Inpecting a septic tank buried 3.5ft

[redtree4839]

I'm buying a house and I'm trying to get the septic system inspected, but the company I hired for the inspection said the tank is buried too deep to inspect fully. They said it's buried 3.5ft and we would need to get it excavated before inspection. I called another company, and they said the same thing. Anyone have experience with this? Should i try to get it excavated? The system is about 15 years old.

 

[Twowaxhack]

If you want it inspected then it appears you need to have it dug up.

 

[redtree4839]

If you want it inspected then it appears you need to have it dug up.

Yup that's fair. Specifically asking if anyone has ever needed to do this. My realtor has never seen a tank dug up for inspection, so wondering if there's a reason a tank would be buried so deep.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Yup that's fair. Specifically asking if anyone has ever needed to do this. My realtor has never seen a tank dug up for inspection, so wondering if there's a reason a tank would be buried so deep.

Either way it comes down to if you want it inspected or not. Why would it matter what someone else did ?

Sure tanks have had to be dug up, everyday. It’s quite common.

 

[redtree4839]

Either way it comes down to if you want it inspected or not. Why would it matter what someone else did ?

Sure tanks have had to be dug up, everyday. It’s quite common.

Not sure if the seller is going to let us dig it up. Wondering if we should just ask for a credit towards closing instead or if we should just walk away if we can't get it inspected. They've never lived in the house themselves, they inherited it, so I don't think they're intentionally trying to cover anything up.

 

[Twowaxhack]

If I couldn’t inspect it then I’d treat the situation as if it needs to be replaced.

That means I offer 10k less for the home if it costs 10k to replace the system. Or whatever it costs….10,20k, etc.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

WTH? I had my own tank tested and inspected. First they ran the well pump at max flow for about 20 minutes to look for anything unusual. Then they pumped the tank. They inspected with a camera or something and discovered roots making a mess at entry and exit. They changed a cracked PVC entry point, and replaced a header at the exit. It was a few years ago, 2018, and was about $300. Yeah some digging but not removal.
Had a similar but different situation at the old family home. Five bedroom, 2800 foot home in MA that my sister lived in alone. Town inspector found a problem that he didn’t write up—said call a septic company. They found a cracked entry line, replaced it for $200. When one person is in such a big home it’s an exceedingly light load on septic. A house not lived in for a while may be quite suspect.