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Septic Inspection
If the house has a private septic system it should definitely be
inspected by a professional septic contractor. A standard home inspection
will not include this. Some inspectors will provide a limited (visual
only) inspection by running a few faucets for about 20 minutes or
about 180 gallons. This will surge the system with an unusual amount
of water. The inspector can then look for signs of leakage or odors.
Some inspectors will even put a dye into the system to aid in spotting
leakage. If leakage is present, then the system is in failure. If
an odor is noted but no leakage, this is a sign that the tanks may
need to be pumped and further inspection is advised.
You should have the underground parts of the system inspected by
a professional septic contractor. This involves digging four holes
into the ground, one at each end of the tank and two in the leaching
field. Each end of the tank should have an access cover. The cover
can be removed for pumping and inspection of the baffles. Visually
inspecting the tank will determine its size, the condition of the
two baffles and whether it needs to be pumped out. If the inspection
is being performed at the time of pumping the tank, the presence
of a back flow from the field can be determined.
The two holes in the field will allow an inspection of the stones.
The discoloring of stones can indicate that a system is in failure
or going to fail in the near future. As the field loses its ability
to percolate the treated septic water into the ground, the water
starts to back up into the stones. The stones will turn black below
the septic water line. As this black line approaches the top of
the stones the life of the leaching field shortens.
Very few inspectors offer a complete septic inspection. Therefore,
you may want to have a septic company pump and inspect the system
as part of your inspection of the property. It is very common to
have the seller pay for the pumping of the tank. This way you can
start with an empty tank and an inspected system.
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Purchase your home with confidence!
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