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The waste has to go somewhere so it's either a septic or a sewer. Unless you have a creek nearby.
Just a note, most, I said most, sewer authorities allow new hookups for existing houses to pay over time at a low interest rate. That's not the case for new builds, that's typically 1/3 to reserve, 1/3 at building permit pull and 1/3 at final inspection/ U and O issuance.
Could be...but if the kids think its on the city sewer it likely is.
Another likely giveaway would be a garbage disposal...unlikely that they have on with a septic.
It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that the sewer authority doesn't know if it's hooked up. The County here had hundreds of houses built and connected to sewers without realizing it. The agency that issued building permits didn't talk to the sewer and water agency.
The only way it was discovered was that all the houses were connected to our system and the flow sent to the regional treatment plant which was charging us way more for treatment than our known flow would have been.
Another Council member and I went out and counted houses and addresses and turned them over to the County, almost 300. Not one was recorded as a sewer user (the houses are all on wells) with the County's water and sewer department.
The only utility in our four house cul-de-sac is electric. Share a common well and all the homes have septic systems.
Our tract is about 35 years old and all the septic systems are in tact and original.
We pump every 5 or 6 years. We actually have a manhole in the RV parking area so locating the tank is not a problem. Costs $500.
The septic guys here easily locate the tank by flushing a small transmitter they can track. Flush a couple of times and the transmitter ends up in the septic tank.
It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that the sewer authority doesn't know if it's hooked up. The County here had hundreds of houses built and connected to sewers without realizing it. The agency that issued building permits didn't talk to the sewer and water agency.
The only way it was discovered was that all the houses were connected to our system and the flow sent to the regional treatment plant which was charging us way more for treatment than our known flow would have been.
Another Council member and I went out and counted houses and addresses and turned them over to the County, almost 300. Not one was recorded as a sewer user (the houses are all on wells) with the County's water and sewer department.
The adjoining town had the same issue.
The presence or lack of county records doesn't really alarm me, at least where I live...
If I go to the ArcGIS system, I can see the info on the septic systems for about 1/2 the houses in my neighborhood. Next door neighbors to the right replaced theirs in 1999.
Neighbors on my left did it sometime after they bought it in 1986 but most likely in the last 25 years, it can't be found. They did it by the book and got a permit. The record just didn't get onto the county site when they moved from paper to computer based records.
Other permits and records for septic systems in the neighborhood are available going back to at least 1969.
These numbers may well vary widely like most things do... but the cost to pump a septic is about $500-800, every five years is often recommended for family size usage. Can be less often for lighter usage. Can be more often for more complex chambered systems.
Sewer hookup will charge by the foot. I would call a local company.
Personally, if I had a working septic I would try to hang on to it like grim death rather than pay for sewer connection and monthly fees for life.
Wow! I get our tank pumped annually and it's around $200. I agree, I'd stick with the septic as long as it is working.
I don't have the exact distance from septic tank to the road. The city wants $3500 to tap into the sewer line by the road. That leaves the cost of hiring a plumber to reroute the existing sewer pipe from the tank to the road.
Your experiences:
a. cost to drain a septic tank and how often?
b. cost to run the sewer line from the tank to the road. Do they charge by the foot or? Would they use the pipe already in the ground that is hooked to the septic tank or just run a new one from the house to the road.
c. city require a permit for the line from the house to the road and thus basically require a licensed plumber?
Thanks.
Septic is cheaper. Even with upkeep. Sewer cost to hookup. Then your water bill is 3 times higher each month forever. My state sewage charge is based on 2x the water used.
Septic helps frame your effort on waste. You become mindful on what goes in trash vs everything in garbage disposal. No matter whether you’re on sewer or septic, if you use Draino or chemicals to “fix” stuck pipes, something bigger is wrong with your plumbing. Septic systems, when installed correct, are easier environmental than giant sewer plants that serve neighborhoods.
The septic tank is near the a/c unit. The city fees are around $3500 to the front of the property. Then the cost of a plumber to connect city sewer line to the house.
Wow! I get our tank pumped annually and it's around $200. I agree, I'd stick with the septic as long as it is working.
It depends on the size of the tank and local economies I guess!
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