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We are looking at making an offer on a house which is out a bit from the city and has a septic tank and well. My mate is very leery as we have only ever had city water. We have done a bit of research on upkeep of these systems, but I wanted to hear from those who have owned or lived in a home with both to see if they thought there was a clear winner of the two. What sorts of factors would you suggest we take note of?
I will preface this by saying I LOVE taking baths and take at least two full baths per day (as opposed to showers). Water is very important in my world.
...to see if they thought there was a clear winner of the two.
There is no clear winner in that sense.
The good/bad is about all the other aspects which make one or the other exist.
A value judgment.
Larger lot size and distance from town = well/septic (and often an oil furnace)
Small(er) lot close to town = city water/sewer (and often gas furnace)
Which do YOU value more?
---
The next level up is the QUALITY of any specific well and the volume of water it produces.
These will vary a lot as will the filtering/treatment protocol any well water needs.
If your town ever decides to run water/sewer down your street, you're on the hook to pay to connect. That can run into the thousands, but sometimes you can spread the costs across several years.
We are looking at making an offer on a house which is out a bit from the city and has a septic tank and well. My mate is very leery as we have only ever had city water. We have done a bit of research on upkeep of these systems, but I wanted to hear from those who have owned or lived in a home with both to see if they thought there was a clear winner of the two. What sorts of factors would you suggest we take note of?
I will preface this by saying I LOVE taking baths and take at least two full baths per day (as opposed to showers). Water is very important in my world.
BEFORE you make an offer on that house in the country, you MUST find out several things about the well and septic system:
1. When was the well dug, how deep is it, what kind of "system" is it, and what is the quality and quantity of water it brings up.
2. Does the septic system meet current county code? If not, you may be required to put in a whole new system.
The main problem with having your own well and septic system is that, if something goes wrong, YOU have to pay for it. And it's not cheap. Well work can run anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000, depending on if you need a small repair or a new well. Septic work can run anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to $25,000, depending on if you need a small repair or need a new system.
The most important thing here is that you go into it with full knowledge of what you're facing.
Comparing city systems to onsite systems is difficult, because one usually does not have a choice between the two. If you want to live out in the country, a well and septic is part of the deal.
Learn about their basic functions, have them tested during your inspection period, and if you buy, you probably won't have to spend a lot of time thinking about either one, more than occasional maintenance.
City water is convenient and (usually) predictably priced, but out of your control
Quote:
Originally Posted by emotiioo
We have done a bit of research on upkeep of these systems, but I wanted to hear from those who have owned or lived in a home with both to see if they thought there was a clear winner of the two. What sorts of factors would you suggest we take note of?
A rural home with a good artesian or drilled well and a properly designed septic system should not be a deal-breaker. I would be a little more wary of a shallow (aka "dug") well.
In the Midwest, I always had lake Michigan water, and it was not great -- funky tastes in the summer, always overly-chlorinated. I had to run drinking and cooking water through a carbon filter just to make it palatable.
Moving to NH, I now have a deep drilled well. The water has always been plentiful and cold, and tastes great, but the pH and mineral content wasn't great for my appliances, so I recently added a water softener. This can be more complicated when on septic, as you don't want to be dumping tons of salt into a septic system, and not all areas allow discharging softener backwash or grey water into a drywell.
Comparing city systems to onsite systems is difficult, because one usually does not have a choice between the two. If you want to live out in the country, a well and septic is part of the deal.
Learn about their basic functions, have them tested during your inspection period, and if you buy, you probably won't have to spend a lot of time thinking about either one, more than occasional maintenance.
Having grown up on a farm, and having lived on an acreage (5 miles outside the city) for 15 years, I can say this...
If given the choice between hooking up to city water & sewer, or having a well and septic system, I'd go with the city system EVERY time. No question.
Lived with a well and septic for 28 years, past 2 on city water and sewer, here a few things to consider:
Make sure you get the septic system inspected a cost you will need to pay for. Costs can be 2-3k and involves digging up a portion of the system, placing a demand on the system and inspection of the tank. A system 20-30 years old may not pass the inspection using today's septic insulation standard. If the system fails it is up to the seller to make a repair and or replacement $30-40k.
The city sewer also has potential problems with the pipe from the city connection to the home. That is the homeowner responsibility if the pipe failed because of age, trees, etc. Have the pipe inspected by running a camera down the pipe to see any potential problems, if a problem it is the seller dime.
The 2 items above are typically NOT covered by a home inspection.
The city sewer is more expensive on a monthly or quarterly bases based on the system it is connected to. Investigate the costs of the sewer and water when you calculate your monthly $$$. We pay on average $100 a month for both based on water usage.
There is no clear winner in that sense.
The good/bad is about all the other aspects which make one or the other exist.
A value judgment.
Larger lot size and distance from town = well/septic (and often an oil furnace)
Small(er) lot close to town = city water/sewer (and often gas furnace)
Which do YOU value more?
---
The next level up is the QUALITY of any specific well and the volume of water it produces.
These will vary a lot as will the filtering/treatment protocol any well water needs.
(2nd paragraph)
Many rural houses are replacing their oil furnace with a propane furnace.
BEFORE you make an offer on that house in the country, you MUST find out several things about the well and septic system:
1. When was the well dug, how deep is it, what kind of "system" is it, and what is the quality and quantity of water it brings up.
2. Does the septic system meet current county code? If not, you may be required to put in a whole new system.
The main problem with having your own well and septic system is that, if something goes wrong, YOU have to pay for it. And it's not cheap. Well work can run anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000, depending on if you need a small repair or a new well. Septic work can run anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to $25,000, depending on if you need a small repair or need a new system.
The most important thing here is that you go into it with full knowledge of what you're facing.
( #2) .......many places require the seller to have the septic system upgraded or the title can not be transferred.
Any septic system that is not compliant it should be the seller's responsibility.
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City water is convenient and (usually) predictably priced, but out of your control
