Septic Loading & Dye Test Warnings

Avoid these 5 critical septic system dye test mistakes

Weak Septic Dye or Inadequate Amount

Some septic dye tablets, such as "Trace-A-Leak Tablets" have a limited capacity if not used properly, as we will explain.

Septic dye tablets are preferred by some septic inspectors for septic loading & dye tests in part because in tablet form there is less risk of spilling staining dye powder or liquid at the plumbing fixture where the dye is inserted into the waste and sewer system.

However no septic dye will be a reliable indicator of surface breakout or seepage unless you use a sufficient dye quantity to stain the volume of water and sewage effluent in the system and, of course, unless you use a sufficient volume of test water.

Septic Dye Properties and Colors

Septic dye liquid is ready for immediate use; septic dye powder dissolves quickly by the agitation that occurs in a toilet bowl when the toiliet is flushed. (We prefer not to try putting septic dye powder into a smaller sink or tub drain.)

Septic dye tablets will dissolve in 1-3 minutes. The orange colored tablets produce a yellow-green dye which may be difficult to see in grassy areas. Other dye tablets are sold in sold in red, or blue and produce a dyed water or septic effluent in those colors.

You should choose a septc dye color that provides good contrast with the surroundings. I prefer red or blue as easier to see against grass.

Watch out: which ever color you use, you must also be sure to use a sufficient quantity of septic dye.

The manufacturer, Dyecchem, says to use 1 septic dye tablet per 60 gallons of water. So if you're performing a minimum septic test of 500 gallons of water and the septic system uses a 1000-gallon tank, you will need about 25 tablets per septic test.

Acording to the earlier product specifications we read, individual tablets produce dye in concentrations of 1 ppm/50 gallons of water. In order to stain a 1000-gallon septic tank to produce visible output in the fields, at least 200 such tablets would be required, provided that you can see water dyed to 1 ppm.

Tablets are packaged in bottles of 100. So just tossing a few septic dye tablets into a toilet or drain will not produce an unreliable test

The manufacturer, Presto Dyechem Co., also produces Trace A Leak septic dye liquid and dye powder, cited at the end of this article.

Insufficient Septic Dye Test Water Volume

The minimum valid septic water volume to be run into a system for a typical septic drainfield design is 50 + 50 x (number of bedrooms), or 150 gallons (minimum), whichever is more. More or less, if information about system design indicates. Some inspectors use 75 gallons per bedroom for this calculation.

See complete details about the proper volume of septic dye and septic test water to be run into the system

at SEPTIC TEST VOLUMES & DYE AMOUNTS

Watch out: as we explain below, some septic designs such as mound and dosing systems may fail if your water test volume exceeds the design capacity of the system. So before testing, find out what kind of septic system is installed.

Mound Systems and Dosing System Water Volume Warnings

WARNING: mound system using a pumping station are often designed to use pressure dosing, pumping water to the mound at intervals, usually once per day.

Timed application of septic effluent & dye allows the mound to rest and prevents unnecessary clogging in the distribution system by maintaining aerobic conditions. Overloading of these systems during testing could damage the septic system.

• Maximum sewage loading rate
  
  to trench and bed in gallons per square foot per day varies depending on soil percolation rate but ranges from .025 to 1.75 GPFD, with the lower numbers for beds than for trenches. (Ref. 14.)
• Pumping tank working capacity
  
  is (typically) 25% of the daily sewage volume; actual tank capacity should be much larger than this, at least one day's sewage volume.
• Vehicle traffic:
  
  Driving heavy vehicles over the mound can damage or destroy it. Typical mound life is 20 years.
• During septic testing
  
  watch closely for seepage at the perimeter or "toe" of the mound.
• We recommend limiting the test volume
  
  on mound systems to the pumping tank working capacity. This might be as small as 125-150 gallons.
• Trees and stumps
  
  may have been disposed-of below the area to be filled as a septic mound.
  
  This "disposal" helps the builder by adding volume and saving on trucked-in fill to form the absorption system. If you see tree trunks extending out from the base of a septic mound this condition might be improper.
  
  Really? Not entirely. When installing a raised bed septic or septic mound system requiring clearing wetlands and marshy areas, it is proper practice to cut off trees and shrubs at ground level but to leave their stumps and roots in place, intact, avoiding further disturbance of that soil.

