Septic Tank Issues 3 Years After Purchase - Inspection was Incorrect

We are in Oregon and bought our house in 2023. it’s an older house (~90 years), on an acre within city limits, and has a well and septic. We love it and want to make this our forever home.

When buying, there were a lot of issues identified on inspection. New roof was need, foundation needed shoring up, etc. It’s an old house that could have been maintained better for sure. We got bids for all the proposed work and used those to receive credit at purchase.

The DEQ septic inspection was done by a local company that still provides septic services in our area. It said our collection tank was 500 gallons, made of concrete, cracks were forming, and it should be monitored for replacement. The inspection did not include the distribution box or drain field. This was acceptable to us and we did not seek credit or a price reduction for the septic system.

Fast forward to this week and we had out septic pumped for the first time for preventative maintenance. The technican opened the lid, which was buried before I dug it out, and started poking around inside. Within a few seconds he alerted us that we do not have a concrete tank, but we have a wood tank that likely isn't even 500 gallons and has been leaking. He said this is the second wood tank he has seen in the decades he’s been doing this. It’s unclear if anything has been reaching the drain field or if it’s just all leaking out from the box

So we have a huge issue we need to address ASAP. I don’t any to start calling companies for quotes, but I’m curious if we have any recourse against the inspection company or the previous owner. Their inspection clearly says we have a concrete box and it was assessed for integrity, which doesn’t seem to be accurate at all. Any advice on next steps would be greatly appreciated.

Ideas on what to do to fix the septic are also welcome. Right now I want to scope the distribution box a drain field to see if that is functional and in good condition. I would love to just hook up to the existing lines. Think I should also rent a port a potty in the meantime too.

Thank you for reading.

submitted by /u/fodey
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1vh7xjr/septic_tank_issues_3_years_after_purchase/