I wanted to get some opinions on having a septic system and using a well. We've been house shopping for awhile, need some more space now that we've the baby, and we are considering a house in a Green "Health House" Community. It's one of only 5 developments in the country certified by the ALA, and the architecture is extremely unique compared to the other "boxes" we're finding in our price range.

On the downside however, there is no public sewer/water in the development. I grew up and still live inside a city, so this is completely foreign to me.

Is this a deal breaker?

 

I'm in the same boat... I've always had sewers and town water.

However, the lot we are buying is in a community that is septic and wells. For me, I thought it was a deal breaker b/c we loved the lot, but I was very weary of septics and wells. However, after doing some research, it seems to not be a big deal. Additionally, my wife's parent's house (the house she grew up with) was a septic. She said in the 22 years she lived there they a problem with the tank once. We also had neighbors who used to have a septic, and they said they got the tank serviced once every 4-5 years, and that was it... and they had no problems in the 12 years they lived there.

As for the well, we talked to the other homeowners in the community we are looking at and the wells there are getting anywhere from 30-45 gallons per minute. From what I've been told and what I've read, that's pretty awesome for wells. So that made me feel comfortable.

In the end my taxes are lower, I won't have a water bill anymore (in the summer I'm usually around $100/mo) and I don't have to rely on the town's treatment plant (which is over capacity) regarding waste. At first I was a little concerned, but now I don't even think twice about it...

 

I have both septic and well. With the well, we also have a water filtration system because the iron in the water is very high. We also are faced with the problem that the well was not dug deep enough, and we have fluctuations in the quality and taste of the water with every rainfall. The water system installed in the house is a "cheapie" and isn't doing it's job correctly. Wells typically have lower water pressure as well, although they are getting better, and you are always faced with the issue of extreme drought and power outages and the well not working.

The septic is another story. Always always always get it inspected and at least in NJ, the previous owner of the house has to get it pumped out at closing. Our's is in the backyard, slightly marked, to ensure that we don't drive over it. If your septic goes, it's big bucks. My parent's septic is almost 20 years old, with no major problems, but if they ever want to sell the house, it needs to be replaced. Mine is only 5 years old, and I don't worry about it at all. You have to remember stupid things, like you should really only use single ply tp and it's not good to drive over it.

We looked at a house with a bad septic system, well system and water filtration system. Got an estimate for replacement, and without labor costs, it was over 50k. Obviously, we passed on the house

 

from my wife who works in this dept..





Replacement cost is going to be at least $15,000 for an on-lot.......and that's just for a standard sand mound....
Have to be much more careful about what goes down the sink - simple things like sink grinders are not good.......emptying hot tubs into them is definitely not good......

With a well - you have to be cautious about contaminants - ultraviolet lights are highly recommended for disinfection purposes.....UV lights can be expensive and an added maintenance issue....

BUT...
With on-lot you have no bills to pay......and will typically be in a more rural, lower congested/less development area.......

 

Dallison, how often do these things need to be replaced? This is a brand new, higher-end development.

Does well water smell/taste/look gross?

The water bills are a good point. I'm currently paying 300-400/quarter for water.

 

Save water, well and septic tank combo!

 

Well water is going to be clear just like city and shouldn't have no smell. I have well water and when I bought my house it tested perfectly fine, but i don't care for the taste of it. But at my friends house across town, their water tastes fine to me. A lot of times well water is considered healthier for you.

I would not worry about the septic, they usually last 25 plus years. As long as you have the solids pumped out every year or two depending on how many people are using it and the size of the tank.

 

Look for this type of septic system; http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/ehoss/atu.html

 

What area are you looking at? Over the city life and looking for some space, privacy, and slower lifestyle for now?

 

My inlaws had to replace the septic system in their home (granted it was older) and it cost a lot of money....

 

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Look into what kind of on-lot system it is - alot of higher end dev. have what are called alternate drip irrigation systems. Do some research into what is there. Drip systems are more aesthetic but have alot more electrical components. If on-lots are sized, located and maintained properly they should last for a LONG time - like 20+ years. You just have to take precautions to ensure it continues to work properly.

No, well water should not look or taste gross. But, since it's not "treated" a UV light to kill any bacteria is def. a good idea.

 

Not a deal breaker IMHO.

I grew up in the city, but I've got a septic system (and town water) and it's fine. I actually need to get the septic tank pumped out (about $150-200 depending on the size of the tank). Haven't had it pumped in 5 years, so it's due (only me an my brother in the house).

Septic system was put in in 1964 when the house was built, and as far as I know didn't have any work done on it till the right before I bought it. New home sellers in MA need to get their septics systems tested (Title V) so the seller needed to get the leeching field replaced before they could sell the home. 37 years isn't a bad life span

The only issue with having a septic system (other then having the solids pumped out every 2-5 years) is that you can't have a garbage disposal. Most of my kitchen scraps going into my compost bin anyways... I guess you could have a disposal, you'd just need to get your solids pumped more often.

