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Step 1
First be sure to hire a professional licensed to work with septic systems in your area. Check out their credentials and what the local better business bureau has to say about them. Ask around to see what other home owners have to say about the companies that are available. Septic systems are usually found in rural areas and one of the best sources of community information in these areas are the people that make up the volunteer fire departments. Usually long time residents and property owners themselves, they can often point you to well known and experienced septic system plumbers.
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Step 2
Don't let the cost be your deciding factor. A thorough inspection should run about $100 to $200 dollars depending on the size of your system and the time involved. Companies that try to sell you additives and repetitive inspection programs should raise a red flag. A properly running system does not need any bacterial or chemical additives. While inspections are important, they are only necessary every few years if there are no mishaps such as tank or drain line damages.
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Step 3
Know what your septic system consist of, how the various parts work, and where they are located. You don't want to pay to have the yard all dug up because of a bad odor, only to find out it was due to a vent pipe being stopped up on your roof. Read up on septic systems and scout yours out so you will know what the inspector should be checking and where problems might arise. You might want to read my article "how to take care of your Septic Tank and Maintain a Septic system" to get an understand for your system and how to keep it in working order.
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Step 4
Be present when the inspection is done to be sure the job is done correctly. A professional inspector should not just walk around your property or only check that your toilets are flushing. A good inspection will require some digging to see inside the septic tank and check it for any problems such as broken baffles or bad lids. The depth of the sludge layer at the tank bottom and the thickness of the scum floating at the top both need to be measured to judge weather or not the tank needs to be pumped out. The flow of waste water into the tank should be determined to see if the incoming lines are clogged. Vent pipes should be checked for stoppages and to see that they are the correct size. The inspector should ask you questions, how many people live in the house, how many bathrooms do you have, what do you regularly put down the drains, do you have a disposal, do you have a water softener, and how do you handle kitchen grease wastes, are some to expect. He should also check the pipe leaving the septic tank and the distribution box that leads to the field lines. The distribution box should drain to all the field lines equally so that all of the leach field is used not just a portion of it. Lastly he should dig down into the leach field lines to check them and see that they are not stopped up or filled with tree roots. If your system requires any additional tanks or pumps they should check by him also.
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Step 5
If you are buying property with a septic system, don't accept the seller's report of just having the tank inspected or pumped. Hire your own professional for the job and again be there when he does the job. It is best to inspect the system before the tank is pumped rather that afterwards as a newly cleaned tank can hide problems. Don't sign off on the property until the septic system has been shown to be in a good working condition or you know about any problems that exist and are willing to accept them.
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