Cesspool Inspection - Why it's important

What is Cesspool Inspection?

Cesspool inspection is a test and examination into the stability of a cesspool utilized for sewage treatment, typically on a residential or commercial property that does not plug in to a local drain system. It’s a look into the cesspool’s structural stability and whether it’s dripping or leaking any ecological risks into the environment.

If you acquired a brand-new residential or commercial property, one of the things that you do is have it checked for termites, mold or potential plumbing problems. Do not forget that you should have your cesspool examined as well prior to moving yourself or others onto the property.

When Do You Need Your Cesspool Inspected?

According to the majority of professionals, you need to get your cesspool system examined a minimum of every 3 to 5 years. The assessment typically lands around the time that you need to also have an expert cesspool system pumping service clean the tank. Inspecting the cesspool is essential to keep your cesspool system healthy and in working order.

Regardless of what specialists suggest, a lot of property owners wait a lot longer than 5 years to have their cesspool system examined. Most of them wait until something fails to have the cesspool inspectors over. At that point, inspectors will typically advise you fix or change your cesspool, which can cost thousands of dollars.

Getting your cesspool regularly inspected and pumped will not only save you cash from requiring a significant repair work but it will also help you prevent any undesirable surprises if you choose to sell your home later on.

Preventive Cesspool Maintenance:

The simplest and most convenient methods to help keep your cesspool system operating effectively is to take care of what enters into it. Cesspools rely on bacteria to break down waste and numerous substances can not be broken down easily, some even kill the useful bacteria. Here is a list of the type of substances that you should avoid.

Home chemicals, particularly ammonia and anti-bacterial cleansers will eliminate the bacteria needed for the cesspool to function properly
Paper towels, diapers, sanitary napkins and other hygiene items are not designed to be flushed, they will likely clog your system. And if they do get pass your pipes, they will site in your cesspool system up until the next scheduled pumping
Grease has adhesive qualities, hair and other particles will stick to it and it will line the pipe walls, developing clogs.
Bones and vegetable matter release grease, fat and other insoluble liquids into your cesspool. Avoid putting these things in your garbage disposal unit.
Powdered detergents include an insoluble clay which might trigger clogging. Only use liquid detergents when possible.

Using too much water all at once is also not good for your cesspool. Avoid running several water-intensive home appliances simultaneously. Waste takes some time to break down and huge volumes of inbound water in a brief amount of time might overwhelm your system.

Septic Tank Inspection When Buying a New Home

Never forget to inspect the septic system of the house that you are planning to buy. There is nothing more frustrating and costly than a failing septic tank. Schedule an inspection for your system with a professional, it might cost you a little bit more, but the benefits will be well worth it.

3 common tests performed during home inspections

The Dye-Test

Utilized to trace the motion of the septic system effluent into the leaching system. The theory is that if the colored dye surfaces to the ground, appears in a brook or catch basin, the septic system is faulty. Although even if you don’t see the dye present, it doesn’t mean the system is functioning properly, or will operate correctly in the future

In order for the colored dye to appear, it needs to stream through the septic tank and leach field prior to reaching the breakout point. This normally would take a large quantity of water and adequate time to take place. The majority of home evaluations do not last long enough to meet this requirement. This kind of test would just identify severely malfunctioning systems.

The Probe-Test

This is a procedure where the inspector tries to find the essential components of the system and drain fields and figure out if they are experiencing overflow conditions, suggesting that the tank is flooded.

The test is essentially unreliable given that it just takes a single snapshot of the condition of the septic system. It might be a good day for the system ( little water was utilized by the property owner that day; the property might have been empty for a long time; it might be the middle of the summer season when soil conditions are at their finest ) and a judgment is being made with little long-lasting info.

The Flooding Test

Also referred to as a push-test is really the procedure of releasing a considerable amount of water into the existing septic system to replicate a peak usage of water by a household. After a specific quantity of water is flushed down (sinks, tubs and toilets), the inspector analyzes the leaching area to observe any indications of an overflow condition.

If this test is carried out, we recommend considering the following factors:

Occupancy of the house
Water usage within the last 24 hrs prior to performing the tests
Soil conditions in the leach field ( check the weather conditions, it could be that time of the year for rain or snow )
Application of water to the septic system be carried out in a slow and consistent manner to avoid a “slug” of water from getting into the septic system and disrupting the contents
Amount of water used should not exceed fifty gallons per room in a full house