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Wow - not everybody wants live right in town :-). It is not usually a choice which kind of system you would like.
And local governments and systems availability vary widely… Can’t make an across-the-board statement like this.
Sorry, septics just suck. But I did point out if you live where there is no choice, then you are stuck with a septic. But many suburbs and even exurbs will have choice. If you have the choice, choose sewers. Septics are expensive, finicky, prone to failure unless you take great care, and subject you to state scrutiny when it is time to sell. You have to be careful what you put in the drain that might kill your bacteria, heavy rains can raise the water table and turn your yard into a stink bomb, diagnosing issues is expensive and imprecise, they cost $20,000 - $50,000 to replace, nothing but a nasty, smelly, headache. Sewers spread the cost and create economies of scale, and are just much, much, better.
I have been involved as an agent or appraiser in at least 50 homes where the septics failed and all of a sudden the sellers were faced with huge bills and massive disruption to replace a septic that failed inspection. Awful, nasty things.
Sewers are the way to go, and it’s not even remotely close.
Sorry, septics just suck. But I did point out if you live where there is no choice, then you are stuck with a septic. But many suburbs and even exurbs will have choice. If you have the choice, choose sewers. Septics are expensive, finicky, prone to failure unless you take great care, and subject you to state scrutiny when it is time to sell. You have to be careful what you put in the drain that might kill your bacteria, heavy rains can raise the water table and turn your yard into a stink bomb, diagnosing issues is expensive and imprecise, they cost $20,000 - $50,000 to replace, nothing but a nasty, smelly, headache. Sewers spread the cost and create economies of scale, and are just much, much, better.
I have been involved as an agent or appraiser in at least 50 homes where the septics failed and all of a sudden the sellers were faced with huge bills and massive disruption to replace a septic that failed inspection. Awful, nasty things.
Sewers are the way to go, and it’s not even remotely close.
I get it... It's something that needs to be maintained. In our career we have done maybe two transactions total that had sewer. The rest have had septics, and no other choice.
While repairs can be expensive if the system has failed, they aren't always. Most working inhabited systems pass, with pumping and/or minor maintenance. If people want to live rurally, I just hope they don't have a phobia against septics. In the area where we serve, septic is just a fact of life.
The way to shop septic systems is to avoid them if humanly possible. They are nothing but trouble. And replacing them means sucking up to emboldened bureaucratic envirofascists who make endless demands that YOU have to pay for. When its time to sell, the standards will have become more onerous and your system WILL LIKELY FAIL INSPECTION. Meaning yet more expense.
All the homes I grew up in and those I've sold had septic systems. Maybe because I've done it so long I take knowing how to treat them for granted, but care wasn't difficult at all. None of them ever failed inspection.
Last edited by Parnassia; 06-05-2021 at 03:04 PM..
I grew up in a NYC suburb and didn't know there was an option to having sewer and public water/gas. Imagine my surprise to find out that not everyone has that.
First house we bought, no one informed me of the care needed for a septic system. But I sure found out fast. I would clean with bleach, used bleach in laundry (also had cloth diapers). One day, there was a mess in the basement - septic overflowed. Years later, sold the house and moved back to cities but retirement was approaching and we wanted country so not only septic but no public water.
While there is a law (that was in effect when we bought) that all homes built from a few years before our home were to have the septic system on record with the state. Well, it's the country and a lot of laws like that are ignored and it was for our house. But we made some calls and found a septic service who had already pumped out this property. We rented out the house for 4 years before moving in and had the tank pumped. It was pumped as a precaution when we were having a lot of guests about 6 years ago. No problems. We do have gray water which goes down the hill from the house so it's less issue for the septic tank/system. It isn't illegal where we live.
Last fall I was in Bangkok and a stake bed pickup truck passed by carrying 6 brand new 1000 liter septic tanks. They were made of plastic, which is a lot more durable than most concrete. Do a search on alibaba... I'll bet you paid more for your last teeth cleaning.
Last fall I was in Bangkok and a stake bed pickup truck passed by carrying 6 brand new 1000 liter septic tanks. They were made of plastic, which is a lot more durable than most concrete. Do a search on alibaba... I'll bet you paid more for your last teeth cleaning.
Newer septic tanks installed here are plastic as well.
Location: Foothills of Maryland Blue Ridge mountains
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc Paolella
The way to shop septic systems is to avoid them if humanly possible. They are nothing but trouble. And replacing them means sucking up to emboldened bureaucratic envirofascists who make endless demands that YOU have to pay for. When its time to sell, the standards will have become more onerous and your system WILL LIKELY FAIL INSPECTION. Meaning yet more expense. If you live in Podunk and there’s no choice that’s one thing. But if you live in an area where there’s a mix? Sewers and nothing but sewers.
Sounds about right for Northern Jersey. Sold my MIL’s home there to a builder and the hoops we had to jump through! It was on public sewer by the way, in Summit. The builder worked with us, everyone wanted it sold. But the city needed one document after another. This went on for 6 months until the transaction was complete.
No septic inspection is required for property sale in many areas. But, it surely is highly recommended!
And, there is a lot more to maintenance than just pumping a tank, particularly if there is a pump system to lift treated wastewater from tank to distribution box.
And, if it is an "innovative system," one should request any available annual inspection/maintenance records.
Heck, some operators only pump one chamber, and let homeowners think (and advertise) that the system has been well-maintained. A conscientious operator will pump both chambers, inspect outlet tees, locate and inspect any distribution box, and locate the drainfields and flag them.
Few sellers go to that extent, but a buyer is wise to do so if the house has any age on it at all.
Here's some NC information, but many of the basics of waste water treatment and disposal are fairly generic, and I suggest you seek out local rules, regulations, and guidelines for onsite septic disposal:
If you want a large, private lot, onsite septic disposal may be the only option for getting that sort of property. Learn about typical septic systems, how they work, and proceed with some knowledge.
And, if you are working with an agent, work with one who is experienced and conversant regarding on-site septic disposal.
I know it is the only option in many places, but where there is a choice in a neighborhood, I'd never buy something with a septic system. No matter how much technology is in it, it's still an outhouse that went to college.
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All the homes I grew up in and those I've sold had septic systems. Maybe because I've done it so long I take knowing how to treat them for granted, but care wasn't difficult at all. None of them ever failed inspection.
