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Signs of Septic System Failure - Fiskdale, Sturbridge, MA

- Thursday, October 29, 2020
Morse Engineering and Construction Industries, LLC - Septic System in Sturbridge, Fiskdale, MA
  • Water and sewage from toilets, drains, and sinks are backing up into the home.
  • Bathtubs, showers, and sinks drain very slowly.
  • Gurgling sounds in the plumbing system.
  • Standing water or damp spots near the septic tank or drainfield.
  • Bad odors around the septic tank or drainfield.
  • Bright green, spongy lush grass over the septic tank or drainfield, even during dry weather.
  • Algal blooms in nearby ponds or lakes.
  • High levels of nitrates or coliform bacteria in water wells.

Like most components of your home, septic systems require routine maintenance. If maintained, the septic system should provide reliable service for many years. If the septic system isn't maintained, owners run the risk of dangerous and costly failures. And, septic systems do have an operational lifetime and will eventually need to be replaced.

A quick response may save the owner money in repairs and may prevent illness and negative impact on the environment.

For more information on septic system inspections and repair, Contact Morse Engineering and Construction for more information.

Source: doh.wa.gov


6 Signs Your Septic System Is in Trouble

- Thursday, October 22, 2020
Morse Engineering and Construction Industries - Septic System Construction

As long as you use and maintain it properly, a well-designed septic system shouldn't give you any trouble. With proper upkeep, it can last as many as 30 years. But considering that it's underground: How do you tell if there's a problem?

Here are the signs your septic system's got a problem and it's time to call in the pros.

1. Water (or sewage) is backing up inside your home

Water—or smelly black liquid—gurgling up into the drains in your kitchen or sink can happen for a couple of reasons:

Your tank or drain field are too full

After dirty water and waste enter your septic tank, solids get separated from liquids. The wastewater is eventually pushed out into a drain field, a series of underground trenches or chambers. Once there, any harmful bacteria gets absorbed by the soil or digested by naturally occurring microbes.

But if your tank receives lots of water very fast—either because of heavy rain or maybe you're using much more water than normal—the tank or the drain field can become overloaded.

A blocked pipe

Another likely reason that water's backing up into your home: a clogged distribution line somewhere between your house and your septic tank. Maybe you've got a small kid who happily flushed a sock down the drain, or you're guilty of tossing things like not-so-flushable wipes in your toilet.

Be proactive: Keep an eye on your water usage.

You should also limit the amount of food you put down your garbage disposal. Yes, it gets ground into tiny pieces, but over time, food waste can also end up clogging your drain field.

2. Green, spongy grass around your septic tank

Surprisingly, dying grass on top of your septic tank isn't necessarily a bad sign. (The soil on top of your septic tank often isn't as deep as it is over the rest of your lawn, which makes it easy for grass there to get parched.) But it is a red flag when the grass on top of your septic tank is thriving far more than anywhere else in your yard.

That could be due to a leak of liquid wastewater before it hits the drain field. Once it escapes your septic tank, it basically acts as fertilizer.

Be proactive: Get a septic system inspection each year, and have it pumped every three to five years so you can catch problems like damaged pipes, rust damage, and cracks in your tank early on.

3. You’ve got trees or shrubs near your system

Tree roots naturally seek out sources of water—including leaky pipes or even condensation. And in their gusto to get nourishment, they can crack septic tank pipes, allowing dirt to enter, or they can collapse the pipes completely. Smaller shrubs aren't necessarily better, since they can also spread out some deep roots.

Already have trees in the danger zone? Each time your system's serviced, make sure the pipes aren't compromised. If there’s a problem a camera can be sent into the line to see if tree roots are to blame.

4. Water's pooling in your yard

Occasionally, a high water table or excessive rainfall can saturate the drain field and prevent the septic tank from draining properly, Gallas says.

If you're pretty sure heavy rains are to blame for little lakes in your yard, you can try to give your septic system a chance to catch up by using it less. But if that doesn't get rid of standing water, call a plumber.

5. A rotten egg smell

Yes, a gross sewage odor can indicate your system's failing. But that's not always the case.

There can be several different reasons you might smell septic gases. Those include a dried-out wax seal on a toilet (which seals your toilet bowl to the floor) as well as a dry trap in a floor drain. (It's often filled with water, which keeps out sewer gases.)

Be proactive: If you have a persistent odor inside your home, the first course of action is to check all exposed fixtures, and if nothing is found, it should be followed up with a smoke test to find leaks in the lines.

6. Slow drains

Slow drains are an indicator that there's a stoppage on the pipe itself that flows into the septic. And while you might be tempted to pull out the Drano or another drain cleaner, don't.

Harsh chemicals can deteriorate your pipes over time. Plus, chemical drain cleaners can kill the good enzymes and bacteria in your tank that help to break down waste, Monell says.

Be proactive: Use a natural product with bacteria and enzymes; the accumulated gunk inside your pipes is tasty food for them.

Contact Morse Engineering and Construction for more information.

Source: realtor.com


Septic System Inspection: How Often, Costs, Precautions, and More!

- Friday, October 16, 2020
Morse Engineering and Construction - Septic System Inspection

A is one of those home maintenance tasks that you might put off, and then put off some more. Because septics exist underground in the backyard, they are often out of sight, thus out of mind. But letting it go too many flushes without an inspection can result in some major problems if the system fails.

Plus, septic system inspections are also required if you plan to sell your home. Even if you don't know if you're going to sell, keeping your septic system in good condition will save you thousands of dollars in repairs if anything does go wrong.

