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Guide to Buying a Building Connected to a Private Septic Tank
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about how to figure out if a home is connected to public sewer or private septic
Buyers guide to house with a septic tank:
This article introduces a property buyer to homes using a private onsite septic system and provides key articles on how to inspect and test septic systems when buying a property. Earlier sections of this article discussed how to determine if a building is connected to a septic tank or to a public sewer main.
But sometimes in older communities, especially if the age of a building is greater than the age of the community sewer system, even if a sewer is installed right in the street in front of a building, that building may never have been connected to the sewer line.
If you discover that your building is not connected to the sewer, or that no sewer line is even available, here we provide links to our key articles on what you should do when buying a home with a septic tank and leach field or any similar private onsite waste disposal system.
Don't worry, millions of property owners get by just fine with these systems, but some steps are needed to avoid costly or dangerous surprises when buying a property with a septic tank.
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- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?
What Do I Do if the House I'm Buying has a Septic Tank
If there is no sewer system present the home cannot be attached to one and a local septic system is or should be present.
But don’t bet on knowing the location and condition of such a system – some additional legwork is needed as important life-safety, functional, and expense concerns could be present.
See our very thorough guide for buyers of homes with septic systems:
SEPTIC SYSTEM, HOME BUYERS GUIDE which discusses the inspections and tests that should be performed, introduces the need for septic system maintenance, and describes how to find septic tanks, distribution boxes, and drainfields.
Our photo shows a private septic tank being pumped - one of the last steps that may be appropriate when someone is buying a property served by a private septic tank and drainfield or by similar private onsite waste disposal systems like aerobic septic tanks, mound systems, sand bed systems, etc.
All of these use the local site to treat and dispose of septic effluent, and all deserve inspection, possibly testing, and certainly maintenance.
Don't just let the seller pump the septic tank before your other building and septic system inspections and tests have been performed if you are buying a property with a septic tank.
- If you own or are buying a home with a septic system, look through the list of articles below.
- If you are in a rush read
A HOME BUYER'S GUIDE TO SEPTIC SYSTEMS inspection & testing - what to do, step by step to inspect and test a septic system when buying a home and
then WHAT IS A SEPTIC SYSGTEM? An Engineer's View & Septic System FAQ's. - If you don't know if the building is connected to a septic tank system or to a public sewer,
see SEPTIC or SEWER CONNECTION?
If you cannot find the septic tank, see these very detailed "how to" articles, photo guides, and videos that aid in finding the septic tank, distribution box, drainfield, etc.:
- SEPTIC TANK, HOW TO FIND - Detailed Step by Step Procedure Explaining Exactly How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location. The steps in this article include
- SEPTIC TANK, HOW TO FIND detailed article
- FIND the SEPTIC TANK, HOW TO photos and text help show where to look for the septic tank.
Also see our SEPTIC LOCATION VIDEOS - SEPTIC SEARCH SAFETY- important safety warnings for people about to dig up or pump a septic tank
- WHO KNOWS SEPTIC LOCATION? - whom might we ask about septic component locations at a property
- FIND MAIN WASTE LINE EXIT - start finding the septic tank by finding where the waste line exits the building
- DISTANCE TO SEPTIC TANK- what are the clearance distances required between a septic tank and other things?
- POSSIBLE SEPTIC TANK LOCATIONS- finding a septic tank includes ruling in and out where it might be
- VISUAL CLUES LOCATE the SEPTIC TANK- what can we see that tells us septic tank location
- WHERE TO LOOK for the SEPTIC TANK- what are the reasonable locations where we could look for a septic tank
- SEPTIC TANK DEPTH- how deep might the septic tank be buried anyway?
- SEPTIC TANK LOCATING EQUIPMENT- plumbing snakes, electronic pipe tracing equipment, etc.
- SEPTIC TANK COVERS- important safety concerns
- SEPTIC TANK LOCATION SKETCH- how to make a sketch showing a septic tank, D-box, or drainfield location
- SEPTIC VIDEOS walking a building site we show where septic components are likely to be and where they are almost certainly not going to be found
...
Continue reading at WHAT TO DO IF NO ONE KNOWS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Recommended Articles
- SEPTIC or SEWER CONNECTION?
- WHAT TO ASK ABOUT SEWERS or SEPTICS
- CLUES INDICATING A SEWER LINE is PRESENT
- CLUES INDICATING CONNECTED to SEWER
- GUIDE for BUILDINGS CONNECTED to PUBLIC SEWER
- GUIDE for BUILDINGS PRE-DATING SEWER INSTALLATION
- GUIDE for BUILDINGS CONNECTED to PRIVATE SEPTIC
- WHAT TO DO IF NO ONE KNOWS - if the connection is to sewer or septic
- SEPTIC VIDEOS show how to walk the site for possible septic tank & drainfield locations
- SEWER / SEPTIC PIPE CAMERAS
Suggested citation for this web page
GUIDE for BUILDINGS CONNECTED to PRIVATE SEPTIC 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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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- New York State Department of Health, APPENDIX 75-A WASTEWATER TREATMENT STANDARDS - INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD SYSTEMS , [PDF] New York State Department of Health, 3 February 2010, retrieved 3/1/2010, original source: https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/nycrr/title_10/part_75/appendix_75-a.htm
- SEPTIC TANK/SOIL-ABSORPTION SYSTEMS: HOW TO OPERATE & MAINTAIN [PDF] - , Equipment Tips, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 8271 1302, 7100 Engineering, 2300 Recreation, September 1982, web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfimage/82711302.pdf.
- Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include
- Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)
- Advanced Onsite Wastewater Systems Technologies, Anish R. Jantrania, Mark A. Gross. Anish Jantrania, Ph.D., P.E., M.B.A., is a Consulting Engineer, in Mechanicsville VA, 804-550-0389 (2006). Outstanding technical reference especially on alternative septic system design alternatives. Written for designers and engineers, this book is not at all easy going for homeowners but is a text I recommend for professionals--DF.
- Builder's Guide to Wells and Septic Systems, Woodson, R. Dodge: $ 24.95; MCGRAW HILL B; TP; Quoting from Amazon's description: For the homebuilder, one mistake in estimating or installing wells and septic systems can cost thousands of dollars. This comprehensive guide filled with case studies can prevent that. Master plumber R. Dodge Woodson packs this reader-friendly guide with guidance and information, including details on new techniques and materials that can economize and expedite jobs and advice on how to avoid mistakes in both estimating and construction. Chapters cover virtually every aspect of wells and septic systems, including on-site evaluations; site limitations; bidding; soil studies, septic designs, and code-related issues; drilled and dug wells, gravel and pipe, chamber-type, and gravity septic systems; pump stations; common problems with well installation; and remedies for poor septic situations. Woodson also discusses ways to increase profits by avoiding cost overruns.
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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