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Hey there, I am looking for some advice on an elgin septic system. I live in ma but I am buying a house in wakefield nh. I Had the inspection done on the house and the septic inspector said that it's fair condition and on its way out. He also said that tank is a 1250 gal. With 3 tubes in the leech field. The reason why he said fair because one section of the field had still water and some discoloration in the sand. The tank was pretty full during the inspection and the sellers will have it emptied begining of next week. So I had the sellers agent send me the records on that system and it turns out to be a 1500 gal. Tank with 6 tubes in the leech field and is only 6 years old. By the way he only looked in two, one was dry but had a little sand discoloration and the other with the water. My agent recommends getting another septic inspector but I just don't have the money to get it done with the move coming up there in a couple weeks. So one of the questions I have is would the system being so full cause some still water in the field? Another ? Is could the d box might have settled and not be level anymore causing this? There is going to be 2 of us living in the house. Any advice or experiences would be great to hear thanks.
When a septic tank that has been in constant use is opened up, there is always a foul smelling mass floating on the very top of the tank interior. This is normal. If the tank is full, the whole interior is solid with very little liquid. A septic tank should normally be pumped every 5 years or so depending on how many people are living in the house. It could also be that some mass has found its way into the leach field. Pump out the tank and see what happens. If there is standing water in the field and it hasn't rained recently, it could be that either your leach field has failed or it was built in a swale.
Thanks wells. I think I'm just going to take my chances since the inspector was wrong about the system and there only being some water at the beginning of the field on one side and the tank was full. I'll have it checked again once it's emptied and has time to dry out and used for a little while and see if its the same result.
When a septic tank that has been in constant use is opened up, there is always a foul smelling mass floating on the very top of the tank interior. This is normal. If the tank is full, the whole interior is solid with very little liquid. A septic tank should normally be pumped every 5 years or so depending on how many people are living in the house. It could also be that some mass has found its way into the leach field. Pump out the tank and see what happens. If there is standing water in the field and it hasn't rained recently, it could be that either your leach field has failed or it was built in a swale.
Don't mean to "hijack", but I thought a septic had to be pumped every 2 years and that some do it yearly?
Obviously there are different types of systems.
From a 55 gallon metal drum to a 2 chamber and 3 chamber concrete.
To my limited knowledge the tank is supposed to be full. It is the liquids that drain out to the leech field.
I didn't have my tank pumped for 8 years. And the septic guy stated that mine was very "clean".
A septic tank with lots of solids is what can cause problems. Mine had very little solids and mostly all liquid.
Get a copy of the septic design. The homeowner should have the name. Then get ahold of the septic installer. Both will answer all of your questions. Six years old is a new system. A copy of the septic design is in Concord. And if all was legal, the building inspector or someone in town approved it.
Issues arise when people put the wrong stuff down the drain.
I'd skip the garbage disposal.
Recommended is always single ply tissue paper. The thin stuff.
And don't dump anything down any drain other then human waste and tissue paper. Even paper towels potentially cause problems.
I have witnessed some who put bacon grease down the drain, Q-Tips, and on and on. Not to be done.
Personal hygiene products do not go down the drain.
You have to be vigilant in the enforcement if you wish to avoid problems.
You didn't mention if you have a gravity system or a pump system.
The system is an Elgin system and has a pump. The tank had mostly water and the inspector said it was good. It's the leech field that he said was the problem. I don't live there yet, we will be closing in a month. I got the septic design from wakefield town hall and it's totally different from what the inspector said it was and works different than others so maybe that's why he said it's on its way out. The sand wasn't muddy just had a little blackness to it if that's normal? I'm just trying to figure out if I have to work something out with the sellers to fix the leech field or not. I would love to get a second opinion from a different inspector but don't have the extra money since I have to fix a couple things on my current house before closing.
Is the leach field entirely underground or is there a sand mound and is it a pressure dose system with a separate pumping chamber? A pressure dosing system is much more complicated than a gravity fed underground leach field. More maintenance is required as is an alarm system in the house in case of pump failure. If the sand mound fails, it must be carted off to a hazardous waste dump. Very costly.
The home inspector had a septic company do the inspection, and in my opinion the septic guy was kind of sketchy. The owner had it pumped today and that person said that it looks like everything is working properly. The leech field is entirely underground and it is a gravity fed system. I think I'm just going to go with it since nothing is adding up for it to be replaced and then from a year from now I'll dig a couple of holes and check the leech field. There are a couple of other little things I would rather have fixed before closing than trying to have them fix it or split it with them when it might not have to be. Thanks everyone for you input.
Using your terminology a septic company is a company that pumps the system. Neither a designer nor an installer.
NH has had an extremely dry Summer. There should be no standing water or wet area in any yard.
IF there is an issue you may be able to live with it a long time.
The issue may come up again when you go to sell and then the next buyer may not be so accommodating.
IF what you state is factual and current then again it comes down to pay now or pay later.
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