Questions about septic tanks and well water (homestead, how much, drain)

[Are We There Yet?]

I too would never again buy a house with a septic. Just too many problems and too much expense.

[JBrown]

There are two basic types of septic systems, Aerobic and Anerobic. The Aerobic type is less common and uses a small air pump that continueously injects air into the bottom of the tank. The air supply supports a different type of bateria than the Anerobic type system. The advantage is that the air supply type system (Aerobic) tends to break down wastes faster. (That's the claim anyway).
So if you loose elec pwr you have no air supply and the Aerobic bacteria dies.

The rest of the no pwr problems rfb just touched on.

RFB...BTW the "lines" are called a "leach field"

[Janipoo]

We have a well and septic at our place in WV, I like the fact that I can take a long hot shower without hearing the "dollar signs".

You should not use any bleach products or very very sparingly, it kills the bacteria. I will occasionally flush a packet of yeast down the toilet to keep the bacteria going, since we do not live there.

We had the pump go up.......No Toilet!
This past weekend we had an electrical problem.......No Toilet!
This was okay since we just packed up and left, What would you do if you lived there!

[bk21]

Remember that a septic system works with bacteria to break up waste. Watch your chemicals, ie cleaning products, that you put in. Assuming that your system is working properly, you shouldn't have to pump regularlly...if you do, you should have a professional check and see why.

You can "flush" a toilet with a bucket of water (from a pond, pool,creek, whatever) if your well isn't working due to a power outage. Just pour it in the toilet, and it will clear the bowl.

[Janipoo]

Originally Posted by bk21

You can "flush" a toilet with a bucket of water (from a pond, pool,creek, whatever) if your well isn't working due to a power outage. Just pour it in the toilet, and it will clear the bowl.

Yeah, but there is not water around But plenty of trees

[MoMark]

I purposely looked for a country home on a well and with a Septic. I didn't want to be connected to fluoridated city water (and there have been problems with contamination and restriction because of last year's drought).
I love my well water...tastes great! And I simply don't use products that bleach much in the toilets. I use a pumice bar to scrub the hard water build-up off and occasionally throw a box of RidX or a similar product down the toilet.
My Septic tank is below the house as well and far away from the water well.
I wouldn't drink city water again if you paid me and I don't want the hassles of city hookups.

[tsmithgolf2000]

Positive note, if you have a septic and community well you are probably not paying city taxes which could save you a good chunk a money on your monthly payment. Also your water bill is much cheaper because your not paying a sewer fee, ask the Cary people what there water bill our during there summer when there irrigation is running. Also, if you have a septic you probably have a nice size lot. FYI - I have been in a house for 5 years with septic and community well and it's something that I don't even think about. I do admit if an ice storm hit and we lost power for a couple of days that would suck, so if they call for an ice storm we just go up to the grocery store and jugs of water on hand to drink, flush toilets. That's really alll you need.

[Wisteria]

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.

As various posters said above, there are different kinds of septic systems. I just had mine replaced last summer, and I got "The Bruiser" (here's a link about them: http://www.chemtainer.com/watertanks/bruiser.aspx)

I also buried my septic system and leach fields (of course the fields are buried anyway), but I know of some people who didn't know you could cover your septic tank -- the city/county planners know where they are located in case anyone forgets. I just put back dirt and grass and plants and a patio over the area. My septic is not uphill, so I don't have to depend on electric, which is good, because a few times a year the electric will go out (trees fall onto power lines), and I, too, have a woodstove to cook on and for heat, and I have not had a problem at all with the toilet during outages.

We also get our water from a local reservoir (Loch Lomond), which is nice (http://lompico.org/) (broken link). I kind of like the idea of being independent of city services and all of that.

Good luck!

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by Janipoo

We have a well and septic at our place in WV, I like the fact that I can take a long hot shower without hearing the "dollar signs".

Surely you know that well water isn't free correct? Most submersable pumps are 230 volts and gulp electricity. Turn the water on when nothing big is running (like the heater, water heater, oven etc) and go outside and count how many seconds the meter takes to do one rotation. Then turn it off and count. There will probably be a big difference.

[rubytue]

We are about to buy a house with well and septic. We have done a LOT of research on them in the past few weeks. You should be aware that a concrete tank is much better than a steel tank, and that the average lifespan of a drainfield is about 40 years. "Our" house has a 39 year old drainfield. And its failing. If all goes well with the perc, we will be moving in with a brand new septic system.

FWIW, here is something I wrote about my septic research: Link Its my site, but I have no ads on there or anything. I have some links to more information at the bottom.