Should You Get A Septic Inspection When Buying A House?
If you are house hunting and considering a home with a septic system, you might be asking yourself: Should you get a septic inspection when buying a house? Let us explore the answer!
Shopping for and buying a new home is an exciting process. There are plenty of factors to consider. If you have decided to purchase a home with a septic system, there are some important considerations to make in terms of its care. A few questions that relate to septic systems may be:
All of these are great questions that are integral to successful septic maintenance. Septic inspection is another topic that homeowners should consider when purchasing a home with a septic system. Let’s do a little inspection of our own on this topic today.
What Is Septic Inspection?
Septic inspection is a necessary service that ensures septic systems meet local and state standards for environmental and public health. Septic inspections are performed by certified septic inspectors, who examine the interior of the septic tank and drain field, and run a variety of tests that provide information about the health and functionality of your septic system.
Problems That Can Occur Without Septic Inspection
Without septic tank inspection, problems that exist in a septic system may go undetected. If these problems are left unmanaged for a significant amount of time, even greater problems can develop, such as toxic waste and bacteria dispersion into the environment.
If these problems do develop, homeowners may end up being charged some pretty significant fines to cover the damage and cleanup required to resolve the impact of a faulty septic system.
Just this facet of septic inspections alone is enough information for us to confidently state that homeowners should absolutely schedule a septic tank inspection when buying a home.
Frequency Of Septic Inspection
The frequency of your septic inspection is dependent on local regulations and policies pertaining to onsite sewage treatment, so it’s important to work with a realtor who understands them. When considering buying a home with a septic tank, find out what local regulations in your area are. Most counties require homeowners to have a septic inspection performed once every 1-3 years, and they must be performed by a certified septic company.
A septic inspection performed on a new home will involve the following:
Visual inspection – Septic technicians will inspect the area surrounding the septic tank for signs of leakage, standing water, strong odors, and lush or unusually green grass.
Tank pumping and cleaning – The septic tank must be fully pumped, removing any solid and liquid waste, and thoroughly cleaned so that the interior of the tank may be inspected. Signs of cracks or damage will be identified during this stage of the inspection.
Component inspection – Interior components of the tank, such as the inlet and outlet pipes, baffles, and filter will be examined. Septic companies sometimes use cameras to carefully inspect the condition of pipes and other parts of the tank.
Leak testing – The inspector may conduct a water flow test, which is performed by running water through the system to ensure there are no leaks and that wastewater is properly draining into the drain field.
Drain field evaluation – The septic drain field is where the final stage of wastewater treatment takes place. When wastewater runs through the drain field, any remaining toxins, excess nutrients, and pathogens are filtered out through a series of pipes. Inspectors ensure that the septic drain field is working properly, which prevents harmful waste products from entering the natural groundwater supply.
Septic inspections are a critical part of ensuring that your new home’s septic system is functioning properly, and that no environmental or local regulations are violated as a result of a malfunctioning septic system. If your septic system is in need of repairs, this inspection will allow you to schedule the necessary services to avoid paying fines in the future.
Contact Acme For Comprehensive, Professional Septic Inspections
So, should you get a septic inspection when buying a house? If you want to ensure that your septic system is functioning properly, avoid paying extra in potential repairs, and prevent risks to the environment, the answer is a definite “Yes!”
Contact us today for thorough, reliable septic inspections and any of your other septic maintenance needs.
