Would you buy a Wahington Home on Septic? (Olympia: sales, rentals)

[Ultrarunner]

I have been researching Western Wa, especially waterfront communities, and have found a lot of discussion regarding "Leaking Septics Traced to Water Contamination"

Are homes with Septic Systems to be avoided? Can a Home Owner be forced to connect to Public Sewer if it becomes available and if so, at what cost.

I have been looking in the Hood Canal Area and around Olympia. The area is truly spectacular.

[Ira500]

You'd want to find out how old the septic system is. I live on septic. Bought the house 9 years ago and it doesn't have problems. When you buy a house, it is required that the septic system be pumped. It's good to get an inspection. I like septic, you don't pay a sewer bill. Just have it pumped about every five years.

[karena]

Originally Posted by Ira500

You'd want to find out how old the septic system is. I live on septic. Bought the house 9 years ago and it doesn't have problems. When you buy a house, it is required that the septic system be pumped. It's good to get an inspection. I like septic, you don't pay a sewer bill. Just have it pumped about every five years.

I have also considered buying a homes on a septic system. I heard you could not have a garbage disposal with them. Do you know if this is a fact.

[KidBlue]

I currently live on acreage with a septic system and well. I would check to see how old the septic system is and check with the company that serviced the system last, but there are not too many things that can go wrong with a maintained system.

I pump my system about every 10 years (they recommend every 5 years but I haven't had any problems nor have my neighbors who all pump every 10 years). The larger the tank, the less time between pumpings. In my area it costs about $500 to have the tank pumped. It's important to add bacteria (available at hardware stores and some super markets) every couple of months to make sure the solid waste is being broken down properly. It's also important to not use products such as bleach that can kill the bacteria. I was also advised not to use powdered detergents for laundry or dishwasher or bacon grease as these can come out of solution when it hits the cold pipe running to the tank and cause clogs that need to be physically removed.

I'm not sure what impact an area with wet soil can have on a system. In the foothills in NoCA where I live the soil is usually really dry. Here is a Web site for more info: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/wastew...ners/works.htm

[brightcopperkettles]

I too live on acreage with a septic tank. I heard you should pump it every 3 years. We have been in our home 6 years now and just pumped the tank last year. We were still good (there's just the two of us), but I will do it earlier next time to be safe.

Our home was built in 2001, and the previous poster is correct. You should NOT have a garbage disposal with a septic tank. It cost us less than $300 to have our tank pumped; only took a little while, and they did a very good job. They asked us to inspect it for quality when they were done, and they really did a superb job.

As the prior poster stated, we too add bacterial stuff to our drains (name escapes me just now) to keep things flowing nicely.

Hope this helps.

[StealthRabbit]

I've had septic systems for over 30 yrs, and have installed several myself on my own residences. I have never had one of my own pumped, nor added 'bacteria' (not a great idea), but do have them pumped and inspected when I move into a used home. (Actually pumping is not great either, as a healthy septic gets balanced with microbes, and unnecessary pumping removes most of them) County requires us to inspect them every 4 years and have a licensed inspector verify the inspection every 8 years. I just checked my 12th yr cycle last summer, and had less than 8" of 'Solids' (can have 24" before you need pumped). We use our garbage disposal occassionally, but usually compost. You can keep a septic system very healthy without much trouble. Since I have to take a 'test' each time I install my own... I've learned quite a bit from the sanitation officials. (who stress NEVER add 'bacteria' to a healthy system)

Basically,
1) don't introduce non-organics. (nylon stockings are bad...as well as harsh cleaners)
2) always put in the biggests tank available (I use 1500 gal)
3) use a 'septic friendly' toilet paper (Albertsons used to be rated best for septic)
4) stagger wash days (don't run lots of water through the sytem on one particular day each week)(add a 'quarter' machine for the shower _)
5) ALWAYS check your distribution box each time you inspect your tank to assure the lines are level (very ez to fix by making 'elliptical' metering caps by drilling 2" hole Off-center in a three inch cap, then you just twist to level all lines (usually 4)

add an 'Outlet' screen on your tank discharge to keep bad things from going to the drain field' (nylon stockings, they float...very bad on drain field (unless you have chambers )

