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: what causes a new septic system to over flow at the distribution box?

(July 28, 2014) Anonymous said:
what causes a new septic system to over flow at the distribution box

Reply:

A broken, settled effluent line or lines on the outlet end of the D-box or an improperly-constructed field or a flooded field.

Question: home owner needs help with septic system at a new house

(Sept 4, 2014) kuldip said:
Hi i wonder if you can help me with my septic situation on new built house (18 months), total bed area is about 145ft.(N TO S) by 30ft. (E TO W),

upon moving in i always saw wet spots in various places and informed builder and he said that is normal when grass grows you wont see them, i wasn't happy with answer as i felt i shouldn't see wet spots but its my 1st time using septic system so i thought hes right.

After last winter finished, upon snow cleared i saw a hole near where my septic distribution box is (found later), and now i informed the builder and the city inspector, dug around and D. box OK and done more tests and found that too much earth put on top of sand bed, so they arranged to remove 4 truck loads of gravel as the sand wasn't breathing.

After completing that and they done the grading, i am still noticing the side where D. Box is that the ground is wet, not the entire bed but from the D. box to the north 10ft. by 4ft. stays wet/moist, called in city inspector/builder/installer and done test and found sand bed close to starting from perforated pipes about (6ft away)

water starting seeping after removing gravel from top of seepage bed (which is sand covered with gravel) and done test about12ft away and no water showed any trace, they took sand away to test and now i get report sand ok, but i still have same problem, and im afraid the problem will be covered under grass and the builder say its ok,

can you help, any suggestions, who else can check if the bed system is working properly or not, please answer soon as i have meeting with them again.

(The bed is (N. S.) 115ft by 30ft (which is sand covered with gravel) and then 30ft. by 30ft. (perforated pipes buried in gravel-filled trenches) sorry about long

Reply:

KU

I'd like to help but am confused enough by the question that I have to say you'll be best served by an on-site expert such as an experienced septic engineer or installer.

Generally we do want to investigate wet areas: if it's due to leaking effluent where it should not be, that cause needs to be diagnosed and fixed.

if the wet area is not sewage effluent but groundwater, it is important to find its source and direct it away from the fields - lest we flood the field and thus reduce its life.

Question: testing an abandoned or un-used septic system

(Sept 24, 2014) R.W. said:
how do you/I test an old septic system that has been dry for several years.

Reply:

You cannot reliably test the drainfield of an un-used septic system unless the septic tank is first full (as it might be) - so it's necessary to first open and inspect the tank.

At that time there is additional and very important information that may be visible by looking at the conditions in the tank such as its baffles and such as signs of abnormal tank levels.

Details are at ABANDONED or NEW SEPTIC SYSTEM TESTS

Question: what's the best type of septic inspection: camera or tank pump-out?

(Sept 24, 2014) Anonymous said:
Which type of inspection is preferable? one that uses a camera to examine the pipes, etc. Or one that cleans out the tank and then visually inspects things?

They are about the same price. (the tank was pumped out a year ago and need not be pumped for another 3 years)

Reply:

Anon the two types of septic inspection you describe are very different and give different information. A scoping camera gives conditions of pipes but nothing direct about condition of the tank, baffles, D-box, nor drainfield.

An "inspection" by either means that looks only at the tank is heading you for trouble as only a part of the system - the least troublesome part - is being inspsected.

See HOME BUYER'S SEPTIC TEST

Question: how far away can the septic tank be located

(Oct 12, 2014) Anonymous said:
can I put my septic tank 100 feet from my home, or how far can I put my septic tank away from my home

Reply:

You can get to any distance necessary but you may need to use a force-main or pumping system depending on the distance and the changes in elevation from septic tank to building.

On 2013-03-29 by (mod) -

Mary1

You can and should ask your local building and health department for any records they have on hand concerning your property's septic system. If the local officials won't give those documents to a stranger then you'll have to ask the property owner to obtain them for you - usually that's done through your attorney.

