Why have your System Inspected

The purpose of an inspection is to evaluate the present and future performance of the existing system. Running water into a tank, performing a flow test, and pumping the tank through a 4 or 8 inch port does not fully evaluate the system and does not remove the solids. American Septic Service has 24 points of inspection and disclosure. The inspection certificate should state all the findings and then may say something like “at the time of the inspection, the system appeared to be in satisfactory working order." Just because all the toilets flush and the drains empty into the system, the in-the-house conditions say little about the onsite system. For instance, if only two people have been living in the home with minimal water usage, there is no guarantee that the next occupants - a family of 3-5 for example, will not double the water usage and overload the system.

Most problems begin in the tank or can be diagnosed by gaining access and evacuating the tank. A comprehensive inspection can be performed, but first there has to be an access. In most cases, the tank has to be located. American Septic Service locates all tanks with our “Sea Snake” video camera and finder. Probing the ground with a rod and water is a formula for disaster. There can be many lines over, near, and around the tank. There are cable tv lines, water lines, gas lines, phone lines, and believe it or not electric lines in close proximity to the tank. In our area there are seepage pits still in use and the concrete over them has deteriorated. One whack with a large bar could have you dropping into a 15 ft. pit.

ADEQ Inspection
(Arizona Department of Environmental Quality 2001 Mandate)

As of January 1, 2001 the State of Arizona Department of Environmental Quality mandated that septic systems installed after this date be inspected upon selling the home. There is a certificate of inspection and notice of transfer that inspectors are required to fill out. This is sent to the county that you reside in and kept on file.

These systems also have an effluent filter in the outlet chamber. This filter is to prevent materials from clogging or ruining your disposal field. This filter requires periodic maintenance. The time intervals for maintenance of the filter will vary with the size of your family and the usage. The filter needs to be removed from the tank and cleaned, then re-inserted into the septic tank.

The filter is re-usable and should last for many years. Failure to clean this filter will result in SEWAGE BACKING UP INTO YOUR HOME.

Septic Tanks Cast in the 1970’s

There are areas in Sierra Visa and surrounding towns that have had septic systems installed in the 1970’s. Most all systems installed during this decade have concrete baffles. These baffles deteriorate over the years from the hydrogen sulfide gas produced by the bacteria as they eat. This allows the scum on the top to be taken into the leach field. If this has occurred, your system is doomed to fail unless these baffles are replaced. It is not necessary to replace the septic tank. Ninety percent of the tanks this age have a deteriorated outlet baffle. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT, to have your system inspected. You do not have to sit around and wait for it to fail, you can prevent it. This is not a scare tactic, we have opened many of these tanks and documented damage to the baffles.

RISERS: What are they and when should they be installed?

American Septic Service recommends that all septic tanks have risers to the surface. Why? Because when they are at the surface there is no more digging when the tank needs to be accessed for inspection or cleaning. Even a few inches of digging in this area can be grueling. When there are more openings to see into the tank, problems can be easily diagnosed without expensive digging. Also, having risers to the surface eliminates disruption of you landscaping. Risers should be installed to manufactures specifications.