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If
the house you are buying or selling has a septic system
chances are you will also have a septic inspection
performed. When you schedule your septic inspection make
sure you know what you're buying. There are still many
inspectors who due to lack of training or just shear
laziness are still performing dye tests. The dye test
is performed by flushing water coloring through a toilet or
sink and then observing the area around the septic and
absorption field for signs of surface saturation. This test
is useless. By the time you can see liquid effluent at
ground level the septic system is considered failed and will
need immediate repair or replacement. The cost of repairing
or replacing as septic system is can be expensive. So make
sure that your inspector is performing a physical inspection
of the system and not a dye test. |
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A proper septic
inspections requires that the location of the system be
determined. That is actually the responsibility of the home
owner and is not considered part of the inspection. Should the
location of the system not be pre-determined, a qualified
inspector can for a fee above the cost of the inspection
locate the system in order to perform the inspection.
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Inspecting
the Septic Tank.
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Once the septic
tank is located, the manhole access cover is lifted and the
contents of the tank are observed as is the operating level
of the tank. At this stage the inspector will either elect
to run or not run a hydraulic load. The need to run a
hydraulic load is determine by the number of people living
in the house full time vs. the size of the house. Regardless
of whether the hydraulic test is required or not the rest of
the inspection will remain the same. The inside of the tank
will be examined to determine that both the inlet and the
outlet baffles are intact and properly secured to the tank
wall. The tank is observed for any signs of root incursion.
The operating levels of the tank are measured as are the
levels of sludge at the bottom, scum blanket at the top, and
liquid effluent in between. The size of the tank will also
be determined.
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In the picture above we see that the
contents of the tank are above the proper operating levels.
We can also tell from the sewage around the rim of the riser
that the tank has backed up. Further inspection of the
system showed that the pump in the dosing tank failed to
operated and that the alarm float and buzzer also failed.
The owner of this property is unaware that his system is
backing up.
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Inspecting the
Dosing Tank
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If the system
has a dosing tank that tank is also inspected to make sure
the floats work properly and are not water logged. The alarm
is examined to insure that it will activate in case the pump
has failed and the tank is flooding.
The picture to the right shows the dosing tank is flooded.
The owner is unaware of the problem because the float and
alarm buzzer all failed to function.
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A septic pumping company was called in to
pump the effluent out of the system in order to properly
complete the inspection.
What you can't tell from the above picture is how far up the
dosing tank riser the system has flooded or what damage if
any laid beneath. The picture to the right shows the
tank after it has been pumped out. You can now clearly see
where the tank ends and the cement risers begin. This tank
is 24 inches below ground level making the riser 36 inches
high. You can also see that the support bar that secures the
Waterproof Electrical Connection Box was submerged. Observe
that the box flooded and that the electrical connections are
burnt out.
In this particular instance both the
septic and the dosing tank had to be pumped. The dosing
pump, floats and waterproof electrical connection box had to
be replaced. Since the septic inspection revealed
problem, the seller made the repairs.
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This is a classic example of why the Dye
Test which is still being perform by many inspectors is
useless. The Dye test is performed by a flushing a coloring
agent into the system to dye the water in the tank. Water is
then run through the system and if after a period of time the
colored effluent is not observed above the ground,
the system is said to operating. The problem with that type
of testing is that it doesn't work. An example is the
situation above. This system needed a new pump, float and
switch as well as needing a new electric connection box and
wiring. The dye test would not have revealed this. The
septic pumping company charged to pump 1850 gallons of
liquids and solids from a system that when working properly
holds 1000 gallons. The cost for having the system pumped
$403.50. The cost for replacing the pump, floats and
electrical connect box was $925.00. The total cost for the
repairs came to $1328.50 and would have been absorbed by my
client (the buyer). The out of pocket cost for the septic
inspection was $175.00. This is not to say that what
happened here is the norm. In fact, more often than not
there isn't anything wrong with the septic system. But
wouldn't you prefer to know before rather than after? You decide.
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The final phase of the inspection is the
absorption field or elevated sand mound itself. During this
phase of the inspection we determine whether of not the size
of the field is large enough to support the number of
bedrooms in the house. We also determine whether of not the
field is currently in failure. This is done by probing the
field to determine size and whether or not there is water
above the aggregate.
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