I take it you did not have a home inspection?

The FL sellers disclosure form indicates if a property is on sewer or septic. This is a document you would have seen and signed--no matter how long the previous owners had the property. First find that document and look at it. Did you sign it? If so, you really have no recourse here.

If you're wondering who you can sue, I suspect that any lawsuit would cost more than the cost of a new system. Your best option is to hope it holds out and start saving to replace it.

We did have every inspection done advised by our realtor. And reading through it, it does say that it is a septic and that it was not part of the inspection, but that it was all functioning normally.

Being in the city proper , we didn't even think about septic. We don't know much beyond the googling we just did.

Any chance you can hook into the city system now?

Our street doesn't have any sewer unfortunately :(

One thing after calling around is that some septic companies are willing to make a hole and then make another opening for the pumping process. Getting our consult this week. Fingers crossed.

I just abandoned my septic tanks for the city sewer. The company I used offered to let me pay in installments. Maybe you can find a co. with a similar option if it comes to that. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

We did have every inspection done advised by our realtor. And reading through it, it does say that it is a septic and that it was not part of the inspection, but that it was all functioning normally.

There was your mistake. And your realtor should have known that if there is a septic, it should be tested.

Also any inspector would have turned on all the faucets to see if the system is functioning, and if drains are slow, it's noted in the report.

Thanks so much. I know that it was my fault and I'm not really looking to sue anyone -- just a way out of this mess. I fully understand that it is on my shoulders because I signed off and I made the mistake. I appreciate those who gave solutions and alternatives which was what I was looking for.

I am learning that the first solutions are the most expensive and that if you refuse them, other solutions are coming up. There is very little on septic tanks in my city online because there are so few of us (we are in a suburban city).

I will look into possibly paying it off in installments, but that is money that I will have to pay. I'm trying to sink as little money into this house as possible without the house malfunctioning. Our plan is to either sell or rent the house in a year and a half rather than stay in it. I'm trying to avoid this draining situation as much as possible.

As for civil court I feel like I would come out sounding stupid. It's all verbal what was said to me. And he made sure to call my husband and not me (we got married after I purchased the home) and tell him verbally that he didn't know. He's being incredibly skeezy about the whole thing and won't even talk to me - it is all under me. Even my in laws are lying and telling me that I should have never bought the house and knew that this would be a bad idea when they physically came to the house (which they conveniently forgot) and pressured me into the house. I just know now to not listen to anyone and do my own research.

Main brighter news, has anyone dealt with a septic tank by somehow installing a new lid? Our septic is concrete

Attended a home inspection yesterday with my Buyers and watched the dreaded green dye surface from the lateral lines and run down the hill....the septic tank also has a hole in it.

If I were in your shoes, I would start educating myself about the laws governing septic systems in your state. If you are able to do a Band-Aid type of fix for right now, accept that it is only a Band-Aid and start saving the money necessary to replace it because that could be a very real possibility. This is especially important if you hope to sell the place sooner rather than later because this is a problem that you know about, so it will have to be disclosed. Another possibility is to start petitioning the city to run the sewer lines down your street but that will also likely incur substantial fees but is probably the best option in the long run.

I'm bumping this up because I'm not clear on the exact problem with the tank. Is sewage backing up into the house? Is the slanted septic dumping sewage outside the leach field? Are all the drains slow, or just one toilet? Could there be other reasons for slow draining, like tree roots or other clogs?

I'm asking because septic systems in themselves aren't necessarily a bad thing, I've lived with them for most of my life. If this thing isn't causing serious issues right now, then you might be able to get by with simpler solutions for some amount of time, such as roto rooter, liquid plumber, etc. That would give you time to save up for a new system, if it comes to that.

IIWY I'd get a plumber to look at specific problems like slow drains, to help figure out exactly where the problems are.

Where I live (northeastern PA), every rural house has a septic system. Your $8 to $10k quote actually sounds pretty reasonable to me, if you do indeed need to replace it. New ones around here cost about $30k.

Scone911's advice is spot on. Getting a plumber in to look at the slow drains is your best first step.

If you do end up having to replace it, remember that an updated septic system will be a selling point when you eventually put the house on the market. You might be able to recoup some of the cost.

So the issue is that we could not pump our tank because a giant tree is growing over it and it is slanted into the ground. We have a really small house with one toilet. And it is slow at times, but no backing up thank goodness. I also needed to vent and new perspectives on the septic system since we are new to all this.

This is past week, my husband and I bought an axe and root saw and we tore apart all of roots above it so we can access one hatch. There is a gap between the lids (less than an inch) that were covered with garbage bags. When removed, we noticed that every time we take a shower or flush the toilet, it over flows into that hole. Not a nasty smell -- just a bit icky.

As for the temporary solution -- we are planning on getting it pumped now that we can get it open and seeing if that solves our issue for now. It was hard work for the two of us, but we are glad we finished.

