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Septic Tank or Pipe Locating Equipment Guide InspectAPedia®  -     Septic Tank or Pipe Locating Equipment Guide How to locate the septic tank at a property, as step by step procedure to find any septic tank

Septic tank location guide: this document suggests simple tools and devices used for finding a septic tank. This article tells assists in finding the septic tank when it's placement is not already known or when the location of the septic tank is not visually obvious.

Videos showing how to find the septic system, septic tank, & septic drainfield are at SEPTIC VIDEOS. Also see Drainfield Location - how to find the leach fields.

Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. This document is a chapter of Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SEPTIC TANK LOCATING EQUIPMENT - These Simple and More Special Tools & Equipment Can Help Locate A Septic Tank

• A simple septic tank locating probe such as a 1/4" steel rod or a heavier steel wrecking bar are used by some inspectors or septic service companies to probe the ground over a suspected septic tank location. Be careful since jamming a heavy wrecking bar into the soil can perforate a steel septic tank cover or break a terra cotta or orangeburg septic drain line. These methods can however be useful if used carefully in soft or wet soils. (In a related septic application, the examination of septic fields, we've used a wrecking bar to make holes in a drainfield not right over a drain line, in order to look at soil conditions. A failing septic may send effluent right up to the surface through such an opening.)
• A shovel is a low tech and high sweat method of finding any buried object if you have a general idea where to look. At our first septic tank search in 1969 our contractor used a backhoe to "find" the septic tank. He "found" it alright, by driving over and collapsing an old steel septic tank. I wished we'd started more gently with a shovel.
• Metal detectors can find some septic tanks if the tank top is steel or if a steel manhole cover was used to cover the tank access port. [Thanks to David Liberman for this reminder - July 2007].
• Electronic Drain Pipe Sensor to find the septic tank: The septic tank can be located exactly electronically: Some plumbing contractors can at this point find the exact septic tank location by using a special plumbing snake fed into the main house drain line. The plumbing snake is pushed into the drain line from an convenient location and extended until it hits an obstruction which may be an obstruction in the drain line or it may be that the snake has extended into and hit the septic tank. An electronic signal is fed into the metal plumbing snake. From outside, a receiver can sense the signal from the plumbing snake. By passing the receiver, a sort of electronic metal detector, over the property surface, the exact path of the snake in the buried drain line can be followed right to the tank.
• Ground scanning radar to find the septic tank: radar can locate buried septic tanks, buried oil tanks, and other objects below the soil. Companies providing buried oil tank location services often can provide this (more expensive) service.

Warning about using metal detectors or electronic pipe sensors to find Septic Tanks

Metal detectors or probes which mark the path of an underground pipe are excellent and rapid ways to locate buried drain and septic system components. But at an old property we've had an occasional glitch that was potentially dangerous. Older properties sometimes have multiple generations of buried wires and pipes which can lead to an error in the readings from buried pipe or buried septic tank sensors.

We called our local gas company to locate a buried gas line. Clipping a sending unit to a pipe at the gas meter the technician proceeded to paint a yellow line across our (then frozen) soil. He said that his yellow mark was accurate to an inch in marking the exact pipe location.

Using a jackhammer to break frozen soil to locate a water pipe we began digging 18" away from the yellow line marking the gas line. As you might guess, we found the gas line itself right where we were digging! Further investigation found that an old steel water pipe running parallel to the current and parallel to the gas line had caused an 18" error in the readings from the buried pipe sensing equipment.

Safety Warning: Do not use backhoes, wrecking bars, or jackhammers to excavate where dangerous utilities may be buried. If you call your local gas or electric utility company they will be glad to send an expert to your site to mark the location of buried electrical and gas lines that may be present.

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HOW TO FIND A SEPTIC TANK
SEPTIC SEARCH SAFETY
WHO KNOWS SEPTIC LOCATION?
FIND MAIN WASTE LINE EXIT
DISTANCE TO TANK
POSSIBLE SEPTIC TANK LOCATIONS
  VISUAL CLUES LOCATE TANK
  WHERE TO LOOK
  SEPTIC TANK DEPTH
SEPTIC TANK LOCATING EQUIPMENT
SEPTIC TANK COVERS
DOCUMENT TANK LOCATION

• Thanks to Donica Ben who points out the danger of digging into buried electrical wires (11/11/07) as we discuss further at Septic & Cesspool Safety Procedures

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More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
• Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information
• The Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
• Table of Required Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.

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