One of our friends is asking about what is required when living in a home with an on site septic system and what they can expect over time.
Many people live in rural areas that do not have city or county sewer service. If you do live in an area that has sewer services available to you your home might be required to hook up to the system and you may not be allowed to build and use your own septic system no matter what the size of your property is. If you live outside of the municipal sewer system it doesn’t mean that there are no regulations. As a matter of fact if your property can’t support a septic system you might not be allowed to build on it. This is a scary reality for some people that are thinking about investing in a homestead or farm. This is why I normally suggest that when you are looking for a piece of land that you buy one that has already been built on and has a permitted structure and serviceable utilities.
To know if your land can support a septic system you normally have to find a contractor that installs them and then they will work with you and the agency that will inspect the system to provide you a permit. This is normally the easiest method to obtaining a perk test that tells how fast your system can drain and sizing your system for your home. It isn’t always required to use a septic contractor to install the system but if you do you can expect things to move much faster and without mistakes. For example a friend that is building a home had to put in a system and they do own a backhoe that would be able to do the work. They did actually get the state engineer out to their property and dig a few holes for the perk test while they were there but to complete the work they hired it out. They were also very lucky that they did because when their tank was placed in the hole it got cracked and this would have delayed their project and required them to buy a new tank that is expensive. Since the contractor did the work they ate the cost of the cracked tank. On the other hand the home owner did plumb pipe out to the general area of the system and did all the work inside the home.
Managing Your Septic System
Once your system is installed and your permits are inspected then you can hook your system to your home’s internal plumbing. Because the amount of water and sewage that goes into your system will be relative to the ongoing maintenance it is important that you use your system correctly. Never pass kitchen grease into your system and use paper that is easily degradable. It is not like you are living in a camper but you do need to take precautions to lower your costs.
Depending on the size of your family you will normally need to have your system pumped out every 1 to 5 years. This is why sizing of your system is so important. Every septic service crew will have their own pricing but you can expect to pay anywhere from $250 to $500 per pump out for each 1000 gallons of waste. This will depend on how easily they can access your system and if they have to search for the access it can cost you $200 just for that and then depending on your location you will have a pump out fee.
Some septic service companies will want you to get on a service contract but this is not normally a requirement. You can expect to pay $350 per year and the longer the contract the lower the per year cost will be. If you are 1 or 2 people and have a good sized system this is not a value to you. Although it might reduce your cost if you have a large family you will normally still pay the per 1000 gallon pump out fee so it really does not make good sense and you are probably better off learning how to monitor your tank and calling when required.
Buying Or Selling A Home With A Septic System
When you are buying or selling a home that has a septic system either or both the bank or the State might require an inspection of your system. Normally this cost is between $500 and $1000 depending on your location and system size. The cost may be part of the buyer’s duties but often the seller will foot the cost as an offset of the selling price. In other words it is not the sellers responsibility to get an inspection even if the State requires it for sale of the home and property.
Septic Systems do have a lifespan and that will be dependent on the use of the system. Normally it is the leach field that clogs up and won’t accept more water so the system either has to be moved or the soil replaced or the pipe repaired. Tanks can also breach over many years however older systems with concrete tanks normally last for many decades.
Final Note
Although you can do some or all of the work on your septic system in many parts of the country there are many places that require certified contractors to install these systems. You should always get tests of existing systems or have a perk test performed for any land that you might be purchasing.
Location of the system is also very important and normally sites will have a grade that allows natural flow but other systems require pumps to relocate the sewage. Pumps require service and they can be expensive to run.
Septic Systems are a safe way to handle your sewage on your property but they must be planned and maintained correctly or they can be a very large expense.