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A septic system is made up of a
septic tank and a septic bed (also known as a tile bed, leach
field, disposal field, absorption field or just field). Waste
water from the house flows into the septic tank. The purpose
of the tank is to hold the water long enough so that the
solids can settle out.
About 50% of the solids decompose in the tank, the other
settle out on the bottom of the tank as sludge.
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Lighter particles form a scum
blanket at the top. This process
leaves a middle layer of partially clarified water. An outlet
baffle in the tank is positioned to allow only this middle
water layer out of the tank and into the septic bed. Both the
sludge and the scum stay inside the tank.
The liquid waste contains contaminants such as nitrates,
phosphorus, disease causing bacteria and viruses, dissolved
metals, detergents, and solvents. The septic bed acts as a
leaching field. The idea is to have the phosphorus and
dissolved metals bound by the soil, nitrates and solvents
diluted in the groundwater, and bacteria and viruses filtered
by the soil or die off. All this works only if the septic
system was properly designed, and is properly maintained. If
proper setbacks from the water are fully respected then the
impacts on our waterways will be minimized. |
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Septic
Inspection |
Septic
system repairs are not cheap and can cost from $3,000 to
$25,000
or more, depending on where you live and the condition of your
system. Unfortunately for many home buyers, the typical brief
septic system inspection (such as the dye test) tells
you very little about the real state of the septic system. The
main problem is that it does not check for many potential
signs of trouble. That's how our inspection differs: |
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We run a 400 - 600 gallon hydraulic
load through your septic tank. In other words
during the
time we are performing the Inspection of your prospective
purchase (or sale) we allow the water to run into the system.
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Then we do a visual
inspection looking for signs of surfacing effluent around
the drain-field.
- Afterwards we dig up the
manhole cover to check the liquid level in the tank.
- We look at the contents of
the tank. If there are non-biodegradable products in the
tank this will indicate the system has been abused. If the
toilet paper products are not breaking down this often
indicates an overuse of chemicals hindering the bacterial
process in the tank.
- condition.
- Then we estimate both the
proper working capacity of the tank as well as the liquid
and scum levels of the tank
- If you have a Dosing Tank
(these are used in sand mounds) we examine it as well to
insure that it is functioning properly. We check to
see that the float operates at the proper time and
that it is not water logged, that the electrical box is
properly secured to the walls of the tank and that the
alarm is connected and operating.
- We then examine the mound or
field to insure that it is of appropriate size for the
house and that it is not failing.
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We charge more for
our septic inspection than the companies performing the dye
test, but our inspection is
far more thorough and will give you greater details
about your system. |
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