I need some tips/words of warning/advice/anything!!!
I’m ready to buy my first home in the Northern NJ area. There are several towns that I am looking in, some have public sewer while others have septic systems. I found a house in a GREAT town (Oakland - not California) with over 19,000 square feet of property! (not common around here) I really like everything in the house EXCEPT that it has a septic system. I know next to nothing about septic systems, except that they are insanely expensive if they need to be replaced. The good news is that it was replaced in 2003, but it still makes me nervous.
Here come the questions…
I have heard and read a lot about how to maintain them to prolong their life. But is it a pain in the a$$ to live with??
I know I should get it inspected before I buy, pump it regularly, use RidX blah blah blah, but is that just a headache? Do those costs get expensive?
Is it annoying to have to pace yourself with laundry, showers, dishwasher, etc…?
Now the big question…
If I like everything else except this, is it a reason to not buy the house?
I know very little about septic systems, but one other warning…do some research to see if the city/town/etc plans to extend city sewer to that area and force hookups…if they do, the costs can often be extremely high, and you’d want to budget for that.
Due to the nature of the ground below (mountain-y) I don’t think a sewer would be possible. Almost the whole town is septic save for a few on the border of another town that tap into the next towns sewer. I will look into it though…thanks!
Our town requires septic tank inspections every three years. This costs me about $120 each time, but it includes pumping everything out of the tank. We built our house about 14 years ago, so the tank was new when we put it in. I view the mandatory inspection as a good thing because it gives me peace of mind.
The $120, every 3 years, is a lot cheaper than the $35/mo that I will have to spend once we are hooked up on the sewer system on a couple of years
My husband and I have a sectic tank. We were grandfathered in to replace it 2 years ago because to tie into the county sewer would not have been possible … the connection was about 150 meters across the street in front of our house and then down the road in the neighborhood across the street, and our house sits quite a bit lower then the road. It was way cheaper to replace the septic tank then it would have been to tie into the county sewer - I think the tap fee alone was over $5000 so it would’ve cost us around $10,000 total to have it done (we’re in Atlanta, GA). The whole job to fill in the old tank and replace with a new one was between $3000-$4000. I don’t remember the exact cost but our water bill is only around $10/month because we aren’t paying for sewer, which is much less then our neighbors who are on county water and sewer. You do not have to replace a tank very often at all if it is maintained properly - they should last at least 20 years. The one we replaced at our house was probably well over 30 years old. How frequently you need to pump it out depends on the size of the tank and the number of bathrooms and people in the house. I believe every 4-7 years is about average. It costs around $150-300 to have it pumped out. That’s what I know about them from my experience with one. I hope that helps a little.
my parents had a septic tank in the house i grew up in. it was a 3 bathroom house, the contractor installed a 2 bathroom septic tank to save money and didn’t tell my parents. 6 years after we moved in the septic tank backed up and our yard filled with sewage. we took him to small claims court and he had to pay to have the new (bigger) tank put in.
make sure that the tank that is in place now is the right one for your house.
I know I should get it inspected before I buy, pump it regularly, use RidX blah blah blah, but is that just a headache? Do those costs get expensive?
It likely is far cheaper than being attached to municipal sewers.
First and foremost-make sure your field and tank are adequately sized for your family and usage. Do not put stuff down the drain that will not decompose fast. Avoid harsh cleaners. You can add enzymes to the system, but reports vary about how effective they are. Usually it is snake oil I think.
We have 1500 gallon, 2 stage tank. I clean the filter annualy. I get it pumped every 3 years. It will last forever if you treat it right.
Do a search, this has been discussed here before.
The only question I have never gotten a satisfactory answer to is whether I can put the discharge from my water softener into the system. Some say yes, others say no.
I’ve had both, including a septic in my first house, which I still own as a rental. 16 years and counting. Take care of it (no garbage disposal, no grease etc) and they are virtually maintenance free. When we left full time after 5 years (just two of us, sized for 4), we had it pumped as peace of mind before the rental process started. It was very, very clean (as clean as a septic tank can be anyway). The service company said we could have gone another 5 years easy.
Buy it if that is your only concern. You can always stipulate a pump out and inspection contingent to the sale.
Been on septic fields my entire life. Never had an issue at all. Some will last a lifetime if they’re run properly.
