Real Estate Septic System Inspections
Real Estate Septic System Inspections are typically scheduled by a potential buyer as part of the inspection process during the transfer of real estate. As a buyer, you want to make informed decisions about the house you will call home. The type of inspection you get is your choice. Buyers of homes with septic systems seek confirmation that the home's septic system is operating as intended, and there are no hidden or unseen problems which may be very expensive to repair in the future. In addition, most mortgage companies are now requiring the septic system pass an inspection as part of the loan approval process.
Each Real Estate Inspection will be performed by Scott A. Bailey, the lead inspector and President of Bailey's Inspection Services Inc. Scott is trained and certified thru PSMA/NOF (Pennsylvania Septage Management Association). The PSMA standards have been described as the "Industry Standard." These standards embody a protocol which, when fully applied, evaluates every component of the system.
Septic system components include treatment tanks (number of tanks, size and condition), pumps and holding tanks, filters, distribution systems, dosing, lift, and siphon tanks, and absorption systems. We will also verify the age of the system, the systems maintenance history, as well as the current occupancy. When a property has been vacant for longer than 7 days a Hydraulic load test is needed to determine the condition of the system's drain field. This is a 2-3 day test depending on the type of system, condition or results. The hydraulic load test determines if the absorption area can satisfactorily receive and allow to pass into the soil and environment the daily volume of sewage effluent that the prevailing regulatory authority assigns to a structure based on occupancy, number of bedrooms or other regulatory factors.
This evaluation process leads to a conclusion for each component and the overall system's condition as either satisfactory, satisfactory with concerns, unsatisfactory or more investigation is needed.
Each Septic Inspection takes several hours to complete. We highly recommend you attend the inspection to familiarize yourself with the type of system and components that are located on the property. We will also provide recommendations on how to properly maintain your system in the future. Upon completion of the inspection a detailed report of the system at the time of the inspection will be sent to the client within 24 hours.
