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Soooo, on my thread about schools in MA vs. NH, Valerie was talking about private septic systems (tanks?). Does having one make a big difference (up or down) in the price of a home, and why is that? We are looking mainly in southern NH. In which towns do most of the houses have private septic tanks, and what does that mean to the home owner? We've only lived in urban/suburban areas with public sewage systems, so I don't know anything about private.
almost all the towns have private septic systems - the larger cities, Manchester, Concord, Nashua, etc. have public systems.
It should not make any difference in the price of the house. If you are purchasing a used home, you will want to have the septic checked for possible problems.
I have always had a private septic system and have never had any problems.
Not all towns will offer public sewer service. However, the towns that have public sewer service will normally offer this only in the compacted, or "built-up" areas, such as the town center, due to the cost of installation of sewer lines and treatment plants. Once beyond the limits of the sewer lines, your home will require a private septic system.
The cost of the a home should not be affected by which system your considering, unless there is a failure of the system in question. Repairs and replacement can be costly.
As you probably already know, having public sewers usually generates a sewer bill on a monthly basis or so. Once installed and in proper working order, a private system can operate for many years with proper maintenance. Proper maintenance involves a system pumping every 2 to 3 years, depending on the size of the system and the size of the family it services. Pumping removes the solid wastes and prevents it from entering the leaching area, also known as the leach bed or receiving field. And, no monthly bills!
The down side is installing or replacing a septic system can run $8,000.00 to $10,000 dollars and, more in some instances. That's why you should know the simple rules of septic systems usage and what you can and can't send down "your" septic pipe.
A rule of thumb........never flush anything that hasn't gone through your mouth first.
septic tanks are perfectly normal - most people have them (hmm, sounds like something else most people have ) - just like wells, most houses have their own well also (again, unless you're in the city where they have public).
So dump some ridex down the toilet once a month and don't let kids flush toys (or jewelry) down it!
I've been very lucky...at my former home of 22 years, I only had the tank pumped once, merely as a precaution, and the fella' said it didn't need it. It worked perfectly.
Here's a site I ran across with a little animation on the very basic way a septic system works. It seems the author didn't have spell check but the animation is informative to those who don't understand the workings of a septic system.
My town charges almost $100.00 a quarter for sewer service. I certainly could pay to replace + maintain a private system for that, given the 22 years that I've been paying that bill. The bill is 100% CERTAIN TO COME, but failure of a private system is not. Generally, nature just does her thing breaking down + digesting mateials for free in a properly designed + installed system. Since both design + installation is regulated by approval by the state you really shouldn't have any reasonable fears of a private system. 90% of what its doing is disseminating liquids. Overuse of soaps can clog things up, but if you're doing that, you need to adjust your environmental preservation habits anyway. Public water system, in my opinion is the same deal. Have private water tested + tasted prior to a puchase as well( No pun -in ten-did!)
Having town sewer is often seen as a plus to buyers who've seen the exhorbitant costs of replacing a septic system in an urban area (in MA, I know people can pay upwards of $30-$35,000).
I always had private septic in my homes out in the boondocks and only had to replace one system, but it was ancient.
Thanks for the link to both sites, that was pretty helpful! So is inspection of a private septic system usually done as part of house inspection when buying a house? Or does the buyer have to order that separately and pay for it themselves?
when I sold my home in 2004, it was part of the normal home inspection that the buyer paid for at $300. total.
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) - just like wells, most houses have their own well also (again, unless you're in the city where they have public).
I'd rather have a private system.