Systems are very ez to install if you use 'chambers' rather than gravel. Even the complicated ones can be done in a 3-day weekend (cheap time to rent backhoes). I never have spent more than $2000, and tank, risers, and D box is 1/2 of that.

but... as the poster mentioned 'proximity to waterway' requires diligence. (often high water tables + you don't want to be dumping 'nitrates' into public waterways) There is nothing 'magic' about the septic systems, and if installed and used correctly, they can last over 40 yrs, in fact I have a few in rentals that are still working fine, and are quite a lot older than that.

[relocated46]

What is your opinion about water softeners and septic systems? Does the salt used to flush them hurt the tank?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by relocated46

What is your opinion about water softeners and septic systems? Does the salt used to flush them hurt the tank?

This depends on the use of the softener, I'm most familiar with using a softener as a treatment device (get rid of iron...) These use LOTS of water (and salt)

Your septic system is not likely designed to handle the extra flow (gal / day) required of a softener. I would guess the tank bacteria would not be too happy with the saline water. Most softener sales guys will not disclose this to you (at least mine wouldn't ). They tend to get the sale, and do a quick install (using most convienent drain...) and get on to the next 'quick sale'.

I run a seperate drain from the softener, and to a different drain field than septic. (required boring through the concrete wall on my last home). I have used the 'raingutter' drains on some of my new construction, BUT I use a septic style drainfield for softener applications. (3' wide chamber or drainrock trenches with maximum soil cover of 12"). Evaporation + perculation is necessary for the amount of water used in a softener. I would not subject a septic system to softener use. Your septic system design will have a stated Gal / 24hr day capacity, and the secret to healthy septic is 'residence time'. I.E. sewage has enough time to decompose in tank chambers BEFORE exiting as 'gray-water'.

Usually on raindrains, I just dig a deep dry well that will hold 10 yds of rock, and has an 'overflow' to a ditch. but... with our recent PNW 'landslides' from highly saturated soils, plus seeing my overflows running occasionally, I will now change to 'evaporation trenches' ~ 100' long. (similar to septic) I will calculate length and number based on soil conditions.

I might start experimenting with 'annualized' water recycling, as am currently investigating 'annuallized solar'. Unfortunatley I think WA and OR have very restrictive laws regarding water collection and reuse. I have friends on the east side who have been very successful with annualized solar. (heating soil under home to release heat during the winter. ~ 12" per month transfer rate, thus need to insulate 6' from source heat to floor contact area, or bury and insulate summer heat supply lines 6' below slab)

[relocated46]

Thank you for your answer, I have found 1 softener that uses about 1/4 the salt and water. It is supposed to only regenerate as needed rather than flushing the whole thing over night. I now see that we should continue to do our homework before making this purchase.

[KidBlue]

Just when I thought the water was so soft in WA....

Where I live the water is about one step from being sand it's so hard (well water filtering through 500 feet of granite), so you have to use a softener. We use a Kinetico system that runs on potassium chloride (K-Life) instead of salt. This system drains the excess water onto our acreage and not into the septic system. I would agree that adding sodium to a septic tank would not be a good thing. The plants seem to like the potassium.

Our septic company recommended adding the bacteria every six months, so I guess it's a difference of opinion. WA must have better drainage though (hard to have worse than our almost solid red clay) because our neighbor didn't pump his tank for 13 years and the system backed up into his house--definitely not a good thing! We chose to go with the largest tank available and after 10 years we had 8 inches of solid. I guess that says something about our neighbor's life style, but....

I have a garbage disposal but don't use it often and it hasn't caused any problems with the septic. We are also careful to use products that are biodegradable and septic friendly and compost as much as possible.