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This article introduces a property buyer to homes using a private onsite septic system and provides key articles on how to inspect and test septic systems when buying a property. Earlier sections of this article discussed how to determine if a building is connected to a septic tank or to a public sewer main. But sometimes in older communities, especially if the age of a building is greater than the age of the community sewer system, even if a sewer is installed right in the street in front of a building, that building may never have been connected to the sewer line.

If you discover that your building is not connected to the sewer, or that no sewer line is even available, here we provide links to our key articles on what you should do when buying a home with a septic tank and leach field or any similar private onsite waste disposal system. Don't worry, millions of property owners get by just fine with these systems, but some steps are needed to avoid costly or dangerous surprises when buying a property with a septic tank.

Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical reviewers are welcome and are listed at "References." This is a chapter of Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

What Do I Do if the House I'm Buying has a Septic Tank

If there is no sewer system present the home cannot be attached to one and a local septic system is or should be present.

But don’t bet on knowing the location and condition of such a system – some additional legwork is needed as important life-safety, functional, and expense concerns could be present.

See our very thorough guide for buyers of homes with septic systems: Home Buyers Guide to Septic Systems which discusses the inspections and tests that should be performed, introduces the need for septic system maintenance, and describes how to find septic tanks, distribution boxes, and drainfields.

Our photo shows a private septic tank being pumped - one of the last steps that may be appropriate when someone is buying a property served by a private septic tank and drainfield or by similar private onsite waste disposal systems like aerobic septic tanks, mound systems, sand bed systems, etc. All of these use the local site to treat and dispose of septic effluent, and all deserve inspection, possibly testing, and certainly maintenance.

Don't just let the seller pump the septic tank before your other building and septic system inspections and tests have been performed if you are buying a property with a septic tank.

• If you own or are buying a home with a septic system, look through the list of articles below.
• If you are in a rush read A Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems inspection & testing - what to do, step by step to inspect and test a septic system when buying a home and then What is a Septic System? An Engineer's View & Septic System FAQ's.
• If you don't know if the building is connected to a septic tank system or to a public sewer, see Septic or Sewer Connection?

If you cannot find the septic tank, see these very detailed "how to" articles, photo guides, and videos that aid in finding the septic tank, distribution box, drainfield, etc.:

• Septic Tank Location - Detailed Step by Step Procedure Explaining Exactly How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location. The steps in this article include
  • HOW TO FIND A SEPTIC TANK detailed article
  • SEPTIC SEARCH SAFETY - important safety warnings for people about to dig up or pump a septic tank
  • WHO KNOWS SEPTIC LOCATION?- whom might we ask about septic component locations at a property
  • FIND MAIN WASTE LINE EXIT - start finding the septic tank by finding where the waste line exits the building
  • DISTANCE TO TANK - what are the clearance distances required between a septic tank and other things?
  • POSSIBLE SEPTIC TANK LOCATIONS - finding a septic tank includes ruling in and out where it might be
  •   VISUAL CLUES LOCATE TANK - what can we see that tells us septic tank location
  •   WHERE TO LOOK - what are the reasonable locations where we could look for a septic tank
  •   SEPTIC TANK DEPTH - how deep might the septic tank be buried anyway?
  • SEPTIC TANK LOCATING EQUIPMENT - plumbing snakes, electronic pipe tracing equipment, etc.
  • SEPTIC TANK COVERS - important safety concerns
  • DOCUMENT TANK LOCATION - how to make a sketch showing a septic tank, D-box, or drainfield location
  • SEPTIC VIDEOS walking a building site we show where septic components are likely to be and where they are almost certainly not going to be found

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SEPTIC SYSTEMS HOME
SEPTIC INFO ARTICLES
  Info for Home Buyers or Owners
    Septic or Sewer Connection?
    What to Ask About Sewers or Septics
    What if Nobody Knows if its Sewer or Septic?
    Clues Indicating a Sewer System is Present
    Clues Indicating a Building is Connected to Sewer
    Guide for Buildings Connected to a Public Sewer
    Guide for Buildings Pre-Dating Sewer Installation
    Guide for Buildings Connected to a Private Septic
  Septic System Design
  Septic Inspection Testing
  Septic Maintenance Repair
  Septic Component & Product Suppliers
  Septic Videos
HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS
HOME SELLERS GUIDE TO SEPTIC INSPECT
SEPTIC SYSTEMS ONLINE BOOK
SEPTIC TANK PUMPING SCHEDULE
SEPTIC TANK PUMPING PROCEDURE
SEPTIC TANK INSPECTION PROCEDURE

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
• ...

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS
• The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
• Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information
• The Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
• Home & Outdoor Living Water Requirements
• Septic Tank Capacity vs Usage in Daily Gallons of Wastewater Flow, calculating required septic tank size, calculating septic tank volume from size measurements
• How Big Should the Leach Field Be? - table of soil percolation rate vs. field size
• Septic System Drainfield Absorption System Biomat Formation - what leads to drain field clogging and expensive drainfield repairs
• Table of Required Septic & Well Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.
• Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
• What is a Septic System An Engineer's View & Septic System FAQ's

Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include

• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-161, Septic System Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-162, The Soil Media and the Percolation Test
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-l64, Mound Systems for Wastewater Treatment
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-165, Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems
• Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)

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