But do not count on those documents being the whole story of the condition of the septic system.

If you cannot test the system before buying the property, though there may still be some visual clues, you have no choice but to plan, financially, for costly septic repair or replacement.

On 2013-03-28 y Mary1

I'd like to know whether I can go down to the county health department (courthouse?) to get a copy of any permits or inspection reports that might have been filed on a foreclosed property I am buying. The property was abandoned, and I am not in touch with the previous owner; the bank winterized the well (and, I assume, the septic system), but knows next to nothing about the system.

On 2013-03-24 22:02:28.691506 by (mod) -

Coty,

If your own septic system were sending septic effluent off of your property, in most jurisdictions your building or health department would consider that a local building or health code violation. In fact even if you were not sending effluent off of your property, discharging it to the surface of the soil is also improper and illegal.

If you have asked your neighbor to correct the problem and he refuses, unfortunately you don't have much recourse without getting your health or building departments involved.

On 2013-03-24 18:59:29.589234 by Coty

i purchased a house and 4 acres of land my neighbors septic system is flooding my property and finally got him to come take a look at what i was talking about and he scrapped away the surface soil less than six inch's to revile nothing more than the end of a 4 in corrugated pipe like you would attach to a drain spout from your gutters. what should i do

On 2013-03-07 14:17:58.937171 by (mod) -

Adam

I should add that if you search InspectApedia for "drainfield life" you can find articles where we discuss these questions in detail.

On 2013-03-07 by (mod) - The *predictable* remaining life of a drainfield in the case you describe is small

Adam,

The *predictable* remaining life of a drainfield in the case you describe is small for several reasons

- its age

- the fact that the tank was replaced (which very often means that before the new tank was installed the old one failed, thus almost always pushing solids into the drainfield

- the fact that you know (or have indicated) absolutely nothing else about the site

In fact a competent visual inspection and perhaps some simple testing could give a much better picture of the system. There are individual site features that make a very big difference in drainfield life as well as other facts such as maintenance history.

Water running into the drainfield, soil properties, septic tank pumping history, history of usage levels, what people flushed into drains, a high-salt water softener, etc. make so much difference in drainfield life that without some of this information, and absent an immediate indication of failure, a specific age prediction such as you ask would, unfortunately just be so unreliable as to be nonsense.

On 2013-01-14 by Adam

I am looking at a house that has the original 25 year old effluent system and a newer 10 year old tank. Let's assume that the system passes current inspection. What are the chances that I'll have to replace the expensive effluent system during the next 10 years? 15 years? thank you

On 2012-11-04 by (mod) - You should locate the septic tank (

Billy,

You should locate the septic tank (in the ARTICLE INDEX see our article HOW TO FIND THE SEPTIC TANK),

assure that it has a safe and secure cover,

and have it inspected and pumped - the house is nearly 10 years old

and as we can't be certain about the prior level of occupants, nor what if any septic tank maintenance they had performed (probably none from your descripton) nor tank size nor tank history, it makes sense to start from a known condition. Also that operation will give you an idea of the condition of the septic system (though incomplete)

- which in turn may help you plan for upcoming costs.

On 2012-11-03 by Billy Price bmp1725@msn.com

I purchased a home in 2006.It was builted in 2003 and occupied by 3 people for a short time .The house was empty for two yrs prior to my purchase.The hse is 2600 sq ft with 3 bedrooms. I dont know the size of the tank and have never had any problems with it.

My wife and I are in our 70,s are the only occupants.Is there anything I should do at this time. At the time of purchase the bank required we take the hmw as is.

On 2012-05-17 by (mod) - "replacing the septic tank" is jumping the gun

Cassie,

"replacing the tank" is jumping the gun before you know exactly what the system needs. Beware - even if the tank were replaced, you could be looking at a new drainfield.

A "20 minute flood test" is not very descriptive - it's not the number of minutes, it's the number of gallons of water that matters, as well as many site observations.

The report of the owners of "no problems" is worth little to you - it's no guarantee about what you will find.

