Rural / Acreage Inspections

RURAL / ACREAGES

In addition to inspecting the house on acreage properties to CAHPI standards, private sewer and water inspections can be included as part of our rural or acreage inspections. This can save our clients time and money as it is economical to have the septic system inspected at the same time as the house is being inspected.

PRIVATE SEWER AND WATER INSPECTIONS

Septic inspections are beyond the scope of a standard home inspection as training and knowledge of private sewage systems are not required of a certified home inspector. EXCEL’s inspectors have Alberta On Site Waste Water Management licensing and are experienced with all types of septic systems. We provide written reports (separate from the house inspection report) on our findings, supported by literature with illustrations on how the equipment in place works, and how to maintain it.

It is not uncommon for some home inspectors to offer what they refer to as stress or dye testing as part of their service when inspecting homes that are connected to private sewage systems. This test involves nothing more than flushing a fluorescent coloring down a toilet or other drain with a large volume of water. It will not find septic failures or questionable site conditions that are not already obvious to experienced inspectors.

NOTE: Septic systems are not designed to handle the large volume of water commonly used to perform these so called stress and dye tests, and may in fact be harmful to a system that was in good working condition prior to the test. Therefore, one can only assume that persons conducting such tests may not fully understand how private sewage systems work. Although dye can be placed into the effluent compartment of the septic tank to determine whether or not effluent from the septic system is draining into a body of water nearby; confirmation of this can take several days.

WATER WELL TESTING

The Basics of Water Wells:

Groundwater can be found almost everywhere below the earth’s surface. It occupies the subsurface in the voids between soil formations such as rock, sand, gravel, coal etc. through which water can move relatively freely, referred to as aquifers. A water well is an access tap into the aquifer and is commonly cased with wood, steal or plastic.

The volume of water drawn from a well comes from a volume of aquifer in the subsurface. The area where infiltration due to precipitation or recharge with the movement of groundwater contributes to this volume of aquifer in the zone where water is captured through a phenomena known as hydrological cycle. As water vapor evaporates from the earth’s surface in the form of vapor it ascends into the atmosphere where it returns to the earth as rain or snow.

Water Flow Testing:

Water is lowered while being pumped from the well; the lowering is referred to as drawdown. Water flow drawdown testing is conducted on wells to determine whether a well is able to meet production requirements of the user and / or mortgage lenders for real estate sales. Flow tests are done by our trained inspectors using proper measuring instruments designed for determining the amount of water that a well is capable of producing. The results of the flow test are recorded and made available immediately after the testing. Recommendations for improvements to the pumping equipment will be noted if found necessary.

Pumping Equipment Inspections:

Our inspectors are familiar with the different types of pumping equipment commonly used and have the tools and instruments needed to properly inspect and report on the condition of the equipment. We also provide you with information on how the equipment works and how to maintain it.

Water Quality Testing:

In addition to water quantity requirements, most mortgage lenders for real estate sales require water potability tests. This is simply a test of water quality that primarily examines water for the presence of coliform bacteria. For a small fee we can collect a sample of water on your behalf and submit it to a certified lab for testing.

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