INSPECTION OF SEPTIC SYSTEMS

It has been reported that about 25% of the homes in the U.S. have septic systems providing their waste disposal. There is probably no other single item associated with home ownership that would cost more to replace than a failed septic system. Informed buyers are aware of this and want to make sure that they are protected as a result of their inspection process. The question is "what type of testing should a buyer have conducted and how much of this evaluation can a home inspector provide. As Realtors, being present for many home inspections, you have probably noticed that not all home inspectors go about their evaluation in the same way as it relates to the amount of water flushed into the system. As a result of this we have been asked why there is this difference and what is the correct way. Unfortunately the reason for this difference is simply because not everyone agrees what the correct procedure is. Many home inspectors feel it is necessary to flush large amounts of water into the system, up to 400 gallons, in order to conduct a proper evaluation of a home with four bedrooms. This could mean running the water in some cases for over 1 1/2 hours. At the end of all this they will still tell you that this does not mean your system is good and they will recommend having the system checked by a septic service company in order to obtain a full evaluation which would include the condition of the tank and its components. If they give this recommendation, as we feel they should, why run the risk of damaging the system (in addition to well equipment) by running an excessive amount of water through it, when it will provide no additional information then what the septic company will produce. As of the date of this newsletter, running large amounts of water is not recommended by the sanitary engineer of the Dept. of Public Health - Division of Environmental Health. We agree with the States engineer, we tend to run the water twenty to thirty minutes. This will reveal some major problems or blockages in the system without running the risk of damaging the system. Our recommendations to our client would then be "if the system has not been pumped and evaluated in the last year by a septic service company, it should be within their inspection period. [ The "Tarralift process can often revive a failed septic system, call us for further information or look for it in an upcoming newsletter. ]

TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL SEPTIC SYSTEM
(SYSTEMS VARY, CHECK WITH YOUR SERVICE MAN TO DETERMINE YOUR TYPE OF SYSTEM)

The information contained on this page is not exhaustive and is meant to be only an overview.  For complete documentation on this subject please contact local or State heath officials.