Chapter 11 Exercises: Sewer Lines and Septic Systems

These exercises are mostly investigative — discovering what you have, understanding its condition, and establishing maintenance baselines. Most require nothing more than your own property, a phone for photos, and potentially a few tools or a phone call.

Exercise 11.1 — Determine Your Waste System Type

Time required: 15–30 minutes Materials: Phone, possibly a county parcel lookup

Before you can maintain your waste system, you need to know what you have.

  1. If you pay a sewer bill as part of your water utility bill (or as a separate line item on a municipal bill), you are on a municipal sewer. The charge is typically based on your water usage.
  2. If you do not have a sewer charge, you likely have a septic system.
  3. Confirm by checking your property records — county tax records or GIS parcel maps often indicate "sewer" vs. "septic" for each parcel. Search "[your county] GIS" or "[your county] parcel search."
  4. If you're on municipal sewer: identify your sewer lateral pipe material using the age-based guide from Section 11.1. When was your home built? What is the likely lateral material?
  5. If you're on septic: when was the system last pumped, to your knowledge? Can you locate the tank access?

Record your findings in your home information file.

Exercise 11.2 — Locate Your Sewer Cleanout

Time required: 15–20 minutes Materials: Flashlight

The sewer cleanout is a 3–4-inch round capped fitting that provides access to the main drain line for clearing clogs and inserting a camera.

  1. Check the basement or crawl space first — look for a pipe coming down from the floor above that transitions to a horizontal run toward the street. A cleanout cap (white or black, round, may be flush with or projecting from the pipe) should be on or near this fitting.
  2. Check along the outside foundation. The cleanout may be a cap at ground level near where the drain exits the house.
  3. Check in the yard along the line from the house to the street.
  4. If you can't find one: it may be buried just below grade. Try probing the soil along the likely lateral path with a thin metal rod.

Once located: Photograph it. Make sure the cap is accessible and can be removed without difficulty (they can seize with age; a light application of penetrating oil on the threads is good preventive maintenance). Note the location in your home information file.

Exercise 11.3 — Walk Your Lateral Path

Time required: 20 minutes Materials: None

Walk from your house foundation toward the street along the most direct underground path (your drain exits the house toward the street or alley). Observe the ground surface over the entire lateral path.

Look for: - Unusually lush or dark green grass compared to surrounding lawn - Wet or soggy ground patches - Sunken or settled ground surface - Any evidence of prior excavation (filled trenches, different soil color) - Tree roots near the path, especially trees within 20–30 feet

Photograph any concerning observations. If you see lush grass over the lateral in conditions where other grass is dry or dormant, that's worth noting as a potential indicator of a lateral leak.

Exercise 11.4 — Assess Your Home for Sewer Camera Inspection Need

Time required: 20 minutes Materials: None

Answer the following questions honestly:

  1. How old is your home?
  2. What is the likely lateral pipe material based on age (see Section 11.1)?
  3. When was the last sewer camera inspection performed, if ever?
  4. Have you experienced any of the warning signs from Section 11.2? (Slow drains throughout, cross-drain backup, sewage odor, lush grass over lateral)
  5. Are there large trees in your yard, especially within 30 feet of the lateral path?

Scoring: - Home over 40 years old + no known camera inspection: strong case for scheduling an inspection. - Clay tile or Orangeburg lateral (pre-1975 home) + mature trees: urgent case for inspection. - No warning signs + newer PVC lateral: low urgency, but inspection before any major renovation or sale is still worthwhile.

If your assessment suggests an inspection is warranted, research local plumbers who offer sewer camera inspections. Get two quotes. Expected cost: $150–$350. Consider this a maintenance investment, not a repair.

Exercise 11.5 — Locate Your Septic System Components (Septic Households Only)

Time required: 30–60 minutes Materials: Site plan (if available from county records), metal probe rod (optional), phone

  1. Check county health department records for a septic system site plan. Most counties maintain these — search "[your county] health department septic records" or "[your county] environmental health."
  2. If you have the site plan: go to the property and identify the locations of the tank, distribution box (D-box), and drain field on the ground. Photograph each location.
  3. If no site plan: probe the yard along the likely path from the house. The tank is typically 5–20 feet from the foundation. Probe the soil — the tank lid is typically concrete or plastic and can be felt with a metal probe at 6–24 inches depth.
  4. Walk the drain field area: it should be downhill from the tank (for a gravity system). Look for the D-box (often a small concrete box, possibly with a cover) between tank and field.
  5. Mark the locations with small landscaping flags or note them on a sketch.

