Can we sue ?

arbrighton

Davesnave wrote: »

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..

We had a full structural survey done (early victorian house and edwardian septic tank) and it was quite clear that the surveyor didn't have a clue how a septic tank should work.

Davesnave wrote: »

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.

Ours has been emptied once per year since we moved in in 2012. It was very full this time as it was late in the year and we've had up to ten people extra around each day while we had a building site for a home. Unfortunately one of them also flushed down some rag or something that they shouldn't have so it was a little more effort for the chap to empty it. However, we've only used ECOVER toilet gel stuff, non-bio washing machine stuff, and minimal amounts of dishwasher powder.

Daft so and so-s who lived here before us built their garage across the soakaway etc so we would like to look after it....

sandsni

Some of the nice new thick and velvety toilet papers don't degrade as easily either, so that might be adding to the problems if they're clogging the system.

G_M

All the above posts are bandying around the term 'full', but does everyone mean the same thing?

As has been pointed out, septic tanks are designed to overflow (OK, via an outflow near the top, not over the top) so that liquids out and into a soakaway or drainage field etc.

The solids remain at the bottom, and breakdown (via the bacteria mentioned - hence no bleach!) slowly. So a septic tank should only need emptying every year (or two) even though it is 'full' of the liquid.

Only if it is 'full' of solids is there a problem.

Richard_Webster

Unless there was a clear statement in writing by the sellers about the condition of the septic tank, no chance. Rule is "buyer beware" so buyer has to carry out his own investigations. If he didn't, sorry.

Good septic tanks look after themselves and save a lot of money. As a teenager in the early 70s my wife dug a 14' deep hole for a septic tank in a field at her dad's place. Her mum died in 1981, so for many years it was only her dad living there, but when the house was sold in 2008 the septic tank had never been emptied.

agrinnall

I can't claim as far back as Richard's story but I lived in a house with a septic tank that also serviced 5 other houses for 10 years and it never needed to be emptied in that time. There is clearly something wrong with yours, but I very much doubt if any sort of survey other than perhaps a very specialist one would have found the problem. The only way to have found out would have been if the vendors had revealed it, was a specific question asked that they did not answer truthfully?

rosyw

As well as checking if the soakaway is working correctly I'd get someone to check for any blockages in the pipes running to the tank, we had a similar problem at my old place with a tank that had been fine for years and suddenly seemed to need emptying every couple of months, the chap that emptied the tank jetted the pipes and found a couple of bricks that had worked loose from somewhere and which were causing everything to back up, problem solved!

Ivana_Tinkle

Are you sure it's not a cesspit, rather than a septic tank?

nicter

We have had 3 quotes all very similar This is an excerpt from one

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]The septic tank appears likely to be of brick/concrete with an inlet approx 750mm deep. It would help to be able to see it empty or at least determine its size and full depth as this will dictate which options will be suitable. The soakaway has failed – some considerable time ago. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Even when working well septic tanks are not suitable for modern water volumes. Clearly there have been problems in the past and I suspect that the symptoms were more than noticeable to the vendors but proving they knew about it is difficult. [/FONT]

nicter

We did ask the vendor how often the tank needed emptying and were told "we haven't had it done for several years"
Unfortunately we have nothing in writing

forgotmyname

The last bit says it all. Proving it will be difficult. Add costly to that also..


Can you get a new soakaway pit dug as a cheaper option?

How high is the water table?