Property with a well and septic tank.?

Question

As we search for a home we have shyed away from those outside the city limits with well and septic tank. Tell us the reasons for and against such a property. Thanks, 

Answer 1

I have both, and a sand mound, as the soil is heavy in clay, so you need a sand mound connected to the septic tank.  One of the downsides is we can't have a garbage disposal.  The holding tank has to be pumped every 2 years ($250), and we've had to get the pump fixed twice.  There was a break in one of the pipe leading to the sand mound, and they had to get a little backhoe in to excavate to find and hix it.  So I've probably put out $3500 in the 20 years I've lived here.  



On the plus side, I have no water or sewer bills.  When the house was first built, I had a water filter company test my water, but I didn't tell them if I had a filtration system (I don't).  The water was of such high quality the filter guy incorrectly guessed I had a system.  So we have fantastic water, right out of the tap. 



Everyone in my neighborhood has a well, holding tank and sand mound.  The closest town is slowly expanding their public water and sewer system, but I can't see it getting to my area for decades.



Bottom line, I'm fine with it. 

Answer 2

firstly try gypsum in the clay soil , and modify your septic system so it feeds the garden than collecting it  for disposal . septic tanks collect manure , why bot feed your plants with it ..modern septic systems recycle most the waste to feed plants and gypsum  breaks up the clay to smaller pieces .

Answer 3

There are several things to consider when looking at a house with a well and septic tank.

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All jurisdictions require specific spacing between the well and the septic tank. The septic system has to be designed based on the expected load that will be generated by the house. Bed rooms is a common based for a design. The care and maintenance of the well and septic system is the other consideration. 

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If you decided to purchase a specific house you can have the well tested for both capacity and quality of the water. The condition of the septic system can also be evaluated prior to purchase. 

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I would not shy away from a house just because of these two systems. 

Answer 4

There is no reason to shy away from the septic tank OR the well. A well-maintained septic system is every bit as good as one connected to city services, and may even be better. A house with a water well needs to be tested before you buy--that's easy enough. Just make sure your seller has maintained records on tests, pumping, and any maintenance they've done before buying. You ask for this information from the agent or seller. 





You can also have it tested yourself. 

Answer 5

There is no reason to shy away from either one. True, you may have to think a little about how you use both of them instead of mindlessly running water all day or tossing things down the toilet that really shouldn't go there even in a municipal sewer, but once you know what to do and not do, it's easy.



Having a well for the last 13 years has worked out much cheaper for me. I had a new deep well, pump, water line, and pressure tank put in in 2007, that was $10,000. $8,000 was for drilling the hole; that is an expense I should never have again. The bills for the rural water system I was on before, for the same period, would have been $18,200 even if they hadn't raised the rates in the meantime.



I prefer being on a well. No one can tell me I can only water my garden or wash my car on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday all summer. If I run the well dry, that's my problem. And I like the water better than the system I was on before. If the power goes out I can't run the water because I don't have a generator, but so far that has only been an occasional and very temporary event. I keep a little water stored so I can at least flush the toilet a few times.



Septic systems require occasional pumping out. If you do the right things with it, that won't need to happen often and it isn't expensive anyway . Many people treat toilets and drains as all-purpose disposals. They are not. If you mistreat your septic system by putting the wrong things in it, it will cost you directly out of your pocket to deal with it instead of the costs of it coming out of a general municipal budget.



If you get serious enough to make an offer on a property with a septic system, make it a condition of the sale that the system be inspected by a pro and that you're happy with its condition. It wouldn't hurt to do the same for the well, or at least find out how deep it is, its rate of flow, and if the water is drinkable.

Answer 6

Lived here 18 years. Had the septic pumped once. (Only two people living here) Had the submersible pump replaced this past fall ($1500)  The old one had lasted 40 years, the fellow told me he could tell from the serial number on the old one.



