Closing on my 1st house soon and I want to find out the condition of the tank.. unfortunately the seller is just flipping the house so he doesn't know.. generally how far and how deep are septic tanks.. I see a very big cast iron pipe in the basement leading out.are the tanks always in a straight line from that pipe?. no one had lived in this house for 2yrs prior to me buying.. should I ask the seller for a reduced price if I can not check on the tank or is that wrong?. also what would be the estimated cost of installing a septic system fresh?my brother in law INSISTS I get a "perk test"... I thought those were needed if I didn't have a tank already?. thanks again for all your advice... being its my 1st house I know I will have plenty more to ask.. TommyP:)

Hey Tommy.
Good luck and well wishes on your very first home.
We locate a septic tank by taking a 4' pointed rod called a "probe" or "sounding Rod" sand following the sewer line out to the septic tank where we then and probe the four corners. The inspection ports will be found at either end. A "perk test" will measure the rate of absorption from the drain field. Listen to your brother and do the test. You don't want to pay for a new drain field from the git-go. I have no idea what a new septic system would cost in your area. A house will deteriorate more if it's not been lived in,(don't ask me why) then it will if occupied. It's a good odea to hire a home inspector to check out the place before you close. He might just come up with something that vwould give you the leverage to get the seller to drop his price. Again, Good luck. Tom

Hi,
The depth of the septic tank could vary. Just for added information about my own, it is 3 feet deep (from the ground to the top of the cover). I know, cause I had to dig up the dirt, rocks, etc, from the whole top of it, here in the Great Smokey Mountains of VA!
As your other answer stated, installing a new system will depend on where you are. But, just for a comparison, I hired a backhoe contractor, who put a new cement lid on my cement tank, dug and installed one new drain line (field), and with all piping, gravel, etc, was about $300.
This of course, did not include a new septic tank, just the lid that broke!
The cost, again, will depend on where you live.
Best of luck.

You should have a lawyer at closing. Draw him into a conversation about your rights to have things working at closing. And yes, Tom is right about the home inspection.

Labman is correct as to having a lawyer and Tom is correct as to having a housing inspection, both necessary itmes. Since the system hasn't been used in two years, who knows what problems are lurking. Septic systems must be used to keep the tank bacteria and arms functioning. I would tell the seller you want to have the system thouroghly checked and the ground perk tested before the closing. Since he's flipping the house, all he's interested in is the profit. Tell your lawyer about your concerns ahead of time, don't wait until the closing. Also, does the title company know about the septic? Not sure what the practice is were you live, but here in the "big city" (yep, still septic and well water here and there) they won't issue title without a pass on the perk test, and if you have well water, a test for certain bacterias. This is why you need a lawyer as he should be covering these items, as well as checking the plat of survey, checking for easment rights, title restrictions, etc. ---opps, not very plumbing related... :D

Title company? educate me please.. new to this...
The inspection was today and some things didn't pass like I expected.. the septic test was done with a dye thrown down the sink and water was run at 4-5 gallons a minute for 2 hrs not sure if that was enough water but we didn't see any dye in the snow on the ground or in the nearby stream.. can it still show up through the frozen ground later if the septic isn't working right?and what recourse do I have if it does if I sign the closing papers?

How do they do a perk test and who has to pay for it?
Thanks for any advice guys I'm learning a ton.. TommyP

Hi, tommy,
All answers point to having a Lawyer.
If you don't have one yet, I would not sign anything. Once you do, the place is yours, and you have accepted it.

Depending on what state you are from the septic tank has to be pumped before the property is transferred. Its hard to believe the owner has no idea where the tank is located..

The seller bought it off a foreclosure 3 months ago..

Even after the sale, you have the right to have major defects fixed. That is why I suggested the lawyer.

I hope that is true... gonna give my lawyer a call asap and see what my options are... thx for the info.. TommyP:)

Also if their was such a thing as septic insurance... it would be covered under your homeowners insurance if that was available 4 your septic system... it does not exsist america.By the time you pay $20.00 a month VIA CREDIT CARD ONLY.. after a few years @ 20 bucks a month you could have replaced your entire septic system from main line to drain field. SEPTIC SAVIOR LLC/F.B.K products"SAME COMPANY", MILLER-PLANTE INC affiliated with them ,FLUSH IT,or any other company that offers the FAKE septic tank insurance that DOES NOT cover the whole system from main line of your home to drain field. BEWARE... DON'T fall into their TRAP. I HOPE THAT SOMEONE THAT IS A LAWYER IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA GETS to the BOTTOM OF THIS... GOOD LUCK AMERICA!! P.S. CALL YOUR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE COMPANY... YOUR SEPTIC IS NOT COVERED.AGAIN IT DOES NOT EXSIST.

Tommy it is the current owners responsibility to have septic tank pumped and inspected prior to you buying home. Also once its pumped you have the septic man do a perk test if you prefer... its not going to change what type of soil you have furthermore start using liquid enzymes to reduce the need to have it pumped and it will avoid having solid waste getting into your drainfield that will prolong the life of the septic. DONOT BUY ENZYMES OVER THE PHONE from ripoff co's like SEPTIC SAVIOR LLC/F.B.K.Products/Miller-Plante INC/Flush it... they are SCAMS ALL FILLER. Go 2 homedepot and get liquid enzymes or call your local waste water treatment plant ask 4 superintendent and ask him what he uses... trust me... ive been dealing with septics for 3 decades and NEVER HAD IT PUMPED. Take a look at my posts... Congrats on your new home! GOOD LUCK!!

It's the SELLERS RESPONSIBILITY 2 HAVE THE SEPTIC INSPECTED,PUMPED and perk test. They put a pink dye pak into the tank itself also if it didn't pass inspection it's the sellers responsibility 2 have it replaced before you buy... FACT!!

Hi Kelly and welcome to The Plumbing Page on AMHD.
You're going to hafta learn how we do things around here.
1. You're responding to a five year old dead thread. Look for a date in the upper left hand corner before you answer,
2. You pout up 5 back to back posts with two of them duplicates.
If you wish to add to a post then use the "edit" button at the bottom of the page. Don't clutter up the thread with back to back posts and check and delete any duplicates. Just watch and see how the other experts post. Regards, Tom