Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Wells and Septics are the norm down here. The only time you really hear of any trouble ( which is rare) is new construction, and usually it is taken care of immediately.
Just always have the septic and well inspected and you should be good to go,
And no you cannot connect to city as not all areas are equipped for that, or it would have been done that way originally.
I had one home in NC with septic and well water. I would never do that again. In 1994 we had a power outtage that lasted 4 days. That was 4 days without flushing a toilet, taking a shower or being able to wash a dish or clothing. The toilet problem was the worst.
I will not buy a home without public water and sewer ever again. Well water runs on a pump. If your electricity goes out no water pump. If you have public water the power can go out and you can shower, wash dishes, use the toilet. If I see a home listed with well or septic I cross it off my list.
Wells and septics are not the norm in NC, but they are around. Did I ever hear of anyone having trouble, you bet. I have seen people having to dig up their back "nine" and pay a septic cleaner a small fortune. The lovely thing about city sewer is if it fails the city has to take care of it and not you.
Just my opinion.
My experience with a septic tank hasn't been quite as bad. My family of 4 can make it over 1 week on the septic system before overuse would be an issue. We are on a community water system run by Aqua, which are basically community wells. The last ice storm we had, water lasted about 2.5 days before the water ran out.
Some folks I know who are concerned with extended power outages, especially those with their own wells, have some form of backup generator for these situations. The nice thing about that: if it is in the summer heat or the cold of winter, you can be sitting in your nice, comfortable home lit nicely while all your neighbors are miserably hot or cold.
The lovely thing about city sewer is if it fails the city has to take care of it and not you.
Just my opinion.
I feel for you with four days of no power, water, or *gulp* toilets... Check carefully though about your above statement - depending on where in the pipes the problem occurs, it may very well be your problem. Your insurance company can give you information on this (since they have an interest!) as well as the city.
With the septic and well, you can get a generator, too, and in cases such as Leigh where it is community well, the neighborhood almost certainly has the pump on a backup generator.
My family of 4 can make it over 1 week on the septic system before overuse would be an issue.
We are on a community water system run by Aqua, which are basically community wells. The last ice storm we had, water lasted about 2.5 days before the water ran out.
Please explain rfb. Is there some part of the septic system that runs on electricity? I've never had one, so I don't know much about them.
What was it about the ice storm that caused the water to stop? Did the electricity go out? Did the pipes freeze? I don't understand the correlation.
I had one home in NC with septic and well water. I would never do that again. In 1994 we had a power outtage that lasted 4 days. That was 4 days without flushing a toilet, taking a shower or being able to wash a dish or clothing. The toilet problem was the worst.
I will not buy a home without public water and sewer ever again. Well water runs on a pump. If your electricity goes out no water pump. If you have public water the power can go out and you can shower, wash dishes, use the toilet. If I see a home listed with well or septic I cross it off my list.
Wells and septics are not the norm in NC, but they are around. Did I ever hear of anyone having trouble, you bet. I have seen people having to dig up their back "nine" and pay a septic cleaner a small fortune. The lovely thing about city sewer is if it fails the city has to take care of it and not you.
Just my opinion.
When I speak of being in the norm, I mean the whole state of NC. Nearly 50%of NC residents have a septic system. So I guess I jumped the gun considering that the norm.
I think a lot of it may depend on when the septic was installed. We have a new home (2005) that has community well and septic. We cannot connect to city water because it is not an option yet, it may be in the future, but for now it is not. So, our septic is a dual tank kind of thing where the "solids" are on one side and the "liquids" are on the other. This is suppose to be better because if you end up with a back up you will see it in the house first (backing up into the toilet) then you can have someone come and flush out the system. I called a septic company when we moved into this house to answer some questions, and they said you don't need to have it pumped regularly (they suggested every 5 years) but also said you don't need to add things to it (like septic cleaners, etc) because it is suppose to naturally be able to do this.
We don't use special toilet paper or anything. I have clients who bought a home with a septic that is over 20 years old, the previous owner's never had a problem with it, and they inspection revealed it was in great shape.
Leigh
How does community well & septic work? Do you pay that in your HOA fees? I am assuming there is no septic tank on your lot? Community well services the entire subdivision? Help...
How does community well & septic work? Do you pay that in your HOA fees? I am assuming there is no septic tank on your lot? Community well services the entire subdivision? Help...
Community well is owned by aqua north carolina, we have water meters on each lot and pay for our water based on our own use. We receive bills from aqua and pay them.
The septic - each person has their own, to do with , treat as you please
I live in a mountain community of So. California. My home was built in the mid 50's and is on septic. We have encountered problems caused by use of anti bacterial cleaning products and bleach products. These products kill the natural bacteria in the system that break down the solids. We only use cleaning products that are labled septic safe and never use anti bacterial soaps for cleaning or bathing. We also buy toilet paper labled septic safe. As a prentative measure we pump our system every 18 to 24 months. We have had backups in the past. Each back up required pumping at about 400 bucks and a plumber to rooter the drains at about 200 bucks. So we've learned to have our old system pumped regularly to avoid the inconvenience of a backed up system and added expense of the electric rooter.
Is there some part of the septic system that runs on electricity? I've never had one, so I don't know much about them.
It depends on your septic system. If the septic lines are downhill from the collection tanks (probably the wrong terminology), then you don't need electricity - gravity does the job. But if your lines are uphill from the tanks, then it has to get pumped from the collection tanks up to another tank at the top of the septic lines. At my house, this is how it works - I have a pump which moves the water through a set of pipes up to the septic field. In addition, there is an alarm system which alerts you when the water in the tank isn't getting pumped out. Without electricity, the pump can't run and the water gathers in the tank, and the alarm system can't run to warn you that the tank is filling.
When we first moved into our home, we had a problem with the pump. After the alarm went off, it took close to a week to get if fixed. During this time, we were taking showers and flushing toilets and running the dish washer. We didn't come close to overflowing the tank. I imagine all this depends on water usage and tank size.
Quote:
What was it about the ice storm that caused the water to stop? Did the electricity go out? Did the pipes freeze? I don't understand the correlation.
We were without electricity for 4-5 days, as was much of the Triangle area, mostly due to downed trees and limbs which took down the above ground power lines leading to neighborhoods. We did not suffer from frozen pipes, and I haven't had a problem with that during my 19 years in the Triangle area. My speculation here, but I think that the backup generators used by Aqua to pump water have a limited supply of energy, and it only lasted for 2-3 days. After that, no water.
We stayed in our home without the energy. We have two gas fireplaces, a gas rangetop, and a gas grill so we could keep the house somewhat warm and could cook. And we had stored water in our bathtubs for flushing and so forth. But once the water ran out, it was sufficiently annoying that we moved to a hotel in the are which had power until power was restored (which was about 2 additional days).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