I don't have a garbage disposal, vegies go in the compost, meat, bones, go into the freezer until garbage day. Because it is a well, I have a front-loading washer to conserve water, among other things.

Answer 7

requires maintenance.  some of that might be homeowner do stuff and others you hire done.  however, your ordinary operating cost is very low ... much lower than city utilities monthly cost.  -- grampa

Answer 8

“Artemise” brings up some good points.



From a septic point (as opposed to a holding tank) I have had mine pumped twice in the last 20 years. If you are cautious not to use too much bleach products (that go down the drain) ….your biological system in the septic will function as designed, and pumping will rarely be necessary.  



But as mentioned, the use of a garbage disposal system (with the exception of The Evolution Septic Assist 3/4 HP by InSinkErator) is not good. The Evolution has a Bio-Charge solution containing micro-organisms that helps break down food waste….. I have never used one, but I know several who have them and apparently they are great.



There are basically two types of well pumps…. submersible and non-submersible. The submersible is anywhere from 90-300 feet deep with a casing between 4-6” that will be located in the yard somewhere. The non-submersible will be located ….above the well, in the home, or in a well house.



I have a non- submersible located in the basement. I had to change out 1 motor and two bladder tanks in the last 20 years …total cost over that time was about twelve hundred …. No labor (DIY)



Probably the biggest drawback to a well is with a power outage there is no water, unless you have a generator, which is a good idea anyhow.



All in all, I love country living and wouldn’t think twice about any home with a well and septic.

Answer 9

As long as the well is a deep well all you ever have to worry about is maybe replacing the pump every 15 or 20 years. With a septic system if you have the tank pumped every 3 years you should be fine. Also do not use a garbage disposal and if you do be very careful what you put down the drain. No coffee grounds, anything with fiber, and especially grease. It is also a good idea to not flush toilet paper in large qualities. Only flush what is absolutely necessary. The only negative is the possibility of a contaminated well but unlikely with a deep well. That is easily tested to make sure the water is pure and clean. 

Answer 10

Country living is the best, by far.

Answer 11

Shy?  How about run away as fast as you can.  Your "favorite answer" is flat wrong.

That kind of thinking went away in the 1950s.  In most states, septic tanks are illegal, but expensive ($20,000) drain fields are allowed.  A septic tank with a well means you will be drinking your own sewage.  Even wells that are well placed higher and farther away are no protection.  All wells have surface pollution from animal waste, bugs and small rodents that die.  What is wrong with you?

Answer 12

The concern is that you don't know what you are buying.  So you kind of have to know the people who owned it and built it and lived in it.  If they were good enough for you, then what they had should be good enough for you.  There are people who have very good stuff and live in the country specifically to avoid the "average" that you get in the cities.  That said, one way to determine if you can live in the country well is simple:  do you have the money and know how to get anything that fails repaired or replaced.  Do you know enough to ask around and find the people who can do the work?  Call around and find the driller who drilled the well.  He has a log of what he drilled (state requires he keeps a record).  Get him to come out and check it out and get his phone number.  As for the well, you should have it tested.  The county has a health department and your local well driller will test the water for minerals, service out the equipment, put in a new pressure switch, etc.  And, your taste buds are good.  And there are simple RO filters that will bring well water up to higher quality standards that you will buy in a store.  The drinking water from grocery stores taste like the plastic bottle.   It will eventually get that the only container that doesn't have a taste is glass or ceramic.   As for septic, be sure you can get the old standard gravity design.  You need an area large enough (that is why you live in the country) to have an oversized drain field.  Call around and ask the septic tank installers if they built the septic system, and what they remember.  Like where is the septic tank.  Now, you need to contact a septic tank pumper guy and find the septic tank and pump out holes, and get the tank sized and pumped out  (pump it all out and he knows the volume).

Answer 13

The dad burn sump pump has been my biggest problem but my rich neighbor fixed it this time, for free. Working great for nine months and still going strong. Try to repair a sump pump with a flooded basement.