As for the price of the septic tank, it is for a tiny house (we are at 1000 sq. ft.) with only one bathroom. Honestly, it is a small apartment size. 10k is a significant percentage of the house value which is the issue. We won't likely recoup a lot of that value unfortunately. The other complication is that they want us to raise the lines above ground so we would have to build a hill into our backyard which is unpreferred. Although I guess it would be more exercise for my overweight dog. You know, throw treats on top of the hill.

Congratulations, Heather, on your practical approach! This is exactly the way to proceed. You are taking action to do what you can do yourselves, gathering intelligence, and taking it slow so you can get to know the house, the land, the laws and the technologies. You will be amazed at how much you can do yourself, and how much better you can make decisions and oversee the work you do hire. Learn to be a proactive homeowner. As for the requirement to raise the lines, my guess is that that applies to installation of a new system, not to repair of an existing one. Learn what constitutes the difference, and keep this one going as long as possible.

A septic tank isn't necessarily a problem in and of itself, and I've known plenty of septic tanks that have functioned fine since the '50s.

In the short run you can flush bacteria down the toilet. They should eat some of the solid waste and extend the life of the system.

How much dry, undeveloped land do you have? Do you have other places you could put in a system? Any spots at a higher level you could put a septic tank? Although I think septic tanks at higher elevations require a pump that goes out when the power does...

In some states you could sue.

They say if you loan a friend $20.00 and never get it back, it's a small price to pay to learn you can't trust that friend. I think this is a relatively cheap way to learn you can't trust your inlaws.

I hate doing business by phone because people remember conversations differently and garble information. I prefer emails I can look up afterwards and hand to a spouse.

So the city said that we can't just replace the tank. We need to replace the drain field as well in order for them to issue the permit.

Anyway, should I be concerned about the gaps between the concrete lids and the sinking? I can't seem to find much online about that.

I also hate doing business by phone. I always try to say to send me an email and I will reply to confirm -- but in this situation, he won't even call me , just talk to my husband. Which by the way, this house was bought with my money and under my name. It makes me upset and makes me realize how skeezy this guy is. Honestly, thinking of writing a (true) bad review on social media to make myself at least feel like I can retaliate somehow.

our plot of land is pretty small (0.19 acres) so we can move it, but not ideal. Is it cheaper (realtive) to install one above ground or more costly?

We are trying to be good proactive home owners roof had a small leak in the garage which is flat so we went up and patched all the seams this past weekend. Off topic, but any advice on ponding roofs? The ponding areas are not leaking , but we have discovered tadpoles up there! We try to go up and sweep all water off if there is sustained rain

We have a company coming out to pump Friday -- hopefully it goes well!

If you want to be "pro-active" about the roof without spending a lot of money...do a home energy audit, check the insulation to see if it has compacted. See if installing "crickets" to divert water away from the ponding spots helps. See if you need to replace the flashing. (Nothing to do with the ponding, but the first part that starts to leak). After a big rain look for damp spots in the walls or ceiling and go into the attic.

Ultimately you may need a new roof, but maybe these cheaper fixes will help if you are lucky.

If you have a really small lot you probably don't have another location to put a new tank & drainfield and you can't put it where you had the old septic system. So it sounds like someone is proposing a mound system which allows you to essentially create a new piece of ground for the system - above ground. Mound systems are typically more expensive than regular septic systems.

As you have discovered, septic systems can be complicated especially if you have no experience with them. And it sounds like previous owners were very negligent in maintaining the system - rule number one, you don't let trees grow over your septic system.

Unfortunately, you probably do have to follow the codes regarding how you can do the septic system. And a 50 yr old septic tank is really old - 60 yrs for a septic tank? I think they were made of metal back in the day, if so its long overdue to be replaced. Our first house had a metal septic tank which over time had rusted to the point we needed a new one. We put a concrete tank in, I believe it became code so we really had no choice, although we would have done so anyway. I think metal septic tanks are only good for 20 yrs or so. This is a job you only want to do once, concrete is the way to go. Our home also had a raised septic field, it had a pump in the tank to pump the water up into the field. As long as the pump worked, it was fine. Still, we eventually moved to a place where the lawn slopes downward, which allows the water to flow into the septic field without the use of a pump system.

If your toilet continues to run slow, hire a plumber (bioremedies is goid, if they have them there) and get a camera snaked thru sewer lines to see if your pipes are broken, have roots growing thru them, or buildup that is constricting them. If they aren't broken but have one if the other conditions, they can use a chain thing that spins and cuts/cleans out the whole pipe, and then hydro wash. It cost us less than 600.00 to do a 3200 sf house. Stopped the problem of slow draining tub and non flushing toilet.

Also, if you have never had septic before (once you get your issues resolved) educate yourself on how to care for one. I have always had one and I am anal about what goes down the pipes. As someone else mentioned, no trees around the tank. Also, septic safe toilet paper, no tampons, condoms, wet wipes or cigarette butts. I know, I know, gross! That stuff clogs up tanks. Also, go easy on the bleach, it kills the good bacteria that lives in your tank and eats all of the waste. Bacteria is your friend :)

Good luck!