I am in the process of purchasing a foreclosure that has been empty for approx 6 months or so. Of course, the mortgage company has taken the AS IS, WHERE IS stance and anything I want to know about, I have to find out for myself. My real estate agent-prince that he is-went "a-digging" and found the lateral line that exits my 1920's farmhouse, but cannot at any point find a tank. He commented that there was a large 3" diameter line coming from the kitchen and then he also found an old clay line that runs off in a different direction. There is an arrnagement of pipes with a foil covered "clean-out" just outside the exterior wall of the bathroom. That line runs off about 50 ft in yet another direction. At that point, he stopped digging for answers. There is no evidence of a lagoon. Is it possible that lateral lines exist and yet there is no tank? The age and condition of the house being what it is... it would not surprise me, but since I doubt my lender will underwrite a domicile without a septic tank, what are my options?

There has to be a septic tank somewhere. It goes like this. Waste is discharged from the house. It goes into a holding tank called the septic tank where bacteria will break the soilds down into liquid. This liquid then runs out into lateral pipes with holes in the bottom for the liquid to leach out of back into the ground. These pipes are called the drain field. If there were no septic tank the solids would drain directly into the drainfield and clog up the pipes in very short order. So you see there has just got to be a septic tank out there somewhere. All you have to do is locate it. Good luck, Tom

So he couldn't find the tile bed at all ? I would suggest digging a whole new septic system to by the safe side anyway, then you know where you are at. Wouldn't the title show the septic system ? Not an expert here but have had houses with septic systems.

They will either run out into a ditch or field ( not very likely) or there is a septic tank. They are fairly deep sometimes, but there as noted can not be just laterial lines, they would clog in a matter of days and stop working without the tank.

Assuming they had a new one in lests say in last 15 years, most likely if you go to the county, there will be a septic tank inspector who would havve the layout and drawing of your system