Septic/well - thoughts? (condo, deed, disposal)

[robr2]

Originally Posted by mdovell

For septic keep in mind there are limits to the number of people it can support. Long ago I had a neighbor rented out her house to others due to a lack of intelligence and money (long story) you had four families in a one family house! The owner didn't do any maintenance and there was a fire etc. Well other neighbors had enough so they looked at the septic regs and you couldn't have x number. It kicked out three of the four.

For a private well I think the real advantage is you can do what you want. Water bans can be common and frankly if you can water when people can't you can have a garden or a green lawn. Generally I like public water and sewer but having a well even as a backup can be a good thing. I've been though an ecoli outbreak that lasted a few weeks. Not being able to drink water can be devastating.

You might also want a greywater recovery system.

Depending on the town. Here in Burlington, homeowners with wells have to follow the same outdoor water restrictions as everyone else. The water all comes from the same aquifer.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Possibly. It's also conceivable that you have a two bedroom house and perhaps the room you use as your third bedroom is not viewed as a bedroom by the town. Hard to say but when you bought the house you should have received paperwork about the waiver if the house was unable to pass Title V inspection.

Yeah I do have documentation.

The engineer did mention that if I want another (4th) bedroom the best thing to do is to add an office.
I don't really understand why making those rules about septic systems and then allow obvious loophole to go around them. Why not just go by the number of people living in the house rather then the number of bedrooms?

[RBThescot]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

And yes, the board of health, be it town and/or county, can tell you down to the last detail what you may or may not do, and there is no recourse.

There's actually a lot of reasonableness built in that makes it not as bad as people fear. Out here in Franklin county I still hear of the occasional cesspool that's still in use and in compliance. As long as it's not leaching into a waterway or someone's private water well it can be allowed.

My friend has an antique cape on acreage similar to my property but that still has an old cesspool. For water he doesn't even have a well. There's a natural, bubbling-up, underground spring in the cellar. He has it connected to an expansion tank like a drilled well so he gets good water pressure but you can go down the cellar, turn a spigot and drink spring water straight from the pipe.

This same guy also has a Clivus Maximus, he has a ton of money, but likes the old systems and keeps them the way it is because that's what he wants.

[johngolf]

My home in Andover had town water and a private (mine) septic tank which was 15 years old when I bought the house. I lived there for 12 years (then a 27 year old system) and had it pumped once a year and never had a problem. Passed inspection when I sold it but that was before Title V.

[Rickcin]

Wells and individual septic systems can be economical and problem free and there is no reason to pass on a house because it has one or the other or both. You just need to do your due diligence and be sure to research the specific area where you are considering the house and it’s really not all that difficult.

[HowieCFan]

Thank you so much everybody for the comments and info, I do find this incredibly useful information!

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by Lampert

Yeah I do have documentation.

The engineer did mention that if I want another (4th) bedroom the best thing to do is to add an office.
I don't really understand why making those rules about septic systems and then allow obvious loophole to go around them. Why not just go by the number of people living in the house rather then the number of bedrooms?

It's definitely not a perfect system. However, restricting residency of a house based on the number of people would be considered discrimination if those people happen to be related. If they're unrelated you can do it.

On a side note . . . with so many people staying home all day and using the bathrooms in their house more I wonder if septic system repair companies are busier than usual. I'm not saying the extra use would break a system just that more use might bring to light pre-existing problems that owners were not aware of.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

It's definitely not a perfect system. However, restricting residency of a house based on the number of people would be considered discrimination if those people happen to be related. If they're unrelated you can do it.

I can see that, on the other hand if my septic system can process the waste of 4 people and I have 5 people living in the house is going to be a problem, family relations or not.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

It's definitely not a perfect system. However, restricting residency of a house based on the number of people would be considered discrimination if those people happen to be related. If they're unrelated you can do it.

On a side note . . . with so many people staying home all day and using the bathrooms in their house more I wonder if septic system repair companies are busier than usual. I'm not saying the extra use would break a system just that more use might bring to light pre-existing problems that owners were not aware of.

Or perhaps the opposite as everyone in the household is aware of what can and cannot go down the toilet.

Seems every d box issue I've caught wind of was a family member or friend flushing feminine products, baby wipes, etc. as they're used to making it the DPW's problem. Not many large parties these days which might encourage this scenario.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by Lampert

I can see that, on the other hand if my septic system can process the waste of 4 people and I have 5 people living in the house is going to be a problem, family relations or not.

Interesting thought. That could certainly be offsetting any increase in calls from my theory.

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Or perhaps the opposite as everyone in the household is aware of what can and cannot go down the toilet.

Seems every d box issue I've caught wind of was a family member or friend flushing feminine products, baby wipes, etc. as they're used to making it the DPW's problem. Not many large parties these days which might encourage this scenario.

D box does seem to be one of the most common failure points for septic systems.