needed between perc test and septic system installation?

Kate,

The timing of when septic systems are actually installed is not likely to include "right after the meeting" if by "right after" you mean immediately or within hours.

But if you're in a hurry you could have your septic contractor lined-up with specifications, an accepted bid for doing the work, and an understanding about when the site work will begin.

On 2018-05-09 2 by kate

So the / IS DO THEY PUT THE SEPTIC IN RIGHT AFTER THE MEETING?

On 2018-05-09 by kate

I am selling a piece of land that needs to be perk tested, Filing dead line 5/25 legal notice 5/30 conservation meeting 6/7 How much time should I allow on an extension

Please help me out . The time was up 5/1

On 2017-11-26 by (mod) - size of absorption Fields needed also depends on the soil properties

Bill

There is no single correct answer to your question since the size of absorption Fields needed also depends on the soil properties

We give septic septic leachfield size guidelines at

https://inspectapedia.com/septic/NYS75-A.8_Absorption_Bed_Design_Specs.php

On 2017-11-11 by Bill

How much Litchfield do you need for 3 bedroom 2 bath. Home with 1000 gal tank

On 2017-02-02 by mod - how to find the exact septic drainfield location

Guy, see details at SEPTIC DRAINFIELD LOCATION

On 2017-02-02 by Guy Rich

I'm planning on purchasing a 5 acre lot with a well and septic system.
The well works fine and the water quality is good.

I've located the septic tank but the property owner is not 100 % sure where the leach field is located.

The system was installed in 1974, and has been in in use since 2013 when a fire burned down the house on the property.

I need to know EXACTLY where the leach field is located and what kind of test can be done, since there's no house and therefore no plumbing fixtures to
introduce dye.

On 2016-08-26 by Anonymous

We had a house under contract that had one of the septic lines paved over by the seller with a driveway.

OUr realtor implied that we were being difficult by asking to get an estimate on how much it might cost to fix the septic system so we would know our financial liability.

She said that most people would buy the house without investigating that. Is this true?

On 2016-08-04 by (mod) - if nobody knows where the septic tank is, then it has not been maintained

Merlin,

One thing on which we can bet is that if nobody knows where the septic system is, then it has not been serviced in a long time so the probability of failure is high.

What you found when your contractor found the tank confirmed that worst fear. Regrettably, as your bid reflects, both tank and fields will need to be replaced.

I certainly hope that your inspector gave you a stern warning that you were likely to face significant costs to find and repair the system. I hate making your inspector mad at me if she or he didn't issue a warning, but in my opinion an inspector working for you, not for the realtor, would have done so, even if based on little more than the information in your brief note.

At this point let's focus on fixing the system.

Before installing anything you should probably have a decent septic design and layout plan made by a septic engineer who in turn will do some soil perc tests, look at the site space, size, shape, slope, and consider local codes in proposing a proper and conforming test.

Actually even before doing that, if your community has a public sewer available close by, the you should look at simply connecting the home to the sewer system.

On 2016-08-03 1 by Merlin

My wife and I purchased a home about 2 weeks ago on an FHA loan. Everything checked out good regarding the inspection and repairs.

Except the septic system, which the inspector couldn't find, as there was a discrepancy between the MLS listing that stated the home is on public sewer, and the property disclosure that the seller said was a septic system.

Several days ago we had issues with the plumbing backing up into our home. We ordered a septic inspection and a pump-out.

The technician found that the septic tank was full of dirt inside and in completely non-working condition. We received a quote for a new tank and drain-field for a cost of roughly $6K.

On 2016-01-26 by Anonymous

Cost to replace existing septic? zip code 53121

On 2018-06-09 by (mod) -

Thanks for the update. I'm glad your attorney is looking out for you.

Keep in mind that any septic system design must be approved by your local health or building department and must comply with state regulations where you live.

On 2018-06-09 by Anonymous

Thank you so much for the information, my attorney did advised me not to proceed on this house, I’m so in love with this house that I wanted to try it all, there is a space that they can place the septic,

but the problem is that it’s in the side of the house and I don’t know how they’re going to do because its the living room and the garage, so probably they going to do a hole there to pass the tubes for the septic

. I advise the sellers to move the septic to that side of the property, he will see what he can do by next week. thank you for the help

On 2018-06-08 by (mod) - make the neighbors sign a easement that both party not to build anything on top of the septic and drain

Maria

You need to discuss this snafu with your lawyer.

I would expect her to advise you not to proceed with purchase of a property that does not have a working on-site septic or a suitable easement or right of way to assure one.

Such a property could be un-marketable and you could be stuck at a future sale.

If there is no space to install a septic system on your property the property probably does not comply with local codes.

I encountered a case just like yours along a lake in New York.

Ultimately the local building department would no longer consider the lot suitable for a residence (no septic and no space for one). The building was removed and the lot converted to parking.

OPINION (I am not a lawyer nor realtor): If the property was marketed or represented as a habitable property in compliance with local codes and regulations, your lawyer should have no problem obtaining the return of any deposits or earnest money.

On 2018-06-08 by Maria

Hi! I’m in a process of buying a home for 6 month because we discover that the septic tank and drain is in the neighbors property, my attorney was trying to make the neighbors sign a easement that both party not to build anything on top of the septic and drain.

