Locating Your Septic Tank: A Complete Guide

Maintaining a septic tank is one of the crucial aspects of owning a home and but for that, you need to locate your septic tank. However, knowing how to find a buried septic tank can be tricky and needs some education. Whether you are planning a landscape or facing clogging issues, you need to properly locate your septic tank without damaging any other part of your house. This blog delves into the different ways how to find septic tank for your project or repair. 

Why You Might Need to Locate Your Septic Tank

There are several reasons why you need to locate your septic tank. Some of the reasons are as follows: 

Routine Maintenance: Septic tanks need routine maintenance to keep the system running properly. Without proper routine maintenance, your septic tank can get clogged or damaged due to dirt and mud in its pipes. To keep up the maintenance routine, you need to locate your septic system tank effectively. 

Plumbing Issues: If your house is facing plumbing problems, then you might need to locate your septic system. Plumbing issues may include slow drains, clogging, smells, and leakages. All of these issues might stem from a damaged septic system. In such circumstances, knowing your septic tank location is necessary. 

Landscaping and Construction: Construction and landscaping require a lot of digging. In due course, your septic tank might get damaged unknowingly. Knowing how to find a buried septic tank is beneficial in such situations.

Property Transfers: If you are selling or mortgaging your home to someone else, you need to find your septic tank. During property transfers, this is one crucial information that the new homeowner would want to know for obvious reasons. In many areas, not disclosing the location of your septic tank is illegal. 

Repairs: The main reason to locate your septic tank is for repairing and replacing.

How Do I Find Out Where My Septic Tank Is?

Search for the Tank Visually

The first step of how to find a septic tank is to search for it visually. Sometimes the marks of a septic tank are visible on the surface. In old houses, this method is effective with numerous signs visible on the ground. Start noticing the level of the ground where you might suspect the septic tank might be. The ground might swell up and rise where the septic tank might be located. Be careful, as the grass can cover up the ground, camouflaging the septic tank. Clear out the grass before you start inspecting. Sometimes, a greener patch on the ground could also indicate the location of the septic tank. 

Search Your Property Records

Looking up your property records can also reveal the location of your septic tank. Now, if you need to know how to find septic tank records of your property, you can visit the local health department for your property blueprint. The property deeds also contain the location of septic tanks, as some places oblige homeowners to disclose the location on official documents. If you are a new owner of a house, call up the previous owner to disclose the blueprints of the home. Your sellers might have had to locate it in the first place, they needed to get maintenance done. 

Use Septic Tank Risers

Septic tank risers are tube-like structures that the septic installers put on the ground to ensure the location of the tank is known. This structure is kept there to let the repairers and plumbers know the location in case of repairs. The rise is usually made from plastic or rubber, directly connected to the septic tank via access points. Such structures help the technicians locate the tank quickly and get access swiftly. Search for such a structure in your yard that resembles a large pipe sticking out of the ground vertically. 

Trace the Plumbing Lines

Sewer and main plumbing lines often lead to the septic tank as they are directly connected. In new houses, plumbing lines are hidden, so pulling up house records can help. Old houses have exposed lines, so it will be easier to search for the septic tank as you can trace the pipes. The septic should lie 10 to 25 ft away from the house, underneath the ground. 

Use a Septic Tank Probe

A septic tank probe is an investigation done to reveal the location of the septic tank. Usually, a long rod is poked into the ground to feel for the lid of the tank. Once the lid is found, the ground is dug up. However, you should not be doing this all on your own. This probe requires local expertise and professional skills. You need to hire companies that provide septic tank probing services. 

Using a Septic Tank Finder Tool

Some technologies can be used to find your septic tank, and they are as follows:

Electronic Septic Tank Locator: The device uses electrical signals to detect the tank. The tech works on the principles of sonar and does not require excavation. This device saves money and time. 

Soil Probe Rod: A long rod is used to penetrate the soil and detect the tank lid. Once that is detected, the ground is dug to reveal the septic tank. 

Metal Detector: The septic tank has metal parts, such as pipes and metal lids. So, metal detectors are necessary to detect the tank without digging the ground. 

Magnetic Locator: Magnetic detectors can also help to detect metal parts of the septic tank. Magnetic locators can sense the metal parts of the septic system using their electromagnetic waves.

These tools are difficult to use and can only be handled by professionals and experts. Thus, make sure to hire a consultant or a firm that provides such services for locating a septic tank. 

Conclusion

Locating your septic tank is the fundamental responsibility of home ownership. Some places require you to disclose this information, but for others it’s a tedious process. Once the house is built, document the location of your septic tank. Create a sign or a detailed map of your plumbing so that it leads to your septic tank. Make someone take pictures of the location of the tank. Take professional help and do not excavate your home without consulting a professional or a local expert. Do not neglect your property records and study them properly. 

FAQs

Q1: How do I find out where my septic tank is located?

Searching for visual signs and checking property records can be a good method to detect a septic tank. Other methods include probing for a septic tank and using tools such as metal detectors, an electronic septic tank locator. 

Q2: Can I find a buried septic tank myself without digging?

You can find a buried septic tank by using technology such as Electronic Septic Tank Locator, magnetic locators, and metal detectors. Also, you can check your property records or follow the plumbing lines.