Watch out also for "septic systems" that use a cesspool or a drywall, as we warn next:

Cesspools can obscure or prevent effective septic loading and dye testing:

If a cesspool is in use at a property a septic dye test would not be a reliable indication of good system condition since the test could simply be trying to fill a large near-empty hole in the ground; yet such a system may fail soon after being returned to active or heavier regular use.

Cesspool SAFETY WARNING:

Watch out: or cave-ins, keep away: cesspools, particularly older site-built cesspools present a very high risk of collapse from an unsafe cover or following some types of service involving pumping, aeration, or hydro-jetting.

Adults or children should not walk over or even near cesspools because of the risk of falling-in followed by collapse, a virtually certain cause of death. If the presence of a cesspool is known or suspected at a property its location should be roped off to prevent access and it should be investigated by a professional.

Drywells can obscure or prevent effective septic loading and dye testing:

If a drywell system is installed, running water at the fixtures draining into this system (as may be done by some septic tests) are likely to fail to perform a loading test on the septic system even if such a test was attempted.

First, the fixtures where water was run in attempt to test the septic system (tank and leach field) may not even be delivering water to those components if instead the fixtures drain to a separate drywell.

It is critical to trace building drains as part of a septic test or to otherwise try to determine if the test water is actually entering the septic system.

Wrong septic dye insertion location or wrong water loading location

Photo above: wrong location for inserting septic dye: a septic inspector dropped his septic dye tablets into the washer drain standpipe shown in this photo. But this washer drained to a separate drywell, not to the septic system.

To avoid the risk of staining the plumbing fixture we prefer to put our septic dye into a working toilet rather than other plumbing fixtures like a sink or tub.

But there are other risks if you try inserting septic dye into a laundry drain or other sinks or tubs.

At SEPTIC FAILURE LAWSUIT we describe an unfortunate case of a building inspector who was sued for performing an incompetent septic loading and dye test.

The inspector used an inadequate amount of septic dye to possibly show up a septic system failure should effluent breakout occur, and worse, he ran water in a washing machine drain standpipe (photo shown below) that drained into a separate drywell rather than into the septic system.

The morning after the new owners moved into the recently-inspected and tested home, sewage effluent was flowing across the property.

Even a casual inspection of the visible plumbing pipes in the building made obvious that the septic test water was not likely to be entering the main building drain.

The inspector lost the case not because it was certain that a proper test would have disclosed a failed septic system, but rather because the test was so incompetently performed that the test had no chance whatsoever of finding a failed septic system.

The home buyer didn't expect a guarantee that a failed septic system would be found, but he had been hoping for a chance at that discovery.

Watch Out for Bleach Cheaters

Watch out: if someone is trying to fool the septic inspector s/he might have poured bleach into the water supply or even directly into at toilet or septic tank before the test begins.

Bleach, and on occasion other site conditions, can "hide" the dye itself even though the septic test produces an effluent breakout.

We've encountered a number of instances in which the seller or real estate agent was attempting to assure a satisfactory water coliform test by shocking the well just before a home inspection - in some cases just minutes before arrival of the inspector.

Not only is such an act likely to be a commission of actionable fraud, but it may do more than "hide" a well sanitation issue. If a large amount of bleach has been placed into the septic tank it is possible for dye entering the system to be bleached colorless.

If there is ready access to the septic tank entry port, observe the septic dye entering the tank and confirm that it's not becoming colorless at the instant of entry there.

Some methods to detect this sort of mistake (or on occasion deliberate dishonesty) are described

at CHEATING ON WATER TESTS.

And if you suspect cheating, a simple HACH test can also check for the presence of bleach in the water supply or in suspected bleached-effluent.

Check the Drain Before Placing Dye in a Plumbing Fixture

Before putting septic dye into a plumbing fixture, be sure that the fixture drains properly. Run enough water that you're confident that the fixture trap and drain are not blocked.

Flush the toilet once BEFORE you put in the dye

This dye stains carpeting and hands; if you put in the dye and the toilet overflows rather than draining it's a terrible mess.

Watch out: See AVOID SEPTIC DYE POWDER CATASTROPHY and don't spill dye powder nor dyed water in the building.

Other Septic Test Warnings

Certification Requirements for Septic Tests:

WARNING: in some jurisdictions, there are existing septic system inspection procedures and in some cases inspector training/certification are required. In some jurisdictions the inspection procedure does *NOT* include the introduction of dye nor system loading with extra water volume.

