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Photograph of septic system adjacent to a public water body. Septic Inspection Checklists & Worksheets
for Inspecting & Testing Residential Septic Systems

Septic system inspection field data worksheets & checklists, part 1:

Here are three detailed septic system field inspection and test worksheets to assist in inspecting and documenting the condition of septic systems. These septic inspection field worksheets are useful for recording information during the conduct of septic system inspections for investigations of the condition of a septic system using level 0, 1, and 2 septic inspections.

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Septic System Inspection and Testing Worksheets

Photograph of septic test water flowing into an old site-built septic system.This article is part of our series: Septic Systems Online Book procedures, defects in onsite waste disposal systems, septic tank problems, septic drainfield problems, checklists of system components and things to ask. Septic system maintenance and pumping schedules.

Worksheet for Septic Inspection Level 0 - Basic Information

[Click to enlarge any image]

Watch out: Anyone inspecting septic systems MUST be familiar with the hazards and safety concerns discussed

at SEPTIC SYSTEM SAFETY WARNINGS.

The two photos here illustrate how easily one can fall into a septic tank, cesspool, drywell, soakpit, or similar construct - an event that is usually fatal. If you think I'm exaggerating,

see SEPTIC TANK ACCIDENT REPORTS

A surprising amount of useful diagnostic information about the condition of a septic tank and drainfield can be developed by a thoughtful visual inspection of the property even before any steps to test the septic system have begun. The two photos above show a case in which an old home-made septic tank was located just a few feet from a public lake.

You can see our septic test water pouring into the septic tank in the upper right part of the page top photo. The jumble of stones visible just inside the septic "tank" indicate that this is a home-made system, perhaps simply a cesspool.

With the nearby stream and lake just a few feet away, this system is unlikely to be acceptable by modern standards of sanitation and building code. Below we've printed our field data collection worksheets used for septic system inspection.

INSPECTION DATE:_____________________________________________________________

INSPECTION ADDRESS:__________________________________________________________

INSPECTOR's NAME:____________________________________________________________

CLIENT's NAME:_______________________________________________________________

The system was NOT INSPECTED because: _______________________________________

UNSAFE CONDITIONS OBSERVED, PEOPLE NOTIFIED: ________________________________

BASIC SEPTIC SYSTEM INFORMATION

System Age: _______________________ Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

Recent Nr. Occupants: _____________ Year Round: Y/N Nr. Bedrooms:________

Currently Occupied: Y/N Vacant since:______________

Tank Last Pumped:__________________ Garbage Disposal: Y/N

Separate Drywell/Drain for Washer/Other:________________

Calculated or other Specific Flow or Load:___________________________________

TREATMENT TANK INFORMATION and CONDITION:

LOCATION: Not Identified. Reported/observed at:________________

Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

TYPE: Not Identified. Reported/observed at:________________

Concrete/Steel/Other:_____________ Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

Septic Tank / Aerobic Tank / Grease Trap

Cesspool / Overflow Cesspool / Privy

Is System Shared: Y/N Previous Inspection Records Attached: Y/N

Damage/Defects Observed:________________________________________________

CAPACITY: Not Visible. Reported/observed at:________________

Gallons: _________________________ Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

COVER: Not Visible. Reported/observed at:________________

Concrete/Steel/Other:_____________ Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

Damage/Defects Observed: child-hazard, missing, not secure, damaged, __

AGE OF COMPONENTS: Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

___________________________________________________________________________

COMMENTS:____________________________________________________________

NOTICE: Low volume minimum-flush toilets/waste disposal system installed.

Sketch of a raised-bed septic system - sketch courtesy US EPA.

Additional Septic Inspection Notes for Mound Systems

If a septic mound system or raised bed septic system is installed, a pump may be required to move effluent from a pumping chamber up to the mound treatment area.

[Click to enlarge any image]

The presence of a septic mound will be quite obvious but the presence or absence of a pump serving the mound may be less apparent. Look for control boxes, pumping chamber access cover, and of course request whatever information a prior owner may be able to provide - but don't' rely on that data to be complete.

PUMPING EQUIPMENT:

PUMP-Mound Not Visible. Reported/observed at:________________

Operating Satisfactorily Y/N Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

PUMP-Ejector Not Visible. Reported/observed at:________________

Operating Satisfactorily Y/N Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

ABSORPTION SYSTEM:

LOCATION: Not Identified. Reported/observed at:________________

Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

Damage/Defects Observed:________________________________________________

TYPE: Not Identified. Reported/observed at:________________

Cesspool Capacity:___________ Information Source: Seller/Realtor/Other

Seepage Bed Trench System Elevated Mound/Sand

Other:_______________________________________

Indications of previous failure: Odors, Seepage, Lush Vegetation,

COMMENTS:____________________________________________________________

SEPTIC SYSTEM OPERATION

VISUAL OBSERVATIONS:

COMMENTS:____________________________________________________________

CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS:

--SATISFACTORY-- good to fair condition No visual evidence of system failure, functional drain flow was observed.

EXPLANATION: At the time of our inspection the sewage disposal system appeared to be working normally and adequately. There was no evidence of stopped main drains, no unusual septic odors.

[If a loading/dye test was NOT performed:] By your instruction, we did not perform a system loading and dye test. Important additional information about system condition is available from this and other levels of septic inspection.

 

[If a loading/dye test was performed:] Report details of dye test procedures (see below), and results.

SEPTIC SYSTEM LOADING AND DYE TEST ON-SITE DETAILS:

WATER run at:______________________ for __________ minutes prior to introducing tracer dye.

TRACER DYE placed at: ____________________________

WATER RUN at these fixtures:___________________________________________________

FOR ________________________ minutes at an ESTIMATED AVERAGE FLOW OF ______GPM

TOTAL TEST VOLUME OF WATER WAS ________________________ GALLONS

Sketch of a failed septic system on a difficult steep rocky site.

These photographs show three reasons to believe there is no working septic system at this property and that installing one will be costly: there is no area on the site which is not very rocky - there is a lack of soil for effluent treatment; the site is very steep, and even before beginning the septic loading and dye test there is visible runout that may be septic effluent coming from a tiny home-made septic tank.

The first photo (above left) shows water running across rock near the reported septic tank location before we began our septic loading test.

Sketch of a failed septic system on a difficult steep rocky site.

This photo from the same location shows the increase in water running across this rock shortly after we began testing this septic system.

SEPTIC SYSTEM LOADING & DYE TEST RESULTS

EVIDENCE OF BACKUP, DYE BREAKOUT, OR OTHER DEFECT

WAS or WAS NOT ______OBSERVED

---UNSATISFACTORY-- poor condition or nonfunctional

Evidence of failure/improper operation was observed

Other Septic System Defects Observed

COMMENTS:____________________________________________________________

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Continue reading at L-0 SEPTIC INSPECTION ADDITIONAL WORK SHEET or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Septic System Inspection Worksheets

Septic System Inspection Articles

Suggested citation for this web page

SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECTION WORK SHEETS 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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