Septic Inspection Tips

Tips for Septic Inspections

‘The grass may be greener over the septic tank’ as the saying goes, but it’s what’s under the green that everyone buying a home with a septic system should be concerned about.  We have some recommendations we would like to pass on regarding septic system inspections.

Get The Right Professional:

Hire a qualified professional to evaluate your septic system.  This is not usually your home inspector.  As a home inspection company, we understand how the systems are installed, how they work, and many of the problems that can be associated with them, but we are the first to recommend that you get your system inspected by a professional septic service company. That inspection includes pumping of the tank.  Take the time to research who you want to use.  You will need your system serviced every few years, so choose a company you want a long term relationship with.

Pumping Is Not Inspecting:

People often think that if they had their system pumped, it means it was inspected too.  This is usually not the case.  A seller who recently had their system pumped is no substitute for a full inspection.  We have been to homes for the home inspection at the same time a septic service company was inspecting a system that the seller represented was recently pumped.  The tank was found to be in need of replacement.  Pumping the tank also does not tell you if the leaching fields are functional.  Water must be pumped into the system to be sure the fields can accept the water without backing up.

Scheduling The Septic Inspection:

It’s very convenient to schedule your home inspection and septic inspection at the same time to get it all done at once.  This may not necessarily be the best option if you have a well and the home inspector is doing a flow test.  The home inspector’s flow test may consist of running the water for an hour through a hose or from the bottom of the well pressure tank.  The septic service company may need to run water from a hose for up to a half hour into the system to test the leaching fields.  All this volume within such a short period of time has the potential to over-tax a well with a slow recovery rate.  Allow at least an hour or two between a flow test for the well and the septic evaluation to allow the well to recover.