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SEPTIC INSPECTION

EVALUATING THE SYSTEM Complete evaluation of the septic system includes examining the interior of the tank and its contents, the condition of the piping and baffles, and the underground condition of the percolation areas. This cannot be accomplished by a simple dye test at the time of the inspection. Thus, these operations are beyond the scope of a visual home inspection, and should be left to a professional septic system contractor. R.E. Drennan Home Inspection can not report on the system as a whole (septic tank, piping, d-box and field). Our inspection stops at the point the plumbing leaves the house. We will report on any non-functional drain found within the house as found at the time of inspection. Your tank should be inspected by a qualified septic system contractor and be pumped if necessary. An experienced septic tank contractor can tell a lot about the entire system from an examination inside the tank. This service must be performed by a licensed professional. This comprehensive inspection usually includes: back hoe, operator, location and mapping of all components, pumping of tank, tank inspection, leach field inspection, D-box inspection, all inspectors and labor included. R.E. Drennan Home Inspection inspects the plumbing for functional drainage (ASHI 7.1 B.3) Functional Drainage. A drain is defined as functional if it has the capacity to discharge the entire supply to which it can be subjected within a reasonable period of time. A SEPTIC SYSTEM TUTORIAL The septic tank is a watertight container usually made of concrete. It serves as a holding tank which allows heavy solids to settle to the bottom of the tank. Lighter materials which float are also in the tank. The heavy solids are known as sludge and the lighter floating materials are known as scum. Most of the material which enters the tank is in a liquid state. Within the tank, the majority of the solids are broken down to gases and/or liquids. The breakdown takes place as a result of bacteria action, both aerobic and anaerobic. The liquids are discharged from the tank into the tile bed. The gas escapes through the plumbing vents. No water softener discharge, footing drains, flood drains or gutter drains to be hooked into any septic system componant. The tile bed is also known as a leaching bed, disposal field, soil absorption field or drain field. It consists of a network of perforated or open jointed pipes in trenches below the ground surface which allows the liquid waste (effluent) to percolate into the soil. The size of the leaching bed is dependent upon the ability of the soil to absorb the effeunt, and the amount of waste the system receives. There are variations on the conventional septic system, including closed holding tanks, which are pumped out on a regular basis. There are also more sophisticated systems wherein agitators and aerators are employed to accelerate the chemical decomposition of the solids in the tank. The bacterial action in these systems is aerobic only. These systems allow the user of smaller tile beds and are of particular value on smaller properties. While there is an advantage to this, the presence of electrical and mechanical parts creates the potential for higher maintenance. Special sand can be used which allows very small tile beds to be installed. This is expensive, since the sand has to be brought onto the site, but it may be important to keep the tile bed small. These special tile beds are used with conventional septic tanks, or can be used with the mechanically assisted systems described above. Septic systems should be kept well away from supply wells and other sources of drinking water, for obvious reasons. Generally speaking, a well and a tile bed should be at least one hundred feet apart. A well and septic tank should be at least fifty feet from each other. It is helpful to know the exact location of the tank and tile bed, the age of the system, and as many of the installation and service history details as are available. Where building expansion is planned, it is necessary to know where the tank and tile bed are. The tile bed location is often indicated by greener, healthier gross growing above the bed. The health and environmental authorities may have a record of the location. In some situation, it is not possible to determine whether the house waste system is public or private. Where there is any doubt, this should be checked with the vendor. Problems Odor and Pooling A septic system which is not performing properly can pose a health hazard and should be treated as a high priority problem. The overall condition of a septic system and tile bed cannot be will evaluated during a visual inspection. The homeowner should watch for water pooling above the tile bed, or and odor coming from the bed. Homes which have been vancant for several months may show problems when the system is pressed back into service. Problems which lead to failure of septic systems include overloading of the tile bed, soil breakdown around the tiles, high water tables, clogging of the tiles, and broken or cracked tanks and tiles. Solutions Solution alternatives include repairs to broken or damaged components, relocation of the tile bed, bringing in special soil, and reducing the load on the system. Identifying the cause of failure and suggesting the correct solution is a job for a specialist. Maintenance Septic systems require regular maintenance. The system should be inspected annually and the tank should be pumped out every two to four years, as required. Tile beds do have a fixed life expectancy (often considered to be roughly twenty-five to thirty years). This depends on a great factors and is very difficult to predict. Bleaches and strong detergents should be avoided where possible, since they may kill the bacteria in the tank. The amount of water entering the system should be minimized. Water savings toilets and shower heads are a good idea. City Sewers There are several areas where houses with original septic systems can now connect to street sewers. The connection to a municipal system can be well over a thousand dollars in municipal fees and connection charges alone. There are also plumbing costs to make the connections, which are the responsibility of the homeowner. In most cased, abandoning a septic system which is in good working order is not cost-effective. Where the land is to be used to provide a building addition or swimming pool, of course, it is necessary to to relace the septic system, despite its serviceability. Incidentally, it is very important to know the location and size of a septic system it any building expansion is planned. Building Addition Local authorities may refuse to allow and addition to a home, depending on septic system capabilities. A new septic system, if required, will add significantly to the cost of the addition.