A House Purchase Survey is cost-effective

When selling your property, you must provide information on the private sewage system to the new owners, as per the General Binding Rules (rule 13). If a property is sold, the operator must give the new operator a written notice stating that a small sewage discharge is being carried out and providing a description of the wastewater system and its maintenance requirements.

ASL Limited will take care of everything – call now: 0800 0488 701

Our team takes the time to fully understand the issue and identify the root cause. We’ll provide clear, tailored options for fixing it and work meticulously until everything is functioning perfectly.

Case studies:

No. 1: The garden is not large enough for the land drains, and the ground is not suitable for a septic tank or treatment plant discharge. To determine where to dispose of the treated water, we will search for the most recent borehole for your area, for information.

No. 2: The boreholes in this area are clay, ranging from 8 meters to 25 meters deep.

No. 3: The area where the land drains are located, as well as the rear of your property, has been sold off and sectioned by fence panels.

No. 4: My sewage overflowed within a month, even though we had it emptied when we first moved in. I have a family of four, including my husband and myself. You asked me what system I had purchased.

No. 5: What is the difference between a cesspit, a septic tank, and a treatment plant?

A House Purchase Survey by ASL Drains would have highlighted these points before and during the purchase process.

To confirm our recent conversations, there is insufficient space between the property and the boundary to install a septic tank or treatment plant with a new drainage field to disperse the separated water from a septic tank or clean water from a treatment plant, as per Building Regulations guidelines. For more information on the importance of healthy bacteria in suitable land or the right size treatment plant, please refer to our blog.

We would recommend a joint meeting after a thorough survey. We will liaise with your local Building Regulations officer to provide our opinion on what would be deemed acceptable. It may also be necessary to apply for a permit from the Environment Agency, as the suggested solutions may not or may not meet the General Binding Rules.

If a non-standard infiltration system for foul waste is required (for instance, any type of soakaway or discharge point to the ground that is not a drainage field), you may need to upgrade your septic tank to a packaged treatment plant. A treatment plant treats the effluent to a much higher standard than a septic tank, which has minimal treatment and can even be discharged to surface water.

As the operator of a private sewage system, it is your responsibility to ensure that your system complies with the General Binding Rules or has a permit from the Environment Agency if it does not meet the standard rules.

**SURFACE WATER WARNING**

Please request ASL Ltd to conduct a survey to identify any surface water that may be entering the system. If surface water or rainwater can enter the tank, it can cause further problems with separation and treatment. If the water enters in a surge, such as during heavy rainfall or a storm, the incoming water can stir up the primary settlement chamber, destroying any separation that has occurred or any treatment. Without adequate separation, suspended solids and fats can pass through the tank and continue to the discharge point, where they can coat the surface, causing environmental damage and pollution. Call us now to book a visit on 0800 0488 701.

We hope this give food for thought when making a house purchase. If you would like to discuss any aspect of this post, please contact our team.

I often state and I truly believe that I’m a student rather than the finished article – I have lots to learn and I’m open to change. In similar words, I have shared and impressed upon all our teams the following values. These values and principles are actions for productivity giving us a great way to ‘become’, to feel and be secure, enabling us to be forgiving and understanding to be stronger and to live happier, dealing with the ups and downs of what life throws at us.

Gerry Rowe – Owner of ASL Limited

Get in touch with ASL's friendly team to arrange your House Purchase Survey. Call us on 0800 0488 701.