Prior to purchasing our new home, Grove installed a new septic. We put in an offer in November, septic failed and the install was complete in February/March. It was part of our closing. We moved in, in march. Shortly thereafter, we noticed pooling of water. We had to buy a pump to remove the water from the side of the house after that pooling water flooded our lower level. Mind you we hadnt been in our home for 5 months at this point. We had nearlly $50K in damages and repairs that we had to cover. Our insurance company had a structural engineer come out and evaluate the situation. These were their findings -
-The clay tile pipe that drained the basement floor was broken during the recent installation of the septic system. This broken pipe provided an avenue for surface water pooling in the backyard to enter the residence, which it did by seeping into the pipe and through the basement floor drain. Simultaneously, the broken pipe was obstructed on the creek side of the excavation, which prevented drainage of the water in the yard to Creek.
-The topography of the backyard, which sloped toward the residence from the top of the berm, resulted in the concentration of surface water in the depression in the backyard. If the level of this pooled water reached a depth of more than a few inches, it would have spilled over the door threshold of the rear basement door and into the basement.
During both recent rain/flooding events, the septic system has been overwhelmed by an incursion
of surface water, causing it to malfunction. This conclusion is based on the following rationale:
o The slow drainage of the washing machine and the gurgling toilet reported by owners are characteristic of a main sewer line that is full of water.
o Given that the septic system has been recently installed, it is not full of sludge. The line from the house to the septic is approximately 10 feet long and there are no nearby trees, so the pipes are not obstructed by roots.
o The intermittent nature of the issue suggests it is not due to an isolated blockage.
o The correlation of these events with rain events indicates that surface water pooled in the depressed area of the backyard (which is above the septic dosing tank) seeps through the lids of the septic and/or dosing tank.
o This seepage is filling the system with a volume of water that overwhelms the ejector pump and leachate field for a period of time, resulting in a temporary backup of the residence's main sewer line. Once the surface water has drained, the backup of the sewer line resolves.
We also had to fork out $900 to have a new septic company come out and rehang the float in the pump as it fell off. He also had to raise the electrical box out of the ground. It was full of mud and water. Our alarm was going off due to the shotty work that had been done so we had to get it fixed.
We had to file a claim with our insurance company as well as our flood insurance company. We have a $5K deductible...We havent even been in this house a year and it is already ruined due to Grove not taking care of a drain pipe they broke/didnt fix and the fact that they didnt fill in our dry well. Mind you, our toddler could of fell into this hole or one of us could of broke an ankle or leg because the well wasnt collapsed. We also have a sink hole in our back yard as well.
Save yourself the trouble and go with someone else. The owner wont even speak to me and when I sent a complaint to the attorney general and the BBB he text my husband that he was going to sue us for slander. Weve asked the owner to reimburse us for the bill from the other septic company to fix the issue, to collapse the well, fix the pipe they broke and to reimburse us for our deductible w the flood insurance company. Crickets....This company does not stand by their product, doesnt care about families and is only out for a dollar. Thats clear by the structural engineers report.... read more