Failed Septic System - Additional Warnings:

The onsite waste disposal system at a property with a failing or failed system is unsanitary and risks contamination of local ground water or wells.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, failed septic systems are the most frequently reported cause of groundwater contamination. Once a septic system stops treating the raw sewage it not only begins to contaminate the groundwater supplies, it also begins to contaminate the surrounding soil as well.

High groundwater or deep septic effluent release:

Systems which release septage effluent at deeper levels in the soil (below 24"), such as cesspools and seepage pits, may successfully "dispose" of the effluent (in that it is not visible to the property occupants) but are unlikely to successfully "treat" the effluent to make it sanitary.

While such systems may appear to be "working" and may remain unregulated by local health officials, they are likely to be contaminating nearby ground water, streams, and possibly the drinking water supply.

Pumping a Septic Tank Before Testing:?

Watch out: Do not permit the septic tank to be pumped before the septic loading and dye test - that will prevent a valid test of the system and in particular, prevents loading of the drainfield. More details about the problem of septic tank pumpouts as a cover-up of a septic problem or failure are

at WHEN NOT TO PUMP A SEPTIC TANK: warnings for home buyers about septic tank pumping

Replaced Septic Tanks:

When a septic tank has been replaced but connected to an older existing leach field there is increased risk that problems with the previous (failed) tank may have pushed solid waste into the leach field before the tank problem was discovered.

If this is the case, which would be common, one should expect that even if the leach field did not fail during a loading and dye test, its future life will be more limited than otherwise.

Steel septic tank warnings:

Watch out: Older septic systems often used steel tanks which eventually rust out and have to be replaced. And a rusted steel septic tank may be unsafe - walking over it can lead to a cave-in or to falling into the septic tank - a fatal accident.

A damaged tank can also result in costly damage to the leach field or seepage pits. Opinions of steel tank life range from 15-30 years. If a property is served by an old steel tank it could require replacement at any time.

SAFETY: Child or Adult Safety Hazard:

If an older steel tank (or a home-made system) is found or suspected to be present the owner should immediately protect the area over the tank from access: rotted or rusted covers can collapse and a child or adult can fall into the tank - an event which can be fatal. Also, watch for and investigate any areas of soil subsidence quickly.

Other Septic Dye Test Limitations:

Septic Dye can identify certain kinds of septic failures, but not others. By itself a dye test is not indicative of overall condition of the system. The probable locations of tank and absorption system are inspected before, during, and after a loading or dye test if these were ordered.

Ground conditions such as snow, ice, leaf cover, can make it impossible for the inspector to see dye-colored water even if it is leaking to the surface. Reasonable care was used in determining the location of the components.

However because these components are buried, no guarantee can be made regarding the location nor condition of private waste system components unless specific additional tests, involving opening tank, pumping, and possibly excavation, are ordered. These tests are not usually part of a home inspection unless preliminary examination shows an apparent problem.

Septic Dye Test Warnings That Should Be Included With Septic Test Reports

1. If property has been vacant more than a week
   
   or the system has been only minimally used, additional levels of testing and inspection are necessary to determine system condition. If the system has been serviced recently, contact the septic pumping company to inquire about the type and condition of the waste disposal equipment.
   
   If the system has not been serviced recently, limited but important additional information regarding the condition of the system may be obtained by having a septic contractor open, clean, and inspect the septic tank (and distribution boxes). Particularly in the case of older systems that have not been serviced, if the property owner will permit this step we recommend it.
   
   Excavation and pumping are beyond the scope of our loading and dye-test procedure. Practices in some states require pumping and inspection at sale.
2. Septic systems are basically a "buried" installation
   
   which is hidden from normal visual inspection.
   
   Many possible problems may not show themselves at the time of a visual inspection, and thus one cannot make accurate prediction of the future condition of the system. Determination of location, condition, or life expectancy of buried septic components is not possible from a visual inspection. Costly problems may not be visible.
3. Periodic septic tank pumping
   
   is recommended to prevent costly damage to the absorption system. Pumping frequency depends on system usage, tank size, and other factors.
4. The septic inspection includes
   
   visual examination of probable tank and absorption system areas, surface and perimeter, at the beginning, during, and at the end of a loading or dye test, if such was ordered and performed.

Septic Dye Sources, Safety, MSDS

Moved to SEPTIC DYE SOURCES, SAFETY, TOXICITY, STAINING, MSDS