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Buying or Selling Property with a Septic System

Joseph Coupal - Thursday, September 27, 2018
Morse Engineering and Construction, Fiskdale, MA

If you are buying or selling property with a septic system installed, an inspection of the system may be part of the process. Certain types of ownership changes have different requirements.

When are system inspections required?

  • Within 2 years before a sale. If weather conditions prevent inspection at the time of a sale, the inspection must take place within 6 months afterward.
  • When there is a proposed change to the facility which requires a building or occupancy permit.
  • Any change in the footprint of a building, to make sure that new building construction will not take place on top of any system components or on the system’s reserve area.
  • For large systems with a design flow of 10,000 to 15,000 gallons per day or more at full build-out, on the basin schedule shown in 310 CMR 15.301(6), and every five years thereafter.
  • Every 3 years for shared systems.
  • When the property is divided, or ownership of 2 or more properties is combined.
  • When MassDEP or the local Board of Health orders an inspection.

For more information on septic system inspections, contact Morse Engineering and Construction.

Source: mass.gov


About Septic Systems

Joseph Coupal - Thursday, September 13, 2018
Morse Engineering and Construction Industries - Repairing a Septic Tank, Fiskdale, Sturbridge, MA

A septic system is one way of dealing with wastewater after it is flushed down your toilets or washed down your drains. Septic systems, unlike sewer systems, are privately owned and maintained. They’re common in rural areas where municipal sewer systems do not exist.

Septic systems consist of two parts: a septic tank and a leach field. Sewage enters the septic tank from a large pipe running from the house. Once in the tank, the sewage is allowed to separate, with solids settling to the bottom and clearer water rising to the top. That clearer water is eventually sent to the leach field, where the remaining solids are removed and the water reenters the earth.

Pros of Septic Tanks

  • No monthly cost - There are no monthly costs associated with a private septic system, as there are with municipal sewer systems.
  • Better for the environment, some say - Proponents of septic systems argue that they’re better for the environment, although the topic is hotly debated. Septic systems do not contribute to contamination of groundwater caused by aging and leaky sewer lines.

And if they fail, they damage is limited to one area; it’s not catastrophic.

For more informtion on septic tank construction, repair, replacement, or expansion contact Morse Engineering and Construction.

Source: kompareit.com


Soil and Perc Testing

Joseph Coupal - Friday, September 07, 2018
Morse Engineering and Construction Industries - Septic System Construction Fiskdale, MA

Traditional septic systems only work if the soil in the leach area is sufficiently permeable that it can readily absorb the liquid effluent flowing into it. Also, there must be at least a few feet of good soil from the bottom of the leach pipes to the rock or impervious hardpan below, or to the water table.

Less commonly, a site can fail because the soil is too permeable, allowing the effluent to reach the groundwater before it is fully treated. Very steep slopes are also unsuitable for a conventional leach field.

The specific standards vary from town to town, but any of these characteristics can prohibit the use of a standard gravity-fed septic system. In some cases, a more expensive alternative septic system may be allowed. To determine is a building site is suitable for a septic system, a percolation test (typically called a “perc test’ or “perk test”) is required.

NO PERC, NO HOUSE

On rural sites without municipal sewage systems, a failed perc test means that no house can be built – which is why you should make any offer to purchase land contingent on the site passing the soil and perc tests. As prime building sites become increasingly scarce (or prohibitively expensive) in many parts of the country, rural sites that will not pass a percolation or perc test are increasingly common.

In general, soils with high sand and gravel content drain the best and soils with a high clay content or solid rock are the worst. Most soils fall somewhere in the middle with a mix of course sand and gravel particles, small silt particles, and miniscule clay particles – the smallest.

To get a rough idea before investing time and money in testing, dig below the top few inches of topsoil (loam) to the lighter soil beneath. If you can form a small lump of damp subsoil into a long, thin ribbon or worm shape that holds together, and has a sticky firm texture, then the soil has significant clay content. A ribbon 2 in. or longer in the ribbon test indicates that the soil has high clay content and may fail a standard perc test.

The two main tests used to determine a site’s suitability for a septic system are a perc test and visual observation of the soil in a test pit, sometimes referred to as a deep hole test. Testing requirements vary greatly from state to state and often from town to town, as most states allow individual towns to establish separate rules within state guidelines.

So make sure you talk to your town health officer about what tests are needed, when they can be done, and who should perform them. Whether or not a licensed professional is required, a good idea to hire an seasoned expert with local experience as many of these tests have a bit of wiggle room.

For more information on percolation testing, contact Morse Engineering and Construction.

Source: buildingadvisor.com