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SEPTIC SYSTEMS HOME
SEPTIC INFO ARTICLES
  Info for Home Buyers or Owners
  Septic System Design
  Septic Inspection Testing
  Septic Maintenance Repair
HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS
  1-INTRODUCTION
  2-YOU NEED TO KNOW AND DO
  3-SEPTIC SYSTEM COMPONENTS
  4-WHAT GOES WRONG
    4-1 TANK FAILURES
    4-2 PIPING FAILURES
    4-3 LEACH FIELD FAILURES
    4-4 OTHER SEPTIC TROUBLE SIGNS
  5-HOW TO INSPECT & TEST
  6-FINAL OVERVIEW
  SEPTIC FAILURE LAWSUIT
SEPTIC SYSTEMS ONLINE BOOK
SEPTIC PUMPING REPAIR
SEPTIC TREATMENTS
SEPTIC CONSULTANTS
SEPTIC AUTHORITIES
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SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN MANUAL - Online
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
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Snow melting over the septic tank - might be normal or might indicate a problem - an expert can find clues and perform tests that reduce risk of a costly surprise

Home Buyer's Detailed Guide to Signs of Trouble With Septic Systems
InspectAPedia®  -    

  • Chapter 4-4 Other Signs of Septic System Trouble
  • Advice for buyers of a home with a septic system - what to do
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest. We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices, false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at InspectAPedia.com/appointment.htm.

This chapter discusses other things that can go wrong with a septic tank or septic system, of special concern to home buyers. Septic backups, failures, breakouts, odors: This document provides advice for home buyers who are buying a home with a private septic system: homes using a septic tank and drainfield or similar soil absorption system.

Chapter 4 in this file outlines what goes wrong with septic systems and their various components. Chapter 5 recommends and describes septic inspection and test methods in more detail, explains how to be sure your septic inspection and septic test are conducted properly, tells you where to get more septic system information about a given property, and warns of unsanitary or dangerous site conditions.

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

4-4 OTHER SEPTIC TROUBLE SIGNS - Other signs of trouble with a septic system

  • Photograph of a slow-flushing toilet - water backing up to the top of the toilet rim.
    Slow or sluggish fixture drains: Slow flushing toilets (such as shown in this photo), shower or tub or sink drains, can indicate a developing septic system problem, though it could also be a partial drain blockage. That is, slow fixture drains may be system-related but it could also indicate just a clog in the interior piping or sewer line.

    You should have the interior piping checked before proceeding with an investigation of the sewage disposal system. See Diagnosing Clogged Drains: A First Step for Homeowners for a guide in how to determine if a slow drain is a clogged pipe or a septic system problem.

  • Photograph of a main drain leak where a washer had been overflowing out of the washer stand pipe drain connection.
    Washing machine backups: Large volume wastewater discharges (such as, washing machines, dishwashers and bathtubs) may cause either a backup, as noted above, or, an overflow of sewage above the septic tank or leaching field. If this condition is usually at its worst during and/or directly following a heavy rain event, then the septic system is indeed suspect.

    If backup alone occurs independent of wet weather, you might first check for a partial blockage of the main drain that has occurred some distance from the house. In such cases a small discharge will simply be held by the main waste pipe, draining slowly past the blockage, while a large discharge will cause a backup.
  • Photograph of a TIF 8800 combustible gas detector pinpointing sewage odors coming out of a sink drain.
    Septic or Sewage Odors: Foul septic odors in storm drainage piping, catch basins, footing drain piping or curtain drain discharges may indicate that sewage from your property or an adjacent one is entering these ground water systems.

    Curtain drains or intercept drains can protect septic drainfields in areas of wet soils or surface and subsurface groundwater

    See "Sewer Gas Odors diagnosing, finding, and curing septic tank and sewer line smells" and if odors are occurring in wet or cold weather, be sure to see see "Sewage Odors in Wet or Cold Weather - Septic Odors or Sewage Odor Diagnosis & Repair Guide for diagnosing and eliminating cold weather sewer gas odors"

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HOME BUYERSGUIDE
1-INTRODUCTION
2-YOU NEED TO KNOW AND DO
3-SEPTIC SYSTEM COMPONENTS
4-WHAT GOES WRONG
    4-1 TANK FAILURES
    4-2 PIPING FAILURES
    4-3 LEACH FIELD FAILURES
    4-4 OTHER SEPTIC TROUBLE SIGNS
5-HOW TO INSPECT & TEST
  5-1. ASK ABOUT THE SYSTEM
  5-2. VISUAL INSPECTION
  5-3. LOADING & DYE TEST
    WHAT'S A DYE TEST?
    TEST LIMITATIONS
    FLOODING TESTS
    PROBE TESTS
  5-4. PUMP THE TANK
  5-5. ADDED INVESTIGATIONS
  5-6. ASK OUTSIDERS
  6-FINAL OVERVIEW
  SEPTIC FAILURE LAWSUIT

  • Portions of the original text were provided by the CT Department of Public Health and Addiction Services. Daniel Friedman (web author) has made extensive edits and content additions to the original file.
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