Cost to pump septic tanks (sale, real estate, buyers)

[DellNec]

I got off the phone with a very qualified company that has engineers who deal with septic designs and maintenance. For a properly operating system with moderate use he recommended pumping it every 5 years. On a very low use system, one get by with 10 years but with careful inspections.

I advised him that some claim 15-20 years with no pumping. He basically said that anyone wearing not pumping their tank as a "badge of honor" is ridiculous. He likened it to someone claiming they did not change their motor oil in their car for years. Just like the car engine, it will fail eventually, and cost more to replace it than it was to service it. He stated that the septic system will fail eventually and destroy the leach field.

He concluded that the moral of the story is that one can pay $600 every 5 years to pump OR pay $5,000 every 10 years to repair their system.

As they say, "step on a dollar to pick-up a penny."

Another noteworthy point is that those who DO NOT pump every 5 years, the leach field ends up polluting the ground water table because the effluent being discharged gets more potent as the tanks ages and the sludge ages.

So basically the leach field is taking your waste and leaching it back into the water table. You end drinking the well water that contains effluent from your leach field. That is why many towns are going to city sewers and/or they require engineered aerobic septic tanks which clean the effluent 50x more than a conventional anaerobic septic tank. An engineered septic effluent is cleaned to the point that the effluent in the leach field is able to be used as landscape water use.

In essence, not pumping your tank just ends up costing the homeowner more money in the long run and they end up polluting their own water table because of neglecting to pump.

So not pumping a tank for 10+ years is not a "badge of honor" but a badge of neglect by polluting the environment & water table.

[wretched wrench]

Originally Posted by DellNec

Another noteworthy point is that those who DO NOT pump every 5 years, the leach field ends up polluting the ground water table because the effluent being discharged gets more potent as the tanks ages and the sludge ages.

I believe that is a function of sludge level, rather than the calendar.

So basically the leach field is taking your waste and leaching it back into the water table. You end drinking the well water that contains effluent from your leach field.

A properly designed septic system includes a properly located leach field. There is a distance requirement from a well. Additionally, a well-designed septic system is downhill from the well when possible.

That is why many towns are going to city sewers and/or they require engineered aerobic septic tanks which clean the effluent 50x more than a conventional anaerobic septic tank. An engineered septic effluent is cleaned to the point that the effluent in the leach field is able to be used as landscape water use.

Much of this is because older septic systems had much looser requirements than today's systems.

In essence, not pumping your tank just ends up costing the homeowner more money in the long run and they end up polluting their own water table because of neglecting to pump.

So not pumping a tank for 10+ years is not a "badge of honor" but a badge of neglect by polluting the environment & water table.

It could also be a badge denoting a system that is sized, located, inspected and used wisely.

I'm gonna have a septic badge of honor made up that will have four little bars dangling underneath, one for sizing, one for inspection, one for location, and one for wise use. Everyone who sees it and admires it will be told DellNec awarded it to me, true or not.

[DellNec]

Moderator cut: snip

The County requires the well and septic to be at least 100' apart. The problem that hydrologists are discovering is that even at 100' apart, the effluent will make its way into the water table as it travels through the ground. As with most things we pour and spill into the earth, they will make their way into our drinking water.

Originally Posted by wretched wrench

It could also be a badge denoting a system that is sized, located, inspected and used wisely.

I'm gonna have a septic badge of honor made up that will have four little bars dangling underneath, one for sizing, one for inspection, one for location, and one for wise use. Everyone who sees it and admires it will be told DellNec awarded it to me, true or not.

The problem is that for every responsible person like yourself who maintains their system, there are hundreds of people who don't. Look at some of the comments here, you have people who haven't pumped their systems in 15+ years and as long as the sewer doesn't back into their homes, they believe it is out of sight-out of mind.

Yavapai County is starting to get more stringent on their septic installs, permits and inspections. When you have thousands of people utilizing septic, many of which have effluent that is polluting the ground water, streams and washes, you have a problem on your hands.

[keninaz]

Just curious, I wonder if this county has a mandatory pump out and inspection when the property sells? I think it's a good idea myself.
At least that way the county and the buyer know that the tank is in good shape when it's sold anyway.
It hit me by surprise in Cochise County when we sold our property in 2008 but the people buying my land and home paid for it as I had already given them a good price on the home.
I know the people got estimate on having the work done and the costs varied quite a bit.

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by wretched wrench

i'm gonna have a septic badge of honor made up that will have four little bars dangling underneath, one for sizing, one for inspection, one for location, and one for wise use. Everyone who sees it and admires it will be told dellnec awarded it to me, true or not.

:d lmao

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by keninaz

Just curious, I wonder if this county has a mandatory pump out and inspection when the property sells? I think it's a good idea myself.
At least that way the county and the buyer know that the tank is in good shape when it's sold anyway.
It hit me by surprise in Cochise County when we sold our property in 2008 but the people buying my land and home paid for it as I had already given them a good price on the home.
I know the people got estimate on having the work done and the costs varied quite a bit.

AZ law states that the septic has to be pumped, inspected, and certified to be functional whenever a property is sold. There's a $50 "transfer fee" that presumably pays for the governmanagement of the program. Hey, I just invented a new word.

[keninaz]

Thanks for the information. I was told it was a new law but thought it was the county, or so I was told in 2008 by the title company people.

[DellNec]

I just got off the phone with a friend in the Denver Colorado area. He said to pump a 1,500 gallon tank is $260.00

I wonder if the septic tank pumpers in Yavapai County are in some monopoly or price gouging scheme, as they all charge $600. How on earth can it cost 2x more to pump in Yavapai? It's not rocket science and does not require a complex setup.

[BriansPerspective]

I don't think it's the pumping that costs a lot. I think it's the disposing of the waste that costs a lot.

[smilinpretty]

We lived in Lake Havasu City in our one house for 12 years, owned it for 14 years. We never had the septic pumped, never had problems with it. When we moved the new buyers paid for it, it was their bank's requirement.
I do not put food down the garbage disposal but what is left on plate. All scraps and peelings are thrown in the trash can. It was told to us by a expert in the business that Lake Havasu had the best conditions for septic tanks.