percolation test

[johnnyg]

Can a percolation test be re-done if it failed, the reason i ask is that the houses at both sides of the site have septic tanks and planning was approved with a septic tank on the basis of passing a percolation test but this failed when done, as we are buying the site with FPP can we redo the percoaltion test with our own engineer as i have heard bad comments about the engineer who did it initially, if it passed would it be acceptable to the planners, the way planning was granted was unusaul with this clause in it..it also means an extra 8K for biocycle unit and raise bed which if not required would prefer not to put in.
Chers

 

[sydthebeat]

why is this an issue if there is full planning permission on the site??? what is specified in the conditions of planning??? an ETS or septic tank???

are you saying that you are going to spend probably 300 grand on your rural home, but are not willing to spend extra money installing an effluent treatment system that has been proposed to protect the groundwater????

what county is it in??

an Effluent Treatment System can be purchased for as little as €3500...... generally an ETS with an agrement cert is acceptable.... you do not have to go with the one on the conditions of planning.. but qualify that with your engineer / architect.....

you also have to realise that policies in the council may have changed since the dwellings either side of the subject site were granted permission......

as an aside, every rural dwelling in Offaly requires an ETS to be incorporated...

 

[johnnyg]

if you read the conditions it first states a septic thank, at the end it states a propertrierty treatment unit if the percolation test for a septic tank fails. The type of unit wasn't specified in the planning, when i was talking to the engineer he said it was unusual to grant planning on the basis of doing a test later nor is there any service agreement in place, I been quaoted 3800 for the Bio cycle unit and 4000 for the raised percolation bed, i don't have a problem with spending the money if required but what i'm saying that if i redo the percolation test and it passes for a septic tank, should i not install one? The house next to me has planning since august

 

[sydthebeat]

so the planning was granted without a percolation test?? very unusual.. what county is this in BTW??

I would personally think that you should keep getting perc tests done by external agents untill you get a pass result....

the quote of 4000 for a raised bed is very high.... if you source topsoil yourself you would get it for a lot less.......

the need for a raised bed comes from either there is a high water table or there is ground rock.... usually the invert of the perc pipe is 1.2 m above the water table or ground rock.... now if this is the case i do not see how a retest would help... especially at this time of year..... perhaps you could let us know the results of the test??.....

 

[johnnyg]

the site is in county cork, the plans we originally got have a septic tank on them, looking at the builders drawings he has the raised bed at 1m (he based this on the percolation test report), i don't have faith in this engineer as he was the person who also did the plans for the house and when i showed them to the builder he had to redo all the drawing as the house was completely not to scale..dimensions incorrect, even the direction of the house was wrong!!!. we are new to self build and find the level of incompetence unblievable..