Record all locations. These positions should be in your home information file and should be shared with any landscaping contractors working on your property.

Exercise 11.6 — Septic "What Not to Flush" Audit

Time required: 15–20 minutes Materials: None

Walk through every bathroom and the kitchen. Inventory what's in your home that might be flushed or drained.

Check: 1. Bathroom products: are there "flushable" wipes present? (These are problematic for septic systems.) 2. Medications: are there expired or unused medications being disposed of down the toilet? (Should go to pharmacy take-back programs instead.) 3. Kitchen: is the garbage disposal heavily used? What types of food go in regularly? 4. Cleaning products: are antibacterial soaps and heavy bleach applications routine? 5. Do all household members know what should not go in a septic-connected drain?

Create a one-page house rules document for your household covering septic-appropriate use. Post it where it's visible to guests and family members unfamiliar with your system.

Exercise 11.7 — Calculate Your Septic Pumping Schedule

Time required: 10 minutes Materials: Tank size information (from records or prior pumping receipt)

Use the guidelines from Section 11.6 to calculate your recommended pumping interval.

  1. Determine your tank size (from site plan, county records, or prior service receipt). If unknown, the default for a 3-bedroom home is approximately 1,000 gallons; for 4 bedrooms, 1,250 gallons.
  2. Count the number of people using the system regularly.
  3. Apply the pumping interval estimate: - 1,000-gallon tank, 2 people: every 5–7 years - 1,000-gallon tank, 4 people: every 3–4 years - 1,500-gallon tank, 4 people: every 4–5 years - 1,000-gallon tank, 6 people: every 2–3 years
  4. When was the last pump-out? Calculate when the next one is due.
  5. If you don't know when the last pump-out was: schedule one. A septic professional will measure sludge levels and tell you whether you're on schedule or overdue.

Research licensed septic pumping companies in your area. Get a price quote for your tank size. Add the pumping date to your home maintenance calendar.

Exercise 11.8 — Drain Field Observation Walk

Time required: 20 minutes, best done after a rainy period and again during dry weather Materials: None

Walk the entire area of your drain field (identified in Exercise 11.5) and observe conditions.

Look for: 1. Any wet or soggy areas over the trench lines (a sign of field saturation) 2. Sewage odor in the field area 3. Unusually lush, dark green grass directly over trench lines compared to surrounding lawn 4. Any trees, large shrubs, or new plantings within 30–50 feet of the field edge 5. Any vehicles, equipment, or structures over the field area (these must be removed — compaction destroys field capacity) 6. Condition of the surface soil — should not be compacted hard

Photograph and document anything concerning. Repeat this observation every spring. Changes year-over-year are more informative than a single observation.

Exercise 11.9 — Get a Sewer Lateral Insurance Quote (Sewer Households)

Time required: 15 minutes Materials: Phone or computer

Sewer lateral failure is one of the most expensive uninsured homeowner risks. Many municipalities and utility companies now offer low-cost lateral insurance programs.

  1. Call your water utility or visit their website. Ask whether they offer a "sewer lateral insurance program" or "service line protection program."
  2. If they don't: check homeowners insurance riders — some insurers offer sewer lateral or service line coverage as an add-on for $5–$15/month.
  3. Compare: what does the program cover? What are the repair cost caps? Is the line replacement included or just clearing?
  4. Calculate the premium vs. the potential risk: a lateral replacement can cost $5,000–$20,000. At $10/month, a year of coverage costs $120.

If your home has a pre-1975 lateral, a lateral insurance program is strongly worth considering.

Exercise 11.10 — Design Your Household Septic Emergency Protocol

Time required: 20 minutes (Septic households only)

Create a written protocol — similar to the plumbing emergency card from Chapter 10 — specific to your septic system.

Include: 1. Septic tank access lid location (GPS coordinates or sketch from house) 2. D-box location 3. Drain field boundaries (where NOT to park or plant) 4. Pumping company name and number: __ 5. County health department contact for septic questions: __ 6. Signs of drain field failure to watch for (from Section 11.7) 7. Actions to take if sewage is backing up: (1) stop using all water; (2) call pumping company; (3) call health department if sewage is surfacing; (4) call restoration company if sewage has entered house.

Post this document with your other home maintenance records. Review it with all household members who might be home alone when a problem arises.