Question about on site septic system

[joey heydt]

The property we inspected today is .29 acre in size. Because of the lot size, there is not a septic sytem with drainage field; there is just a concrete holding tank that the homeowner has cleaned out every 24 months. My question is 1st, does FHA allow for a holding tank and 2nd, if so, is there a distance requirement between the well and the holding tank? Thanks for your help.

 

[444nutman]

http://www.HUD.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/appr/aprval.pdf

 

[RSW]

The lender and the FHA will require an approved sewage system. The distance from the well to the holding tank is moot if the system is not an approved system.

 

[TEL2002]

That has got to be one HECK of a big concrete holding tank. It is not uncommon for the typical family to use 6000-12000 gal of water a month. If they pump that every 24 months, they will need a 144,000+ gal sized tank.


Somebody ain't giving you the straight scoop.

There are sewer systems that take only the effluent off of the septic tanks. They have to have the solids pumped out every xx months. Perhaps this is what they have. I used to live in Damiansville, IL and we were all on septics. Shortly after we moved the town was forced by the EPA to shift over to this type of sewer system.

Another possiblity is that they actually have field drainage...and they just don't know it.

 

[Michael Tipton]

http://www.HUD.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/ref/sfhp1-20.cfm

 

[Rich Heyn]

Sounds wrong

The property we inspected today is .29 acre in size. Because of the lot size, there is not a septic sytem with drainage field; there is just a concrete holding tank that the homeowner has cleaned out every 24 months. My question is 1st, does FHA allow for a holding tank and 2nd, if so, is there a distance requirement between the well and the holding tank? Thanks for your help.

The 24 months does not sound right. If, in fact, it's a holding tank that must hold all of the waste water until it's pumped out and hauled away. Just two individuals will use about 100 gallons of water per day. That's 72,800 gallons in 24 months. It would take almost 10,000 cubic feet of storage.

Think in terms of a 1,200 square foot house with 8 foot sidewalls. That's how big the tank would need to be. The large trailer tankers that deliver fuel to the gas stations hold about 8,000 gallons, so every 24 months the owner has 9 of these trucks line up and pump out the waste? I don't think so.

Perhaps its more of a dousing chamber/septic tank where the effluent is discharged to an off-premises evaporation/oxygenation pond. Or perhaps the owner needs to have it pumped out much more frequently (at a cost) then they are letting on. If they need to have it pumped out once every month or two and are paying, say $100 to $200 per haul, it can easily be a valuation factor. How much less would you pay for a house that have an additional utility bill of $100-$200 per month than a comparable home with lower operational costs?

Be careful here.

 

[CANative]

Sounds more like a cesspool. Perhaps "concrete" holding tank was really a masonry vertical pit. Pump out every 24 months sounds about right.

 

[Bearslide]

Sounds to me like the homeowner doesn't know what he really has or he is fibbing. It's most likely a cesspool. In this area, SOME municipalities consider a cesspool an approved system.

I would ask the homeowner again, see if he has any documentation - and if he does not, call for a septic inspection.

Had one like this a few months ago - FHA Reverse. It was inspected, determined to be a cesspool system in working condition, approved by the township - and the tank was 55 feet from the well, also approved by the township as it was grandfathered. HUD insured the loan once they received all the paperwork.

Rich is correct in his statement "be careful here" - call for an inspection.

 

[Crippled Chef]

All my FHA reports with a septic system have wording that states "the appraiser was given information by the homeowner concerning the style, size, condition, age and location of the septic system. If exact information concerning the subject septic system is a concern to the client the appraiser recomends an inspection by an expert in that field; the appraiser is not an expert in septic system matters." Works every time...I only comment on what I can SEE, I don't guess on what I can't see.

 

[444nutman]

That has got to be one HECK of a big concrete holding tank. It is not uncommon for the typical family to use 6000-12000 gal of water a month. If they pump that every 24 months, they will need a 144,000+ gal sized tank.


Somebody ain't giving you the straight scoop.

There are sewer systems that take only the effluent off of the septic tanks. They have to have the solids pumped out every xx months. Perhaps this is what they have. I used to live in Damiansville, IL and we were all on septics. Shortly after we moved the town was forced by the EPA to shift over to this type of sewer system.

Another possiblity is that they actually have field drainage...and they just don't know it.

You are correct on your math. My grandfather owns a septic business in Delaware. The beach houses all had holding tanks. He was pumping them once a week to ten days in the summer. The smart ones would use the outside showers, which saved on the tank filling up with water.