Chapter 11 Further Reading: Sewer Lines and Septic Systems

Books and Print Resources

1. "The Homeowner's Complete Guide to Septic Systems" — Mac Rood The most accessible book-length treatment of residential septic systems for the non-specialist homeowner. Covers conventional and alternative systems, maintenance schedules, troubleshooting, and working with contractors. Written in plain English without talking down to the reader. Particularly good on what homeowners can do to extend system life versus what requires professional service. If you're on septic and want a single shelf reference, this is it.

2. "Onsite Sewage Disposal" — R.J. Perkins More technical than Rood, written for the homeowner-as-serious-student rather than general reader. Covers septic design principles, soil science (why perc rates matter), and alternative system technologies in detail. If you're on a challenging site with an alternative system — mound, ATU, drip irrigation — the technical background here is valuable for understanding what your contractor is telling you and verifying that the work is appropriate.

3. "A Field Guide to American Houses" — Virginia McAlester Not primarily a plumbing book, but indispensable for identifying the construction era of a home — which directly determines the likely pipe materials. McAlester's detailed architectural typology guide allows you to identify when a home was built (often more precisely than the listed date) by its style, construction, and materials. This is foundational information for sewer lateral risk assessment.

Government and Regulatory Resources

4. EPA — Septic Systems Overview (epa.gov/septic) The EPA's consumer resource on septic systems is thorough, accurate, and free. It includes how systems work, what can harm them, maintenance guidance, and a state-by-state directory of septic resources. The "SepticSmart" program resources — particularly the homeowner's guide — are well-written and suitable for sharing with household members who need basic understanding of system operation. Use it as a supplement to this chapter.

5. Your State Health Department — Onsite Wastewater Program Every state regulates septic systems through its environmental or health agency. These agencies publish consumer guides calibrated to local conditions: soil types, setback requirements, pumping frequency recommendations specific to your climate and system type, and licensed contractor lookup tools. A web search for "[your state] onsite wastewater homeowner guide" will find it. This is the authoritative local source — use it alongside this book.

6. Your County Health Department (Environmental Health Division) Your county health department maintains records of every permitted septic system in the county: the original permit, soil evaluation report, system site plan, and in some cases maintenance history. This information is typically public record and free to access. Before you do anything with your septic system — including scheduling a pump-out or evaluating a repair bid — retrieve your records. They tell you the tank size, system type, designer, and original installation details.

Video and Digital Resources

7. National Environmental Services Center (NESC) — nesc.wvu.edu NESC at West Virginia University provides technical assistance for small water and wastewater systems. Their online library includes consumer-facing guides on septic system operation, maintenance, and failure — written with rural homeowners in mind. Their "Pipeline" publication archives are a free resource on water and wastewater topics, including several issues specifically about homeowner septic responsibilities and care.

8. This Old House — "Sewer and Drain" playlist The This Old House team has produced multiple segments on sewer lateral inspection, trenchless repair technology, and septic system basics. The camera inspection segment is particularly useful — it shows what the camera footage looks like and how a professional interprets root intrusion, pipe condition, and grade. Freely available on YouTube and thisoldhouse.com. Watch it before scheduling an inspection so you can read the footage yourself.

Technical and Industry Resources

9. NASSCO (National Association of Sewer Service Companies) — nassco.org NASSCO is the trade organization for sewer inspection and rehabilitation contractors. They publish the PACP (Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program) — the industry standard coding system for sewer defects observed on camera. Understanding PACP codes — which appear in camera inspection reports from professional contractors — lets you interpret what your sewer inspection report actually says. Their consumer section explains what the codes mean and how defects are scored for severity.

10. NSF International — Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (nsf.org) NSF certifies alternative septic system components — aerobic treatment units, drip irrigation systems, media filters, and others — through their NSF/ANSI 40 and related standards. If your property requires an alternative system, NSF-certified components are verified to meet performance standards. Before accepting a contractor's proposal for an alternative system, checking whether the proposed equipment is NSF-certified is a simple verification step.

11. American Ground Water Trust — agwt.org For rural properties with both a septic system and a well, the American Ground Water Trust provides consumer resources on the relationship between land use, septic systems, and drinking water quality. Their materials on septic-to-well separation distances, water testing recommendations, and the pathways by which septic effluent can reach groundwater are directly relevant to the 13 million American households on private wells. If you have both systems, regular water testing and proper separation distances are not optional.

12. Insurance Information Institute — Home Insurance for Water and Sewer Damage (iii.org) A well-designed resource explaining how standard homeowners insurance treats sewer backup and water damage: what's typically covered (sudden pipe bursts), what's typically excluded (gradual leaks, sewer backup without a separate rider, flood from outside the house), and what separate coverage products exist (sewer backup riders, service line protection). Given the cost of a lateral failure or drain field replacement, understanding what your policy does and doesn't cover is genuinely important — and most people don't read their policy until after a claim is denied. This resource explains the key distinctions clearly.