Questions & answers on how to check out the septic system when buying a home.

These questions address some of the most common problems that come up when you are buying a home or other building served by a private or on-site septic system: typically a septic tank and soakbed or drainfield.

There are questions about valid and in-valid septic inspections and tests, the right order of inspecting and testing, and where you may get into or avoid both trouble and surprise expenses.

This article series answers just about any question you might have about buying or owning a house with a septic system.

We provide critical advice to people buying a home with a septic tank and drainfield or similar septic systems. The drawing of a conventional two-compartment septic tank at page top was provided courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, education & report writing tool company [ carsondunlop.com ].

FAQs About Buying a Home with a Septic Tank & Soakbed or Leach Field

These questions and answers about private onsite septic systems were posted originally

at HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS - be sure to see the advice given there.

Question: there are septic smells at a property I'm buying.

The realtor says they're going to replace the distribution box, pump the septic tank, and put in a "bio kit" - will anything good come from this?

I'm trying to buy a home in Vt. And I noticed a septic smell while walking around the property as I look down there's a stream of black water running.

The owner called his septic people to check out the problem. This is the response from his realtor. "They replaced the dbox, pumped the field and put in a bio kit.

They will come back in a week to see how its doing!" I'm not sure what I should view this. Anything good from this kind Sir? - Jack Garlin

Reply: not much.

Jack, the realtor is someone with a conflict of interest and not a person on whom you can rely to protect your interest, money nor safety when you are the buyer of a home.

Even a well intentioned real estate agent in the case you describe will not know the condition of the system, will not warrant you at all about the future usability of the system, and is not held legally responsible for property conditions.

Pumping the septic tank gives the septic drainfield a few days off from having to absorb septic effluent. That might, for a few days, diminish the septic odor - fooling you into thinking everything is OK.

Fixing a bad distribution box is a good repair

 in that if the old box was routing all of the septic effluent into say (making this up as an example) just one septic drainfield trench, leaving three other trenches un-used, the overloaded trench will quickly fail. By routing effluent into all of the septic drainfield trenches we reduce the load on the bad trench and might get more life out of the system.

It depends ... on the age of the system, soil conditions, and condition of the other trenches. You could ask the septic contractor what they found and what they recommend. The contractor won't want to make the realtor and seller mad by ratting them out, but you could point out that you are moving in and would be his new customer.

Putting in a "bio kit" on a failed septic system

 is sort of a pig-in-a-poke. I am guessing that someone is adding an aerator to an existing septic tank.

The aerator can improve the level of treatment of the septic effluent, thus reducing (but not eliminating) the degree to which effluent discharged from the tank contaminates the environment.

And depending on septic tank design, the aerator might, by keeping septic tank contents agitated in a single compartment tank, actually speed the destruction of the drainfield by pushing solids out into the drainfield.

If the present septic system is in failure mode - that is, effluent is not being handled by the drainfield, symptoms include odors and smells on the property.

Even if the odors are diminished by some means, by no means has that "fixed" the failed drainfield. Expensive repairs are likely to be in your near future.

Question: Question: Septic system distances: I'm planning a garden at a property with an aerobic septic system and aerators. How far away should I plant? Aerobic septic system with aerators and sprinkler heads

I am buying a property in Forney, Texas that has an aerobic septic system. I believe the system has aeraters (sprinkler heads) in the back of the property. I want to have a vegetable garden and some fruit trees planted. How far away should I plant from the aeration field? - Marylin

What is the distance requirements from the septic to home and well to home? - Katie

Reply:

Good question Marilyn and forgive that this sounds a bit glib, that's not intended - my OPINION is that you want your garden far enough away to not pick up septic effluent. That depends on soil properties - how water flows through the soil, as well as ground slope and of course the distance that the sprinklers actually spray. I'd allow for wind-blown effluent overspray too.

So I'm afraid that an arbitrary number like 20 feet would be just arm-waving speculation, and an absolutely safe number like 100 feet may be overkill.

Details about recommended planting distances from septic fields for trees, shrubs, and gardens are given

at PLANTS & TREES OVER SEPTIC SYSTEMS.

Katie there is not a fixed distance from home (the structure itself) to septic tank nor to distance from home to a water well. For example a typical minimum recommended distance between septic tank and the structure is ten feet but some states allow five and others, 100. The maximum distances are set in part by terrain.

But what you should also be asking is what are the required distances between septic system components and other site features such as wells, streams, lakes, etc. For example required distances between a septic tank and a private well is typically 50 feet but varies up to 100 feet in some states.

You can find all septic system component clearance distances in a table at the article

titled SEPTIC CLEARANCE DISTANCES

Question: My septic inspector found evidence of a partly flooded drainfield - is that a septic failure?