The neighbor refused to signed and now what should I do? The house I’m looking to purchase was built on the 60’s and the neighbors built theirs in 2007 in NY. I’m not buying a house with problems and also I don’t have space to put the septic . Please advise

On 2018-04-06 by (mod) - buying a house in a rush guarantees problems

Nat

The worst home purchase transactions that I have encountered over the last 40 years have been those in which the buyer was expected to run as fast as they could towards the purchase, screaming I want it I want it, and throwing their money ahead of themselves as they go

. When you are rushed you can be guaranteed that you will later discover things that are upsetting because you did not have time to complete due diligence.

In addition a seller who asks you to rely on their report saying there's no problem when you had a report saying there was a concern is inviting a future lawsuit. Certainly the seller is not a neutral party to the transaction. Therefore it's a risk for them as well as for you to proceed without considerable caution.

Nevertheless if you feel compelled to crash ahead you should discuss with your attorney escrowing the cost of possible repair in order to avoid a future legal dispute with the seller and to give you time to have a investigation that you trust after you have control of the property.

The money is put into an escrow account held by one of the attorneys typically yours, which gives the fairest and best protection to both seller and buyer.

On 2018-04-06 by Nat

Hi:

I saw on your website ...

"What if the Septic System Inspection and Report are Faulty?

If the septic system inspection yields a result that seems unclear, inaccurate, or just plain wrong, or if its confusing, ask for clarification from the inspector, and also pass that information and question along to me by email- I may have a suggestion"

I am in need of some immediate help / advice. I'm a first time homebuyer and my deadline to make a decision is today. I would have reached out to you sooner, but the inspection period has dragged on so long (not by me) that I finally got all my answers yesterday and have less than 24 hrs to decide.

The home I'm buying had a septic inspection. The tank inspection part failed. It was notated there was a crack in the tank, sand is seeping in and the baffles are in disrepair. I passed this along to the sellers along with the hefty cost to repair. They decided to have the same company come out and show them the crack because the original photo was un-clear where it was.

Same company came out but a different person, and he told them there is NO crack and the baffles are completely fine.

The report come back opposite. I was not physically there for the re-inspection so I could not personally see what was happening. I did speak to the manger at the company and the person that did go out to re-inspect. I have no idea if they are pulling one over me to satisfy the sellers.

Nor did they admit "hey, we made a mistake."

They said that the tank was probably driven over at one point, cracked the lid, the lid ended up in the tank, there were pieces of rebar in the tank along with sand and we thought it was a crack.

However, they didn't investigate it further the day they said it was a crack. Any idea why not? It was a done deal.

So if they sellers never questioned it ...tank would need to be replaced. It's hard to trust who is telling the truth and I don't want to purchase the home and take on a major expense now that someones says "oh, it's ok now."

Thoughts? Can a huge mistake like this happen if someone (aka inspector) doesn't know what they are doing?

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide.

On 2018-03-27 by Linda

My brother is trying to buy my moms house and wants us to pay for the inspection of the septic. Isn't that his responsibility since he is the buyer?

On 2017-11-10 by Dave F.

We had an septic inspection conducted on the system of the house we bought in June. It failed but the state septic Environmental Scientist refused to issue a permit to fix it but he would not fail it himself. He did issue a permit for a new system to be put in at another point on the lot and the seller did that.

We asked that ALL of the plumbing in the house be connected to the new system.

The buyers refused because the state inspector deemed the old system sufficient enough to carry the basement laundry room and half bath. Fast forward 5 months and all we have ever used was the washer, the half bath is not used but the system has failed.

The t to the tank is broken so the tank fills with ground water when it rains. The outlet on the tank that goes to the lines does not drain and the water is above that point.

Do we have any recourse against the state inspector?

We can't for the life of us figure out why he would refuse to outright fail the old system when the inspection we had failed it and the sellers put in a new system anyway.

Now we are facing thousands to dig up the basement floor, install an ejector pump and connect the laundry and half bath to the new system.

On 2017-07-18 by (mod) - "passed with concerns" was certainly a warning of coming septic trouble,

R

"passed with concerns" was certainly a warning of coming trouble, Boyne out by the second inspection. Thats two NOT REALLY OK results.

A third OK result would not be credible nor helpful.

On 2017-07-17 by R. Mar

If a septic system was inspected, passed with concerns, but then the County Health Department "Fails" the system, are you able to have a second inspection or is it final?

On 2017-05-27 by chuck

My mom just past away and we where going to sell her place in the country in Iowa. The say we need a leach field added to the septic system. Is this true?

...

Continue reading  at HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS, - what advice do we give to buyers of a home with a private septic system?or select a topic from closely-related articles below, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see SEPTIC & CESSPOOL SAFETY

SEPTIC LIFE MAXIMIZING STEPS

SEPTIC TANK PUMPOUT TIMING ERRORS

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS - complete guide to buying a home with a septic tank
• SEPTIC SYSTEM TROUBLE: WHAT GOES WRONG
  • SEPTIC TANK FAILURES
  • SEWER LINE CLOGS & DAMAGE
  • SEPTIC LEACH FIELD FAILURES
  • SEPTIC TROUBLE SIGNS, OTHER
  • ORANGEBURG PIPE
• HOME BUYER'S SEPTIC TEST
• PRE-PURCHASE SEPTIC DYE TEST
• SEPTIC TEST FINAL OVERVIEW
• SEPTIC FAILURE LAWSUIT
• HOME SELLERS GUIDE TO SEPTIC INSPECT
• SEPTIC & CESSPOOL SAFETY

Suggested citation for this web page

HOME SELLERS GUIDE TO SEPTIC INSPECTION FAQs-3 at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to SEPTIC SYSTEMS

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