Whenever I'm showing homes with onsite septic systems, I always visit the health dept in the county where the property is located to review the file. I usually pay for a copy of the file so I can review it with potential buyer. Sometimes this is the first time a buyer actually studies and learns a little about how a septic system is suppose to work. If I'm showing in Loudoun, I'll stop by Health Dept in Leesburg. I can usually just pop in, request file, and have it in 15 minutes of less. In Prince William county, they require a 48 hour notice for an appointment. Sometimes I can get an appt in 24 hours if I call early and they aren't too busy. Their office in in Woodbridge, so it can take 4 hours out of a day to drive their, review file with receptionist, and drive home to Lovettsville. Then it usually takes another 2 hours to explain what's in the file to potential buyers.
On a recent trip to Woodbridge to investigate a septic system in Haymarket VA, I discovered the following: The system was a 3 bedroom conventional, installed with a permit, was last pumped in 2010, had a 1500-2000 gallon tank made of 4" concrete, the location of tank, d-box, and field, record of repairs showing cast iron pipes from tank to d-box, d-box, and header lines were all replaced with PVC, that one tee needed a 3" extension, that property could be subdivided, that the heath dept did some initial soil tests for a new drain field with an auger but hit too much rock to continue, etc.
Depending on what year the initial septic system was installed will determine what we'll need to qualify for to subdivide. Older systems didn't need a reserve site. Today we do need a reserve, so to divide a 5 acre lot into 2 lots, a buyer would need to find a reserve site for the existing septic system, then another install site and another reserve site in order to subdivide.
Oh, back to my title: FOG stands for "Fats - Oil - Grease" in septic system world. This FOG layer is what accumulates in your tank and floats to the top. Solids sink to the bottom of the tank. Liquids fill the tank to the outlet tee. If a tank isn't pumped ( usually every 5-7 years), FOG can build up and clog the tees, then flow out into the distribution box, then flow through pipes into your drain field where it can build up and block the absortion of liguids into the dirt. Then the trenches fill with liquid, which causes a back-up all the way back to the house. At that point you become a" Pump and Haul" customer which requires your tank to be pumped every 1-3 months, or you can call Dons Johns and rent a portable toilet! It pays to understand how your septic system works and maintain it in order to avoid problems.
The link below will provide a quick look at how a standard septic tank works. If you have an alternative system with modules filled with mulch, the repairs can be costly.
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/EnvironmentalHealth/Onsite/howsystemsworks/septictank.htm
Welcome Home - HA! It's cold out here. I wish our Realtor would have done a better job reseaching our septic system before we bought!
Jeff Pearl / Lic in VA
Remax Distinctive - McLean VA
703-727-4876
Homes / Land / Farms / Historic
Equal Housing
but I now know that fog can also be "fat,oil & grease...Thanks for the lesson on fog...
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