Home buying protection

 Did you get a warrantee with your closing?  Hard to believe it'd freeze this year and didn't last.  You lending bank might've obtained an insurance claim report, if there was a claim and the seller didn't disclose you might have some recourse.  I'd be asking any neighbors if they remember seeing any digging in previous winters before you moved in.

Probably not much unless you have something in your purchase agreement about a homeowner's warranty.  I take it you did not have a septic tank inspection?

These are where you allow the field to sit idle (no running of water into the tank for a couple of days) and then measure via a stick/ruler/tape the amount of water in the tank before adding a big pulse of water.  Maybe 250 or 500 gallons in a short amount of time.

After you add the water, you measure how long it takes for the tank to go back to the original level of fullness.

Note, I have never actually done one of these myself but in some places the banks, or the state (not ND), require this as a form of protection for the potential buyer.

FWIW, a neighbor of mine had to have his septic field redone last summer.  I think it cost him something around $7-8k here by Bismarck.

p.s.  Septic tanks freeze because the drainfield isn't buried deep enough to ensure they are below the frost line.  Frost depth is really variable from one year to the next based on soil moisture, snow cover, air temps, etc.  Don't believe anyone who says they freeze because of a lack of enough heat generated by biological decay and just adding RidX will take care of it.  That's not enough heat to keep a tank from freezing if the frost depth goes low enough and it's too late for RidX.

One question though, where in general are you located?  You mention lift station, I HATE those damn things.  Are you in the RRV, or just the lay of the lot made them install a lift station?

Is there any cover over tank and drainfield, I mean grass, straw, bare ground or what?

Do you have any errant water running into drainfield, floor drain, sump pump, condensation from furnace or other?

Was it a single person or family living there? If it is an old system with just one or two people living there and you move in with a family and everyone showers every night and wash a load or two of clothes the system is taxed and maxed. 

Some lending institutions recquire a sewer inspection or have it brought up to code prior to purchase, I take it that is not the case this time?

There are things you can do if it is froze up, also if it is maxed but only short term fixes.

i live in williston, i had the health unit do a check on it and they just mentioned one of the lids i tried calling them today to see what there tests include but there gone till tuesday.

pm sent

If the septic tank is full pump it  and have the guy come back the next day and pump it again you will have the drain field drain back into the septic tank..  I have 3 different septic tanks and 3 seperate drain fields.  On one tank I pumped it and had to repump it the next day then I put in 5000 gallons worth of rid x   and that was 9 yrs ago no issues.   how high of a water table is there where the drain field is. also you should not have the sump pump going into the septic tank that is just ground filtered water it can just run on the ground but then again it depends on how many times it kicks in.

We also don't have the snow cover for insulation this winter so this could cause it to freeze.  I agree to pump the septic and see what that does.  You live in the country i take it?  Your line is not plugged from the house to the septic?  Is your pump working in the lift station?  Don't just get one person to look at it check with other contractors also.
What made him say your drain field was collapsed?  Did he scope it?

 I just bought a house last fall, and my septic backed up to the washing machine as well within the first month I was here.  After some digging, I found two of my toilets were running at a rate that with showering and clothes etc., the drain field just could not keep up.  The best thing about it was my sump is plumbed just outside, so it saved me.  I ended up pumping the water out of my drain field to catch it up.  I fixed the two bad toilets, and I haven't had a problem since.  

If drain fields are working property they generally don't freeze.  this year hasn't been cold enough to freeze one irregardless I believe.  In Williams county they won't let you have your leach field pipes more than two feet down as a general rule.  If there's more than two feet of dirt cover over these fields they do not work properly.  they claim more than two feet of cover, it can't get the oxygen it needs.  I have done quite a few septic systems over the years.  I built my own for my new house seven years ago and I have yet to have to pump my tanks.  It's working flawlessly.  I have two feet of cover over the field, four feet over the tanks.