TWS Water System Inspections

But the Home Inspector "tested" my water! (or did he?)

It is common for an inspection to be performed on a house, but rarely is an adequate inspection done on the well and septic system. Since problems with wells and septic systems can result in thousands of dollars in repairs, we recommend inspections by licensed professionals to help protect all parties from unexpected situations.

In a quick, typical "water inspection", a sample is drawn from a faucet and you are later supplied with the results from a routine lab test. Sometimes a tap will be allowed to run for a few minutes until the pump kicks in. Such rudimentary “tests” cannot, even to a trained and experienced expert, reveal much about the condition of a plumbing, pump, or well system. All too often, a buyer or seller finds out too late that results provided by basic water tests did not yield enough information to prevent many common problems or to really answer their concerns. A good, high-quality home inspector will be upfront with you and tell you that you really should hire a professional water systems inspector.

Before you buy or sell a housein Orange, Alamance, Durham, Person, Chatham or Wake Counties, let our expert professional water systems inspectors survey the well and septic system. A thorough, professional inspection will supply you with a substantially more in-depth report about your water systems. Combine this more complete information with our vast expertise in water systems, purification and filtration, and you will get answers that make sense!

  • Well Inspections

    What Well Inspections should include...

    Well Inspections

    Well Inspections can include the following. Please call us at (919) 732-1578 to discuss what will be included in your well inspection and what the cost will be.


    • A bacteria test on the water.
    • Multiple water tests depending on need. (We can run a broad spectrum test as well as test specifically for FHA/VA loans.)
    • Expanded multiple-parameter water test.
    • Explanation of your test results.
    • Search for original permit from county to find out information on the well.
    • Inspect the well head for problems, well tag info, and code violations.
    • Test/inspect well pump, controls and pressure tank system.
    • Identify flow and pressure issues that are very common on modern houses. (Usually, these have nothing to do with the well pump or well production.)
    • Identify staining, smells and what may be causing them. (It is usually not because the house or well has not been used in a while.)
    • Explain to you how your well pump and water treatment system works and why. (Instead of referring you to someone else.)
    • Identify future needs and costs that may be incurred. (Yes! All wells will have future needs and expenses.)
    • Video inspection of the inside of the well with a digital copy. (We currently operate 3 well cameras routinely to help identify problems.)
    • Perform drawdown tests on the well to determine exactly the well's output. (It is very common for this to be different that what is on the tag.)

    We will send all reports electronically.

    We can communicate problems, solutions and costs directly to all necessary parties. It is very common for us to communicate directly with the buyer's agent, the buyer, the seller's agent and the seller to help reach a solution to problems that might arise.

  • Septic Inspections

    What Septic Inspections should include...

    Septic Inspections

    Septic Inspections can include the following items. Please call us at (919) 732-1578 to discuss what will be included in your septic inspection and what the cost will be.


    • Search for the original permit to gather information on the system. (Possibly the most critical and important part of a septic inspection.)
    • Excavation needed to inspect a tank that might be buried (Yes! We will locate and dig up those access lids if they are buried.)
    • Determine if the tank needs to be pumped. NOTE: It is NOT required that the tank be pumped PRIOR to inspection as some may have you believe. At the time of the inspection, we need to see the tank in the condition it has been operating under. How else can we give you a thorough opinion as to its future? Pumping a tank pre-inspection removes all the evidence!
    • Pump the tank if needed. (If we find that it does need to be pumped, then we will be glad to take care of that for you.)
    • Inspect and identify the drain-field. (To help you locate where your future addition/deck can't go.)
    • Inspect the well head for problems, well tag info, and code violations.
    • Explain to you how your septic system works and why. (Instead of referring you to someone else.)
    • Identify future needs and costs that may be incurred. (Yes! All septic systems will have future needs and expenses.)

    We will send all reports electronically.

    We can communicate problems, solutions and costs directly to all necessary parties. It is very common for us to communicate directly with the buyer's agent, the buyer, the seller's agent and the seller to help reach a solution to problems that might arise.

Why Should TWS Inspect Your Pump, Septic and Water Well Systems?

Our Top 10 Reasons
  • We are the only company in the Triangle Area that not only performs well and septic inspections, but who also routinely works on these systems.
  • We work closely with agents, buyers and sellers to help reach an amicable resolution to any problems, so that the sale can get through closing as quickly as possible.
  • We have the expertise to give you suggestions to help solve any problems that might arise.
  • We can give you costs for solving problems that might arise.
  • We might not be able to answer all of your questions, but if not, we will find someone we trust who can.
  • We will gladly educate agents, buyers and sellers about how the systems work, things to watch out for, and future maintenance needs.
  • We will test for the usual iron, hardness and pH levels in the water sample while on-site at no additional cost.
  • We offer more comprehensive testing, at additional cost, for a full series of contaminates.
  • Our extensive inspection of the well, pump system, water quality and septic system includes a professional evaluation and consultation that is rarely available anywhere else.
  • And finally maybe the most important thing of all, The Water Specialist staff will answer our phone and return your calls promptly!

  • checklist Checklist

    View and Print our Inspection Checklist

    Inspection Checklist

    We can find answers to questions about the performance of your well and septic systems. Items are listed separately to allow our customers to be able to choose services. Please call us at (919) 732-1578 to discuss what will be included in your inspection and what the cost will be.


    • Standard bacteria presence/absence test for coliform and e.coli
    • Standard iron, pH, and hardness water test
    • Expanded multiple-parameter water test
    • Explain what test results mean
    • Search for, if available, original well and septic permits
    • Inspect well head for code violations and condition
    • Test/inspect well pump, controls and pressure tank
    • Inspect/diagnose water flow and pressure problems
    • Explain how the various systems work
    • Perform a video inspection of your well
    • Determine the amounts of water available to use in your well
    • Inspect the internal condition of the septic system
    • Recommend if the septic tank should be serviced
    • Pump the tank
    • Identify problems, suggest solutions and give costs to those solutions with all interested parties
    • In short — be helpful. Some of the questions you might ask a home inspector are:
      What's wrong?
      How can it be fixed?
      How much will it cost?
      Is this a big problem?
      How does it work?
      Who can fix it and how long will it take?

    When you ask The Water Specialist to inspect your well and septic system, we can answer all of those questions. We work on water and septic systems everyday and have 40 years of experience! We are simply the best well and septic inspectors in the Triangle. Based in Hillsborough NC 27278.