Can we sue ?

nicter

Hi
We bought our bungalow in April last year. Vendors said no problems with it and when asked said they hadn't had septic tank emptied for several years as hadn't needed it
Had homebuyers survey done. Now wet weather has set in we have found the septic tank to be pretty useless and are having to have it emptied every 5-6 weeks as its backlogging and loo etc filling up
Had 3 quotes and its going to cost us 7500 to have a new one installed :mad:
Each company that has quoted has said the pit has been like this for quite a while and previous owners would have known
Neighbours have since told us the previous owners used to run a pipe across the road into a field overnight to drain off excess water !
Have we any comeback on the vendors at all ?

EverGreen_2

"Had homebuyers survey done": was the septic tank included in that survey?
Not sure, but it may be too late to sue.

AdrianC

Not a hope in hell, not least because it isn't really a "problem with it", and because it doesn't need emptying. It's just one of the little joys of septic tanks.

They empty themselves of liquid by letting it out through soakaways into the ground surrounding/downhill from the tank. If the groundwater's high, then obviously the water isn't going to soak into saturated earth. The opposite might well happen. Changing an old tank for a new one won't help, because the problem isn't the tank. Digging a new soakaway might help, if the old one's blocked or collapsed, rather than just trying to discharge into already soggy earth.

They only need emptying when they're full of solids - which should rarely happen if the bugs are healthy and hungry.

Have a read of this :-
http://www.mayglothlingwaste.com/Why_does_your_septic_tank_need_emptying_again--post--14.html

pinkshoes

Do you have it in writing that they had no problems? Can you provide actual evidence proving they DID have problems?

nicter

Evergreen ... how do you survey a septic tank ??


Thanks for that Adrian
We have been quoted to install a marsh ensign 6 person with pump to nearby dyke. do you know anything about these ?

nicter

pinkshoes wrote: »

Do you have it in writing that they had no problems? Can you provide actual evidence proving they DID have problems?

We are going to talk to neighbours and ask if they would be willing to put in writing that vendors pumped overnight ( Im guessing illegaly )

NewShadow

Can i just check - If you've never had a septic tank before - are you still using bleaches in the house?

Bleach kills bacteria, and if it gets in the tank it kills the stuff that keeps the tank healthy, meaning it needs emptying much more regularly.

nicter

Hi new shadow Must admit yes I have used bleach on occasions but know I shouldn't

Tigsteroonie

nicter wrote: »

Hi new shadow Must admit yes I have used bleach on occasions but know I shouldn't

Sorry but you need to stop this - you need to find alternatives that are septic-tank friendly. I remember that Harpic was (certain types) but Toilet Duck wasn't .. but I'm going back 15 years.

teneighty

If the septic tank is filling up and needs emptying every 5 - 6 weeks it sounds like either there is a leak somewhere allowing the groundwater to soak into the tank or the irrigation network has failed/is blocked preventing the liquid waste from discharging. Normally it should only need the solids emptying every 6 to 12 months depending on size and usage.

Either way you need a written report from an "expert" to say the system has failed and must have been in a state of disrepair for sometime prior to the sale and then you would have a good claim against the vendor if they lied about its condition on enquiry forms.

By the way the Marsh Ensign is a mini treatment plant and not a septic tank, hence the high price tag, so the existing system may be able to be repaired or replaced for a far lower price before you try to claim the 7.5k.

Davesnave

nicter wrote: »

Evergreen ... how do you survey a septic tank ??


Thanks for that Adrian
We have been quoted to install a marsh ensign 6 person with pump to nearby dyke. do you know anything about these ?

It's pretty difficult to survey a septic tank, so unless it's overflowing when visited, an ordinary surveyor isn't going to spot a problem. It's a specialist area, like electrics.

As Adrian says, a septic tank's drainage field is usually what gives up the ghost first. A new one can be made, if there's the space and the right kind of ground, but often it's a lost cause.

With the wet winters we've been having, many drainage fields fail. Mine does, but it's on a hill, so I get away with it. On the flat, I'd be stuffed.

What you have been quoted for is a sewage treatment plant, not another septic tank. I suggest you get Googling and try to find out which of these you like the sound of, as there's a number of designs, some more complex and costly to run than others. Unlike septic tanks, they can all discharge into streams & ditches etc.

Don't just take what you're given. Get a few more quotes too, just as you would for a new central heating system.

And don't waste too much time/money on your vendors, who will just say it was all fine when they were there, before you messed it up with chemicals. It will be hard to prove otherwise.