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When to Pump the Septic Tank When Buying a Home InspectAPedia®  -     Chapter 5-How to Inspect and Test Septic Systems for Home Buyers - Step 4 - Pump the Septic Tank Step-4: When & how to pump the septic tank if you are buying a home Details of How to Inspect & Test Septic Systems When Buying A Home

This document provides advice for home buyers who are buying a property with a private septic system, that is, a septic tank and a leach field or drainfield or similar soil absorption system. Chapter 5 in this file describes detail: questions to ask about the septic system, how to perform the visual septic inspection, ordering the loading and septic dye test (the too-obvious results of a dye test at a problem site are in the photo at left), pumping the septic tank, and finding additional information about the septic system.

We explain how to be sure your septic inspection and septic test are conducted properly. We tell you where to get more septic system information about a given property, and we warn of unsanitary or dangerous site conditions.

© Copyright 2010 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.

5-4. PUMP THE SEPTIC TANK When & How to Pump the Septic Tank When Buying a Home

Warning: [Repeated from the Dye Test discussion] Do not pump the septic tank before the loading and dye test. Depending on its size an empty septic tank could require 2-3 days' worth of water to re-fill the tank. An empty tank means that the "loading water" run into the system during the dye test procedure is simply filling the tank rather than testing the ability of the drain field to absorb effluent.

Pumping a septic tank prior to purchasing a home may or may not be necessary, depending on the age and service history of the system and the results of the visual inspection and loading and dye test. For example, if a tank is less than two years old or was pumped in the last year, and if there are no other signs of septic problems at the site, we might defer the pumpout. In this case we would strongly recommend calling the pumper to ask about the condition of the system at the time they last cleaned it.

This is a subchapter of "5-HOW TO INSPECT & TEST When, Where, Why, and How to Inspect and Test a Septic System - for Home Buyers, Step-by-Step" which can be found at 5-HOW TO INSPECT & TEST

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HOME BUYERSGUIDE
1-INTRODUCTION
2-YOU NEED TO KNOW AND DO
3-SEPTIC SYSTEM COMPONENTS
4-WHAT GOES WRONG
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

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

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More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Tank Location - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank.
  
• The Septic System Information Website
• Directory of Professional Inspectors available via Internet (Some of these inspectors offer septic system testing and inspection)
• Diagnosing Clogged Drains: A First Step for Homeowners
• Performing a Septic Loading and Dye Test - How to perform this test (separate document)
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
• Table of Required Septic Tank Sizes: Septic Tank Capacity vs Usage in Daily Gallons of Wastewater Flow & How to Calculate the Size (in gallons) of a Septic Tank.
• How Big Should the Leach Field Be? - table of soil percolation rate vs. field size
• Home & Outdoor Living Water Requirements
• Table of Required Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.
• Septic System Inspection Methods and Procedures, - online illustrated class for building and septic inspectors
• Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information

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