Home & Building Inspection Services
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Septic System Testing

If you are considering purchasing a home with a septic system, there are a number of facts you should learn about that system prior to purchasing the house. Unfortunately, many "Seller's Disclosure Statements" do not give you any information about this system. It is simply easier for a seller to check the "Unknown" box on the statement with regard to questions about the septic system. And paying an extra fee to a home inspector to "inspect" the system, may not give you all the information you need to make an informed decision on this aspect of the property.

However, if you take the time to perform some research on your own first, you should have enough knowledge to know whether or not to hire a home inspector to look at the the septic system. Here are some facts you can find out on your own:

1. The location and age of the system- (The life span of a typical disposal field is about 25 years. Eventually all septic systems will have to be replaced.) If the seller cannot give you this information, the documentation should be on file at the city office where the property is located. If the documentation shows the number of bedrooms the system was designed for, make sure that no more bedrooms have been added to the house; thus having the potential to overload the original system.

2. The maintenance of the system- Obtain the name of the company which pumps out this system. This company should have a good record of how often the septic tank has been pumped, if there have been any major repairs to the system, the size of the tank, and the tank material and its condition. This is an excellent source of information. If this company has been servicing a number of households in the area, they also probably know the type of soil that exists there, and what might be expected (especially pertaining to costs) if/ when you find problems with the existing system.

3. Amount of water usage- If the house uses municipal water, you can obtain the water meter readings for the past several years. Compare this to the amount of water you use.
Do you typically use much more water than the seller has? The amount of water you use may be too much for the system to handle. Would you be willing to stagger laundry loads, showers, and dishwasher cycles to allow the leaching field to absorb one load before adding another load of waste water to it? If the house does not have a garbage disposal, are you planning to install one? This also puts a strain on a septic system that was not originally designed for garbage disposal usage.

If you have gathered all the above information and feel comfortable with what you find, you are then in a position to have the system inspected. You may want a person from the company who has maintained this system to perform the inspection. Limitations to the inspection can include: the inability to find the access covers for the septic tank and distribution box, frozen ground that prevents study of the leach field, sellers who do not want dye tests performed or test holes dug in the leach field.

Finally, you will want to know what is involved if your system fails and you need to install a whole new system.

Please visit the Maine State Planning Office website for more detailed information on the operation and maintenance of a septic system: www.maine.gov/spo/ceo/training/septics.php
and ten tips for maintaining your septic system at: www.maine.gov/dhhs/eng/plumb/old site/10tips.htm.