Buying House with Septic System

[JTKub]

I wonder, in a finished house, how would an inspector even know sinks and tubs wernt piped into septic?

I would think this would be easy in a house with a basement or crawl space, where you'd be able to see more than one main waste stack. That would raise questions.

 

[WM75Guy]

We have 2 septic systems. The house has 2 tanks, a leach field, and was 36" deep to the lids. When it came time to pump them the probe to find the lids went to the handle at the ground. The system for the stables has 3 tanks, a single 240' drain line, and they were only 24" underground, so easier to find. Now all 5 tanks have risers putting the lids 12" underground, much easier to locate. I try not to run over them with anything heavy. They get pumped every 3 years. We are in sand so they drain quite well, easy to spot the green grass where the leach field is.

 

[Jstpssng]

In areas where you need a permit for everything, an inspector could make sure that everything at least had been purported to meet specs. No permit and signoff afterwards, it never happened.
If I was in an area of million dollar homes I would support that. In less populated areas where you aren't dumping wash water into your neighbor's well, it isn's so important.

 

[DarkBlack]

Those are simple septic systems……how about this nightmare
I wire in some hideously nasty systems near the lake.


View attachment 4228515


View attachment 4228516


View attachment 4228517


View attachment 4228518


View attachment 4228520


View attachment 4228521

That Idec PLC in your cabinet seems to be a Siemens Logo!. I wonder if they can share software. Looks physically identical

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

There are commercial products that do the same thing.

I asked the guy that pumps ours out what the tanks look like that use the store bought chemical, he said, “they look the same as yours”

 

[Joel/ak]

In MI, its required by law that all septics be inspected prior to sale....for what good it does.

A month after we bought our house, I was paying for a whole new system. I wasn't to happy

5 grand but I had it put in with all new piping in the house. They sent it to the front of the house with no mound.

Sent from my SM-S901U using TractorByNet mobile app

 

[HawkinsHollow]

In MI, its required by law that all septics be inspected prior to sale....for what good it does.

A month after we bought our house, I was paying for a whole new system. I wasn't to happy

5 grand but I had it put in with all new piping in the house. They sent it to the front of the house with no mound.

Sent from my SM-S901U using TractorByNet mobile app

Tell me more about this. So it failed a month after the inspection. I'm curious what does an inspection include?

 

[sandman2234]

Tell me more about this. So it failed a month after the inspection. I'm curious what does an inspection include?

Exactly! That is why when my realtor agent suggested the seller pay for a septic inspection, and they came back with "inspect what?" I had them pump out the tank and called it good. I was willing to accept the risk of the drainfield going bad with the price that I was paying for the property, so it really didn't matter. We figured since we had them "over a barrel" that we would use it to our advantage.
David from jax

 

[paulsharvey]

So, here, you can get a certificate of inspection; they check tank (no way to visually see anything with drain field), they pump the tank completely out, make sure baffle and all is intact; then they fill with gray water, to the top, and time the rate to drop below the discharge. Then, they issue a certificate of inspection. If I remember right, they refilled again, and timed again, until they got to 500 gals of added and perked water, or the daily usage of a 3 bed room home. It only took about 15 minutes per add, and the drain field was given a clean bill of health

Edit; the water was added directly to the tank, not through the plumbing.

 

[sandman2234]

So, here, you can get a certificate of inspection; they check tank (no way to visually see anything with drain field), they pump the tank completely out, make sure baffle and all is intact; then they fill with gray water, to the top, and time the rate to drop below the discharge. Then, they issue a certificate of inspection. If I remember right, they refilled again, and timed again, until they got to 500 gals of added and perked water, or the daily usage of a 3 bed room home. It only took about 15 minutes per add, and the drain field was given a clean bill of health

Edit; the water was added directly to the tank, not through the plumbing.

Well that is good to know!
Thanks, David from jax