Well water shouldn't be an issue, and if it's a new house, adding a filtration system won't really cost that much more. Since you don't have to pay for water, the cost of the system/filters/maintenance is going to offset what you would have paid the local water supply board.

Town water/sewer is always preferable IMO, but you'll have to weigh that against the benefits of having a "health house". If you really want an ALA certified development, the lack of municipal water/sewer shouldn't really sway that decision.

 

This is the second time I saw this referenced in here, so figured I'd ask.

The builders we are working with have informed us of special garbage disposals made specifically for septic systems. So if we wanted a disposal, we could still get one.

Has anyone else heard of this??

 

the wife does not know of any garbage disposal that is "septic friendly" not saying there isn;t one, but none that she knows of

 

Adam, having kids, I couldn't live without a garbage disposal.

 

I guess they're talking about stuff like this which says it's septic and environmentally friendly...
http://www.waveplumbing.com/store/in...roducts_id=371


I've also read that some InSinkerators are septic safe, but even they recommend their own septic safe product...
http://www.insinkerator.com/isejsp/p...5&template=hhd

Guess we'll look into those a little more before we make a decision. That Insinkerator actually looks pretty good...

 

Out here in my Enron contract high electric cost area, having your own well means taking a different cost into consideration.

Unless you are pumping by hand, the water will not be free. We also have to consider how deep the water table is to determine how deep the well must be, they do run dry occassionally.

 

those do look pretty suite, something like that will go into the next house

 

City water/sewer now, but grew up with septic and well. Every 3-4 years pump the tank. After 30 years the septic tank failed (the holes in one of the leach tanks had become sealed with dirt etc and would no longer do its thing.) Since codes change and every town is different - had to replace the whole deal with a leach field system, no more having the main tank with two other leach tanks. This meant a 9 ft deep Olympic size swimming pool hole had to be dug - unbelievable how big. End of story about 20K to take a dump.

The well water was always fine - we just had to deal with my Dad's fear of running out of water - "How long was that shower?!" "Don't water the grass" Why you flush the toilet so many times?! LOL 30+ years later - still water coming out of there...

Did have the well pump go one time - on a Sunday. That is an expensive day do have well work done....even better - it was during a huge party at the house..."Attention family, friends and other guests - find a tree!"

Not supposed to use the water during a lightning storm - cause the pump will be running out there, ...etc..I would not say this is a deal breaker. I personally do not want to go back to wells and septic, but prob not a deal breaker.

 

I have well water, don't even worry about it. The biggest problem would be the pump burning out, but after 20+ years it's still fine. Def. need a good water softener. I drink the well water, but only when the bottled water machine runs out. Our water well also lacks fluoride so it's taken into consideration w/ the dentist.

 

I wouldnt worry too much with newer systems as to how long they will last, most will out last home ownership. We are still on our original from 1950 at out cottage. there are different kinds. just ones with a holding tank that need to be pumped every time they get full(depending on how much it gets used and size make up the frequency it gets pumped), and the other has a tank and drain field. The later most places wont let be used when near water(lakes) If your looking at something you should look into what type of system is used/installed. Maintenance is another thing to insure they last. We typically treat ours with Rid-X a few times a year. Wells are a different animal. Depending on how deap and type of water getting a good one can be tricky. Most good well drillers wont stop short of a good water table. Well water shouldnt smell or taste any different. I actually prefer our well at our cottage over our city water at home.

in short having a well and septic would be a deal breaker for me. Id just do a little research into what i was getting/age etc.. before i purchased

 

so what's the verdict?

 

Well water around here is far superior to city water, but that mostly depends on your geographic location, if its a rocky area the water will be much cleaner because it has to filter through all the rock. I would not consider it a deal breaker by any means, there's just somethings you have to be more careful of. Especially what you flush down the toilet, tampons and condoms are no go's for septic systems.

 

I grew up in a house with well/septic for 21 years and it was built in 1979 I think. Septic tank was (and still is) emptied every 2 years since my parents still live there. After 22 years or so the drainfield became saturated and they had to dig a new one. It was pretty cool to see the whole yard torn up and them dumping truckfulls of stone into the hole in the ground. That was only a few thousand I think, but if the tank needed to be replaced it would have been into the 4 figures.

On the well side, it never ran dry, and honestly I think it tastes better than the city water I have now. They do have a water softener though. Plus I'm sure nowadays the equipment is much better than the stuff they were using 30 years ago.

 

damn i forgot that growing up we had one but we didnt have a dishwasher or garbage disposal.

we had city water though.

this one was installed i think in 1980 and gets pumped every few years.
there is no mound to it

 

before you leave your house, PLEASE post pictures of your remodel project