We are buying a home and the inspector said there are 5in of water in vent pipe in seepage area. does this mean it's failing? - Lady

Reply: Yes.

Lady I'm guessing you mean that an inspection pipe in a septic drainfield is showing five inches of water.

Standing water in the drainfield would be evidence of drainfield failure. Now there could be a surge of water if a test was being run, but if the level was remaining static in the standpipe, the system is flooded and in failure. In my opinion.

Follow-up comment:

Thanks for your response! I can only hope you read this one soon. Well, we are having quite a dilemma.

The letter says that it has capacity of 1000 gal, and was at normal level, baffles are intact (although bill says baffle replaced), "vent pipe in seepage area had 5 inches of water in it," "ground at end of leach field had fractures between the trees...cause unknown." No drain back from leach field.

No ponding at this time. "Operating under saturated conditions." "was a time several years ago where saturation on surface."

Here's my concern. I don't know a ton about septic systems (although after this week, I could site laws in 5 states and name each component to you).

But, everything I see is saturated=failing. And, if it failed it past (saturation on surface) and hasn't been fixed (it hasn't), and is currently saturated but operating...is that really right?

To me, that would be a failing system or a defect in the septic. Saturated + pooling in past + dry weather/saturated now.

But, their realtor and our realtor just want the letter to be "reworded" to sound better. When I spoke with the technician who did the review, he said, I should be good to have no back up in house, but it could be a problem if I ever needed a permit and health dept came out.

My thought would be to have a 2nd opinion, but my realtor feels the test passed. I also feel like the history of previous surface saturation would qualify as a defect, which wasn't on disclosure.

Can you help me understand what I am missing? I really like the house and don't want to be a pain, but it isn't adding up?

Reply:

Lady a few clues are evident from your comments.

"baffle replaced" - the previous baffle, whose job is to keep solids in the septic tank, had failed enough to need replacement. By the time it's noticed and repaired, solids have most likely been flowing to the drainfield, adding to clogging and reducing its life.

"normal level" and "no drain back in the tank" - mean that at that MOMENT the drainfield was not so saturated that the effluent is so high that it flows backwards into the septic tank during pumpout. That does not, however, mean that no drainfield areas could be saturated or at end of life.

"Operating under saturated conditions" means the drainfield had been seen in failure mode. We don't know if the problem was local surface waters and runoff, groundwater, or purely septic effluent.

That distinction will be significant in deciding what repairs are needed - we need to direct groundwater and surface runoff away from a drainfield. And when a drainfield is "saturated" it is not working, not treating effluent, and is contaminating the environment.

No ponding "at this time" is a safe way of having made the realtor happy but covered the inspector for liability. No ponding could be because of little or no use, tank pumped out to give a respite, the season of very hot dry weather, or other events that temporarily make the fields look as if they're working.

With the history that you report, the septic system has failed in the past, and as no one has reported to you that any substantial repairs (like new drainfield or found and repaired broken drainfield piping) have been performed, it has NO predictable future life. (Without actually digging up more components we don't know exactly what's wrong - a broken pipe is a minor repair compared with replacing a drainfield. The latter sounds much more likely from your description)

Your plan to buy the home would be irresponsible if it didn't include funds to repair or replace the septic system.

Comment:

Thank you for making me feel sane. And, yes, the system had been pumped for the test. I am glad to know that I'm at least asking the right questions. We had planned to talk with the county tomorrow to find out more, but at least I don't feel like such an idiot now. I keep feeling like people think I'm making this up to complain about it, and I'm not sure why it's a surprise to anyone, especially since it was built in 1972.

Reply:

You sound sane to me, but I add that most people don't buy a new home often, so they are at a bit of an experience disadvantage vis-a-vis other players in the transaction such as real estate agents, attorneys, inspectors who have other interests.

Real estate is a tough business; when I've witnessed court disputes the judge always has taken the position that because a buyer knows it's a big financial decision with other parties who have conflicting interests (realtors, seller, some attorneys, and some home inspectors), the judge feels that the responsibility for due diligence is on the buyer, and the judge won't accept an argument that you relied on "puffing" or obfuscation by anybody else.

I'm not advising not to buy the property - it would be very rare for me to inspect a property and find that there was absolutely nothing in need of attention. But buy with a better picture of the real cost: purchase price plus necessary repairs, and proceed accordingly.

 

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Continue reading  at HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see HOME BUYERS SEPTIC SYSTEM FAQs-3 - more-recent questions & answers about buying a home with a private septic system

Or see these

Recommended Articles

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• HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS - complete guide to buying a home with a septic tank
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• PRE-PURCHASE SEPTIC DYE TEST
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• SEPTIC FAILURE LAWSUIT
• HOME SELLERS GUIDE TO SEPTIC INSPECT
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...

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to SEPTIC SYSTEMS

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