About 'The Septic Inspector'

My knowledge and expertise stems back to childhood as I grew up in a home with a Septic System which was installed in the late 50's. There was no awareness back then that these Private Onsite Waste Disposal Systems required maintenance. Many homes, old and new, experienced undaunting failures. I remember playing football at various homes where we needed to retrieve a stray ball from a foul area of surfacing effluent. In my early teens, our Septic System Absorption Field went into failure and the odor was not pleasant. My Father did not even know where our Septic Tank was located. After grueling effort, I helped to unearth the concrete tank cover. This was fascinating for me to see where our wastes were routed from the home. The solids in the tank were well overdue from being pumped out which a Septic Service addressed immediately. We continued to search out the old asphalt fiber pipe, known as Orangeburg, to find it had deteriorated in multiple locations. The Absorption Field was in failure due to solids by-passing the tank which impacted the natural soil porosity to no longer leach the normally clarified effluent (wastewater). Afterward, I would occasionally see the neighbors yard being excavated when they were forced to address their failures. I already knew what was involved! I have been locating and inspecting Septic Systems on a full time basis since 1997. Over the 27 years of being in business, I have always been aggressive to pursue educational courses, attending Manufacturer Seminars, State Training Certifications in NY & PA and achieved the roll of Vice President of a highly regarding Pennsylvania Septic Association. I have inspected 1000's of old systems along with newer advanced treatment type systems which have evolved over time. By applying a methodical approach, I frequently discover smaller issues which could lead to system failures down to failed systems which some property Owners never knew existed. I always mention to my Clients that Septic Systems are like Human beings in so they are uniquely different due to the many variables of what flows through them from the occupants of the structures. It is somewhat amusing that working with Septic Systems brings forth alot of humor. One of my off color comments because of my passion for this occupation is "I'm anal when I inspect a Septic System".