Here's everything homeowners need to know about a septic system inspection.

How often should you get a septic system inspection?

Experts say you should get a septic system inspection every three years. But here's a dose of reality: Most homeowners never get their septic systems inspected unless there is a notable issue.

But that means homeowners get an inspection only when issues that may signal big trouble arise, such as when the toilet backs up, water takes too long to drain, or there's an actual septic system leakage. The benefit of doing an inspection every three years is to avoid major problems like these.

The three-year mark is also the maximum amount of time you should let your septic system go without being pumped out.

A problem caught at inspection can save you from having to replace the entire septic system (read: shell out a ton of money). It's especially important to keep your septic system in good shape if you plan on selling. During closing, a certified inspection will be performed and you don't want any last-minute surprises.

Who should perform a septic system inspection?

You're going to want to hire a professional septic contractor for the inspection.

General home inspectors do only a limited, visual-only inspection of the septic system.

A septic contractor will look for cracks in the tank indicated by a low level of liquid, the amount of solids inside the tank using a measuring device called a "sludge judge," and possible ground contamination.

How much does a septic system inspection cost?

Cost depends on how extensive the septic inspection is as well as the size of the tank, which is usually either 1,000 or 1,500 gallons. But a basic septic system inspection typically runs between $300 to $600.

Is the home seller or buyer obligated to get an inspection?

The person who's responsible for carrying out the inspection is determined based on where you live. In Massachusetts, it is generally the seller who is responsible.

Is the seller obligated to fix any septic problems?

The responsibility to pay for septic repairs typically falls to the seller. However, repairs of any kind found at inspection are generally negotiable. Contract terms usually dictate the course of action, but sellers may have such options as doing the repairs themselves, splitting repair costs with the buyer, giving the buyer a closing credit equal to the amount of the repairs, or refusing to do anything. If an agreement on repairs isn't reached, the buyer does have the legal right to walk away from the transaction.

Don't forget about disclosure

Sellers are required to disclose any known problems with a home to potential buyers. If there's a septic issue after closing that the sellers knew about, they will be liable for the entire cost of the repairs.

For that reason, it's good practice for all sellers to perform their own septic system inspection. That way, the seller is protected from any future septic issues after the closing.

Contact Morse Engineering and Construction for more information.

Sourcer: realtor.com


Should I Buy a Home With a Failed Septic System?

- Thursday, October 08, 2020
Morse Engineering and Construction - Septic Tank Inspection

You might wrestle with this question if you fall in love with a home only to find out during the home inspection that the septic system is in serious disrepair.

Properties usually have septic systems for one of two reasons: The home is in a rural area with no public sewer available or the home is older, and while it previously didn't have access to a public sewer, it now does—but may have not been hooked up yet.

The good news is that a bad septic system doesn't automatically mean you should flush your hopes of purchasing the home. Here's when a bad septic system is a deal breaker and when it's not.

Bad septic system: Repair or replace?

Septics are a simple system: water goes into the septic tank and displaces the same amount of water that travels to the drain field.

Common problems with septics include tree roots impacting the soil around the drain field. A simple fix could be as easy as clearing the roots. Or a septic may be failing because a tank baffle—what separates a tank from the drain field—needs repairing. In both cases, a septic professional can inspect the system and determine if a repair is possible. Such minor repairs may range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

But here's the thing: If there isn't an easy fix available, a failed septic will need to be completely replaced, or it will fail. Failure means the septic can no longer treat and distribute wastewater. Signs that a house needs a new septic system include toilets that drain slowly and standing wastewater on the ground above the drain field.

How much does a septic system cost to replace?

If a house is listed at a lower price because of a failed septic system, it could be a tremendous steal depending on the type of system that will need to be installed, says Wise. The cost of installing a new septic in the same place as the old one usually ranges from $10,000 to $15,000, depending on the soil and the type of system that will be installed.

Septic systems and financing

Keep in mind a bad septic system complicates the buyer's ability to finance a property.

It's often the case that the lender will require a working septic on traditional financing options. The FHA won't approve a loan on a house with a bad septic.

Who pays for septic system repairs: The buyer or the seller?

In most states, home sellers must pay for the cost of repairing the septic—or if it's irreparable, you might be able to persuade the sellers to replace it entirely.

When replacing a septic may not be worth it

If the leach field itself has failed, the entire septic system may need to be moved to a different location on the property.

In that case, a septic technician will survey the property for system requirements such as a location relative to any water sources. You'll also have to get a soil evaluation, which runs about $1,500. Soil technicians will be looking at soil type and slope of the property.

Then a septic contractor will determine if the lot is large enough to accommodate a new drain field. Many existing systems are even with ground level, but new codes may no longer allow this and require unattractive remedies. So if there's no place with appropriate soil to move the septic to, the homeowner may be forced to install what's called a sand mound system (a literal mound of sand) or a holding tank system. The former is unsightly, and the latter could require monthly pump-outs.

Keep in mind, a failed system could also have contaminated the soil around its original location, so do soil tests for potential ground contamination at the old site.

Septic systems and home improvements

If you're planning a large remodel in a home with a septic system, one thing to know is that any major improvements would require the owner to hook up to the public sewer system first (assuming it's available, of course). In this case, the condition of the septic tank isn't a factor as it will no longer be in use.

The cost of connecting to the municipal sewer system falls to the buyer, and is far from cheap.

The one upside, of course, is that you can point this out to sellers and negotiate a great bargain. In other words, a bad septic system can always be turned to your advantage.

Contact Morse Engineering and Construction for more information.

Source: Realtor.com