You’ll be fine, and free from the City sewer.
Do not use Rid-X or any other stimulant. Watch what goes into it (you’ll have to become a bit more “rural” and not run grease and too many solids into it) and pump it occasionally.
You’re better off with it as you’re one more step removed from your local govt.
Ditto what others have said. If the tank is sized properly for the house, you treat it properly it will last many many years and likely cost less than the city sewer.
As other have said, don’t put non biodegradable down the toilet. Big offenders are condoms and tampon/applicators.
Depending on who you talk to you might not want the washing machine pumping directly into the septic either and separate “Dry well” may be a better choice. Again I’m assuming that if that is including in the tank sizing and you’re not using a ton of soap that shouldn’t be an issue either. We have one house were it goes to the septic and one that doesn’t, no problems either way.
If you’re concerned about the environment, can’t get much greener We have septic and a well. Whatever we use goes right back into the ground.
I didn’t read any of the other posts, but I work with properties on septic systems daily (I don’t work on the septic though) and we have a family cabin with a septic. They are NOT difficult to maintain. Just be careful what you put down the drain, pump them out on whatever schedule you should, and you’ll be fine. Eventually you may have to invest something, but should be a good long time down the road. If this were me, this wouldn’t be a negative at all.
Do you have a leech field to go with your septic tank?? I built my hour 5 years ago, and at times I have 15 to 20 people here doing all sorts of things to fill up my septic tank. My washer goes in there, as well as all the gray water. I buried the tank, cant even remember exactly where the top is, about 5 ft underground somewhere, but have had no issues so far. I have an 80ft leech field, so I think that is why I can handle more than the tank was designed for. I put some of that stuff that home depot sells for them every year, and someone said put a can of cat food in there everyonce in awhile…Something about good bacteria that eats up your shit, so to speak…
No paper towles, condoms, or feminine products, and you should be good to go. My parents went through the change over to city sewer, at gunpoint, and it cost them 12 grand that year… I wouldnt worry about it, and they are easy to deal with if you know how. I knew nothing, and helped the guy put mine in, and it is really a no brainer…Good luck…
WOW! 5 feet is pretty deep for a septic tank, unless you mean the bottom of the tank is 5 feet down. The caps for my tank are about 14 inches down. I put a piece of plastic around them (like a big tube) and covered them with HUGE flower pots. That way when I go to have my tank sucked I only have to lift the flower pots. Pretty convenient.
It costs about $350 to have a company come out and clean my tank. But it is good to see that the filters are cleaned and the shit is doing what it is supposed to be doing.
It used to be that cheap for me. However, as people have moved in the county built a septage center. Now the septic haulers have to transport to the center. Back in the day, they could discharge their load onto a field and till it under. It is much cheaper that way, and I would guess exactly what your guy is doing.
We have septic as well, all good advice from the others. I have 3 small children so we use alot of water, waste,etc… We have a 2yr inspection/pump that is included in our tax base, mainly becuase we live next to lake. Otherwise about $120.00 to pump each time. The only thing my neighbor advised(plumber) is to just get it pumped every year, saves the anxiety of reaching capacity before pump date every 2 yrs. Good luck.
Bernie, has it right. Well maybe not forever - but certainly a very long time. Septic systems are standard in many rural areas, on recreational properties and other areas where central sewer systems are not in place.
If the system is set up properly, is the right design and size for your needs/usage and is maintained well, it can last for a very long time. If not, or the system needs significant up-grades or replaced entirely - that can be very expensive.
Different municipalities and townships have different regulations and codes regarding these sorts of things - their can be a big range in the rules and regs. One thing that I would check is to see if the current system is up to the current code. At our cottage we have one set of regulations while just across the lake, and in another township they have a different set.
I want to thank everyone for their input. You have all helped to put some of my worries at ease. The system was redone a few years ago (2004) so I think that we shouldn’t be stepping in sh-- so to speak! (It’s hard to resist jokes like that) But I do appreciate all the pointers. I have heard most of those pieces of advice from others, but the good thing about asking people who you don’t know on an open forum is that you can get an honest opinion because you probably don’t care if you hurt my feelings or not!
We have septic and a well. Whatever we use goes right back into the ground.