Joined Dec 2004
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Forum Thread
Would a house having a septic tank and well water turn you away from buying?
December 4, 2017 at
10:31 AM
in
Finance
(4)
When I was a kid we had a house with a septic tank and well water...but as you all know that was eons ago 
I have heard of some horror stories of having to replace the septic tank and it being pretty expensive to do.
I did Google _ for all of you who may have been ready to post the lmgtfy link... and read how you are supposed to take care of them and not add any strain on the tank by not putting coffee grounds down the disposal, no grease from pans, no antibacterial soaps to be used..showers held to like 10 minutes etc.
Sounds like a PITA actually and although I found a nice house that I like.. I am thinking of skipping any with septic and well...
Any personal insights here in the knowledge well we call the lounge?
I have heard of some horror stories of having to replace the septic tank and it being pretty expensive to do.
I did Google _ for all of you who may have been ready to post the lmgtfy link... and read how you are supposed to take care of them and not add any strain on the tank by not putting coffee grounds down the disposal, no grease from pans, no antibacterial soaps to be used..showers held to like 10 minutes etc.
Sounds like a PITA actually and although I found a nice house that I like.. I am thinking of skipping any with septic and well...
Any personal insights here in the knowledge well we call the lounge?
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I can't say either way for sure but I would put the odds at about 50/50 of there being at least one outhouse within a half mile of my house.
If they do run sewer out your way you will have no choice they will hook you up to sewer and start charging you. Same with the well. (in most areas)
Well water is also ok most houses with it also have a purification system.
If they do run sewer out your way you will have no choice they will hook you up to sewer and start charging you. Same with the well. (in most areas)
Well water is also ok most houses with it also have a purification system.
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I have two closer friends who've had issues with their septic systems, and one was a nightmare that ended up costing him $15K or so (nearly complete replacement). But my parents built a place in 2008 with a septic tank, and they haven't had any issues at all. Think they've had it pumped/serviced maybe once or twice?
While growing up, we had well water, and everyone would take swigs from my jug at soccer/tennis practices because it tasted so much better than the city's. Our well was shared with neighbors, but as far as I know, we never had an issue with access, pressure, or anything else. Wells are very common in that area due to the local geology (lots of limestone with natural pools/aquifers). I assume their viability differs in other places.
But yeah, I personally don't think I'd get a place with septic unless the property was basically perfect in every other way, less than 10-15 years old, and had no history of problems with the septic system. Even then, I'd have someone inspect it thoroughly before signing a contract.
If there is a HOA I would flush that choice right off the list.
If there is a HOA I would flush that choice right off the list.
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Well/Septic are the norm here. I grew up on septic but "city" water in CNY which is pretty unusual.
Generally, there aren't special considerations. Septic maintenance is simple, have it pumped every now and then (largely dependent on the tank size and your personal usage). You shouldn't flush everything - it goes to the septic, so you risk blocking up the system. You shouldn't be flushing grease down the drain regardless of if you have sewer/septic. Since septic decomposition is anaerobic, you shouldn't flush food scraps, or at least limit it. We have a disposal, and only use it to shred up incidentals that get down the drain, not as a wholesale food chopper.
As for the well, they can bit hit or miss - literally wells a couple hundred feet apart, can have different water quality, taste, smell, etc. For us, we have a good, deep well, that has a good head (270 ft) and good recovery. Our water does need to be softened, which is a bit more equipment but not much of an additional cost (maybe $4/mo for salt). We have it all maintained once a year, which is about $10/mo. I did have to replace the pump last summer, which was $3000, but they typically last 12-15 years.
The one benefit to having a well is IMHO the water tastes better, and we aren't susceptible to WQ issues on muni water. A local town *just* had an ecoli scare (and boil water advisory) when they found dead birds in the water tower!
Treat the equipment, well and tank right and they will treat you right.
I have two closer friends who've had issues with their septic systems, and one was a nightmare that ended up costing him $15K or so (nearly complete replacement). But my parents built a place in 2008 with a septic tank, and they haven't had any issues at all. Think they've had it pumped/serviced maybe once or twice?
While growing up, we had well water, and everyone would take swigs from my jug at soccer/tennis practices because it tasted so much better than the city's. Our well was shared with neighbors, but as far as I know, we never had an issue with access, pressure, or anything else. Wells are very common in that area due to the local geology (lots of limestone with natural pools/aquifers). I assume their viability differs in other places.
But yeah, I personally don't think I'd get a place with septic unless the property was basically perfect in every other way, less than 10-15 years old, and had no history of problems with the septic system. Even then, I'd have someone inspect it thoroughly before signing a contract.
But hey there's no maintenance!
I can't say either way for sure but I would put the odds at about 50/50 of there being at least one outhouse within a half mile of my house.
Men don't need outhouses. We can just pee anywhere.
At work I generally pee off the side of the truck unless it is really windy. If it is windy I have to climb down and go under the truck where the wind is blocked.
At home if I am outside or at the shop I'm not going to bother going inside just to pee.
At work I generally pee off the side of the truck unless it is really windy. If it is windy I have to climb down and go under the truck where the wind is blocked.
At home if I am outside or at the shop I'm not going to bother going inside just to pee.
Pro tip, get a nice potted plant in your bedroom in case you wake up and don't want to walk far.
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Yes difficult. It's literally something you wouldn't know about until you got a backup. It may be possible to do a camera inspection from the distribution box but I've never seen that offered. Generally septic inspections involve pumping the tank(s) (current owner pays for this) and someone eyeballing it looking for cracks, root penetration, etc. There isn't a whole lot to inspect unfortunately.
You wouldn't think something so simple would be so expensive to replace. A leach field is literally a series of pipes with holes in them, surrounded by stone and topped with dirt that let the black water leach out into the surrounding soil. So, the materials aren't expensive but the labor is heavy. My parents have a story of when they bought the house I grew up in - the septic had been neglected by the previous owners. Rather than hire a company, they hired some manual labor for "beer and wings" money, and did it themselves. This was like 35 years ago, back when you could do such things. Now, everything needs to be permitted, insured, etc etc which drives up the cost.