Dye tests do not necessarily show septic tank damage; a dye test stains water that breaks out at the surface - confirming that it came from the septic system.

On 2012-05-17 by (mod) - your 300 gallon septic tank is much much smaller than current standards

Debbie your 300 gallon septic tank is much much smaller than current standards accept just about anywhere - which also makes one suspect the leach field is questionable, as a 300 g. tank would in most cases need pumping several times a year - more than most owners will do. It's all symptomatic of a very marginal system.

The first dye test failed the system as it should have - even with no dye.

The second test - I don't have much confidence unless someone did something. For example if the tank was pumped right before the 300 g was put into the system, the test did nothing but fill the septic tank. It was not a test.

On 2012-05-17 by Cassie Wilhelm

We are looking at buying a house with a septic system. The system was put in in 2006 or 2007. We had the system inspected. The inspector did a 20 minute flood test in conjunction with a dye test. the system did not show any signs of failure during the test.

Visual inspection showed the ground over the septic tank and leach field was caved in.

The stand pipe was situated at an angle. The inspector stated the lid or top could be damaged.

We requested the current owners to replace the tank. The home owners stated they would not replace the system and they have not had a problem with the system. they also stated the person who put the system in put it in at an angle and did not back fill properly with dirt. Not sure what to do. Would the dye test show damage to the tank.

On 2012-05-09 by Debbie

We are looking at a property with a very old septic system (probably 1950). It only have a 300 gallon tank.

There are been two dye tests completed. The first was in March of 2011. The inspector did not pass or fail the system, but said that they ran water for 30 minutes through the system and observed dye in the fields below the tank.

The second inspection was done by another company in July of 2011 and it stated that they ran 300 gallons through the system and there was no malfunction evidenced by surface discharge at that time. Is it possible to have one bad test followed by a good test? Debbie

On 2012-05-07 by Anonymous

We had a septic system of a house were trying to purchase inspected..good friend of mine pumps.

He came out w the inspectors..which all they did was flush the toilets and pass it..he then went n dug up the tank openings and the cesspool has a sump pump and said the levels are well above the Pipelines and he suggested not passing it.

Does this sound right? Sellers r sayin its Bc it hasn't been pumped in 4yrs n Bc the
cesspool that has the sump pump is for gray water wash? Were confused..course our friend failed it

On 2012-04-20 by (mod) - if your drainfield is flooded

T I don't have the full picture, but certainly if your drainfield is flooded, during that time it is not processing septic effluent effectively. Since you say the puddle lasts for days, you will want to take steps to direct surface runoff away from, not onto, the drainfield - that should help.

If the puddle appears even so, then either there is subsurface water also running into the drainfield (you will need to provide an intercept drain to keep it away) or the field is in failure. Might be worth a septic dye test.

On 2012-04-18 by T

We puchased a house last year and the septic passed inspection. However when it rains alot we get a huge puddle accross the center of our back yard.

It usually takes days to dry up. Could this mean there is a issue with the drainage. The back yard is pretty level

...

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-2 - more-recent questions about buying a home with a septic tank.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• ABANDONED or NEW SEPTIC SYSTEM TESTS
• HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS - complete guide to buying a home with a septic tank
• SEPTIC SYSTEM TROUBLE: WHAT GOES WRONG
• HOME BUYER'S SEPTIC TEST
• PRE-PURCHASE SEPTIC DYE TEST
• SEPTIC TEST FINAL OVERVIEW
• SEPTIC FAILURE LAWSUIT
• HOME SELLERS GUIDE TO SEPTIC INSPECT
• SEPTIC SYSTEM TEST BASICS - quick guide for buying a home with a septic tank
• SEPTIC & CESSPOOL SAFETY
• SEPTIC COMPONENT LOCATIONS
• SEPTIC DRAINFIELD INSPECTION & TEST - home

...

Suggested citation for this web page

HOME BUYERS SEPTIC SYSTEM FAQs 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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