Private Septic Tanks

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

Does anyone inspect septic tanks, its somthing I'm thinking of offering and I'm wondering what all it intailes?

A few years ago one of my friend bought a house and the local home inspector offered a srptic tank check, uopn inspection he found one of the baffels had fallen. My friend was able to have the ownes fix it before close of escrow.

[Rick Maday]

I don't do 'em, but a call to your AHJ may give you some insight into if you need an additional license.   Also, check with your insurance provider to see if it's covered.  It'd be awful to miss something and have to pay for a new system out of your own pocket. 

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

Ya that's what worries me, paying for somthing I miss. I'm by far an expert on Septic systems, I just know the basics. I'll check on the additional licenses.

Thanks

[Stephen Stanczyk]

Check with your local jurisdiction.  In my area, it is required that every property that changes hands must have a health certificate on the septic system issued by a licensed inspector.  In order to perform the inspection, the tank must be drained and hosed down to check the walls.  The baffles are checked and the incoming flow is checked.  Since I don't drive a turd-hurst to my inspections, I can't offer the service.

[Jay Markanich]

There are various organizations that provide septic certs.  Rick's advice is good, as is Stephen's.

Around here, the county is required to inspect the field but not the tank.  They also require the tank to be pumped every 3-5 years, depending on the number of occupants in the house.  I always recommend to my clients that they try to get a receipt from the seller as to when the tank was pumped out and inspected last.  If it has been more than two years I recommend that they ask that it to be pumped out, even if they have to pay for it themselves.  I look at the field too for visible lines, taller grass, odors and such.  The visible lines can be caused by drought however and are not necessarily an indicator of a percolation problem...

The other reason to pump it is to examine the box (sewage causes concrete damage) and to make sure things have not shifted.  If the incoming and outgoing tubes are no longer connected the whole system is affected -- as well as the yard!

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

My Township requires you pump the septis every other year and you have to submit a copy of the work order or recipt.

That's good advise to tell the Client. Personally I think the seller should be required to pump out the tank upon close of escrow, but that's just my opinion.

Thanks for the advise guys.

[Dennis R Goudreau]

No I don't but I use the same guy every time for the last couple of years find someone in that business you can trust and build a working relationship we have very stringent regs in NH   

[tillman brown]

I have learned first hand and in a bad way not to inspect septic systems.

An empty tank and properly functioning low pressure pumps (if needed) do not a good system make.
The "bones" are within the fields and its almost impossible upon inspection to determine the ability of the soil to obsorb and evaporate the grey water.   

[Russ McKee]

AJ, there sh?t can become your bread and butter, go for it!
We've installed them in the past on homes we've built, or should I say the septic company has, leach lines run strait down 45' or so no lateral line not enough room, always had them inspected by the building department, city or county, had to pull permits, after that it becomes the responsibility of the home owner, usually they hire a septic company for clean out and inspections if needed, when it backs up they know its need LOL. The size of the tank is usually based on the size of the home, # of bedrooms and baths, we used 1500 gal tanks but it varies. All states,counties and cities have different regs. find out your guide lines and work within them.
russ

[Jay Markanich]

That's a big tank Russ!  That's like burying a Chevy Suburban!  Do they do percolations tests there to determine the size of the tanks that are allowed before construction happens? 

Here, because of so much clay soil, and before they build a house, they run a percolation test on the soil to certify how many bedrooms will be allowed in the house.  Then the house is certified for the size of the box and field.  I don't think they allow you to oversize here because they assume someone will slip in another bedroom and things might not perk.

If a house is perked for 3 bedrooms and down the line someone wants to put on an addition, the county will only accept the permit if there are not to be any more bedrooms in that addition.  They assume more bedrooms, more baths, more people and the field is overwhelmed due to its percolation abilities.

As to Tillman's comments - those pumps can fail at the worst times!  Here they require two pumps and an alarm for each.  The one serves as a back up.  For that reason, I always like to see a field that is all gravity.  The krappé does flow best downhill!  Some systems have to pump the effluent up and away 200 yards, into another distribution box and from that to a diverter box sending it to one or two fields.  Then the people have to be aware of the diverter needs, and change their field every year.  Depending on the size of the field(s) the system works well or does not...  often does not!

The newer systems are not using all that - some of them look like a grave yard with the side by side boxes with plastic lids.  Another has the big central dump location surrounded by weeping willow trees.  Those seem to work well.

Beyond that my post above still works...

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

Thanks for the info guys

[Dennis R Goudreau]

here in NH it goes by # of bedrooms and in a older home the state goes all the way back to the original building permits and if you have added a bedroom since then to bad for you 

[Russ McKee]

Hi Jay,

Sometimes it felt like we were trying to bury a suburban in the front yard. Dealing with double driveways, RV parking, walkways and trees.

The septic tanks were sized by the size of the home, # of bedrooms and baths, max size of house 4,000 sf., this subdivision had sandy soil, no perc. test required, lots were about 75’x100’.

Plans had to go to building dept. as usual, and then due to the sewer system, Environmental Heath had to approve and sign off. The entire tract had to be dry sewer plumbed so when the City caught up to the tract they could hook in, someday and then abandon the tanks, probably never happen.

Sounds like you’ve had to deal with more complicated systems. Ours have always been gravity; those systems that pump the effluent are almost like a mini treatment plant. In that case there might be need of an inspector but the old gravity systems require you to pump them out and climb in to inspect the condition of the tank.

Jay, I agree with your post, just trying to have a little fun with this subject.

Sometime the affluent can become like the effluent. lol

Seeya,

Russ

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

I wanted to let everyone know there is a certification available in PA for septic inspections. If any one wants any ifo on it the site is www.psma.net (Pennsylvania Septic Management Association), there is some good info there. It's a PA cert but it might be worth looking into.