Moving into a new property-location can be stressful enough without finding yourself in the position of needing to find maybe a water stop valve, gas valve or septic tank in an emergency. One of the first things to do if you have, maybe just moved into a property and need to find the septic tank is to ask the previous owner or even a neighbour. Be prepared for some confusing answers though, as many people when it comes to identifying the location of their septic tank can get a little confused especially if the visual clues are not that obvious.

If the previous owner comes back to you and informs you that he or she does not know where the septic tank is buried and has lived at the property for a lengthy period then alarm bells should start to ring in your head. As this is a real indicator that the septic tank probably needs emptying sooner rather than later.

Another idea could be to contact your local septic tank maintenance company as they may well have worked at your property in the past and may have an idea as to where the septic tank is buried and if this works out it could certainly save you some time.

Septic Tank Visual Clues

Some kind of visual marker may have been left by the previous owner to help you to locate the septic tank access point, such as a wooden marker structure, or a pile of bricks or building blocks or even stones piled upon each other.

Another visual clue may be pipes protruding up from the ground. A real indicator is if the pipes are around 4 inches to 6 inches in diameter made from black or white plastic or maybe cast iron. These pipes may mark ventilation or cleanouts between the house and the septic tank. The pipes are usually around 10 to 20 feet from the house.

Another possible clue is the site of an electrical box sticking out of the ground this electrical box may be an electrical feed to the septic tank.

Healthy green looking grass

Tank leakage of raw effluent can give the surrounding grass areas the necessary nutrients and encourage grass growth therefore that makes for a good visual clue.

Heat patches

Signs of melted ice or melted snow in geographic locations that suffer seasonal changes can be a visual clue.

Boggy land conditions

Damp wet or boggy conditions are always a good visual clue to the location of a septic tank especially one that suffers from faulty drainage.