Purchased home that wasnt compliant to sewer code

[seanconroy21]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? PA

WE purchased our home in June of 2008. The Water authority issued us a compliance certificate stating the home passed its required dye test. They peformed the dye test via a subcontractor in April of 2008. We recently listed our house and had a new dye test done by a plumber that we hired ( a new dye test is required anytime you sell a property in the city). The test failed and we were instructed that we need connect the downspouts into the storm drain and not the sanitary drain. The bids are between $12,000-$15,000 for the fix. No one at the water authority, City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny county are providing us any help or details other than instructing us to fix the problem in order to sell the house. We want to pursue legal action against the authority and their subcontractors because they allowed us to purchase a home that was not compliant. We are looking for any advise on where to start.

Please help!

 

[justalayman]

have the rules changed in the last 7 years. What was compliant years ago may not be compliant now.

 

[LdiJ]

have the rules changed in the last 7 years. What was compliant years ago may not be compliant now.

I though of that, but doesn't that usually just apply to new construction? Wouldn't older homes normally be grandfathered?

 

[justalayman]

I though of that, but doesn't that usually just apply to new construction? Wouldn't older homes normally be grandfathered?

Not always and especially with separating the sanitary sewer and storm drain. In fact, some areas mandate it be separated even if not selling the home. It is a huge burden on the waste water treatment systems.

 

[FarmerJ]

Sean If you have rain leads that come down the sides of the house then connect to cast iron sewer type of pipes find out if all you have to do is buy rubber caps at hardware , cut the rain leads , re connect new elbows and pipe to drain water a few feet out from the house and cap those cast iron pipes. Many urban areas that at one time allowed roof rain water to go into sanitary sewer no longer do so and years ago many even had rebate programs to help encourage property owners to comply. I am curious as to why you would have to connect to storm drains where as if you just let roof rain drain onto the grass would it not run off (if your lot was properly graded and end up toward a city gutter at the edge of the street anyway?

 

[LdiJ]

Sean If you have rain leads that come down the sides of the house then connect to cast iron sewer type of pipes find out if all you have to do is buy rubber caps at hardware , cut the rain leads , re connect new elbows and pipe to drain water a few feet out from the house and cap those cast iron pipes. Many urban areas that at one time allowed roof rain water to go into sanitary sewer no longer do so and years ago many even had rebate programs to help encourage property owners to comply. I am curious as to why you would have to connect to storm drains where as if you just let roof rain drain onto the grass would it not run off (if your lot was properly graded and end up toward a city gutter at the edge of the street anyway?

That makes sense. And it maybe could be even simpler. My house has down spouts that elbow out at the end and rest on concrete supports that are sort of like canals that direct the water a few feet away from the foundation of the house. A friend who had a problem with basement flooding simply extended the concrete supports/canals a few extra feet and resolved that problem.

 

[seanconroy21]

The rules haven't changed at all they are the same when the ordinance was signed in 2006 by Pittsburgh city council

 

[seanconroy21]

The city and county told us the only way to be compliant is to connect directly to the storm water lines. Elbowing the leads out into the yard or gravel pits are not an option (per the county).

 

[FarmerJ]

Yes I sort of forgot about those, the house I grew up in had them at the west side of the lot where there the next property was higher so rain came down the hill ( but considering all that side if the basement never took on water during heavy rains. In the early 80s when I worked for a property management firm that's where I began to see homes with rain leads connected to sanitary sewer , one home on Marshall avenue in Saint Paul was the first one I ever saw and it had maybe 3 inch cast iron , I was to install a elbow, cap it and install enough rain lead to carry the water about 4 feet out from the house and gravity did the rest of it. Another place I saw in south Minneapolis literally had the drain lead going down the side of the house then thru the block wall and then it connected into the houses sewer line from each side of the house too. Ive seen several flat roofed buildings in Minneapolis where they drained into sanitary sewer too. And one that even had a valve with a big round handle to crank on to open up and let the roof drain. BUT again im having a hard time imagining why you would have to connect to storm drains in a regular residential area so gotta ask, is your house in a OLD downtown area where you have zero yard ,and are surrounded by sidewalk ?

 

[FlyingRon]

This isn't the sewerage forum. Houses are sold as-is. If the house passed the test the sellers were likely presumed to not know of any defect they had a duty to disclose (even if the defect existed then). You're also not going to get any relief from the municipality or their contractor for their erroneous earlier acceptance.