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I am looking at possibly buying a wooded parcel that has been unoccupied for several years.
It has an old single wide trailer that has not been lived in for 7 years according the owner.
The owner who is an older woman tells me that when she last lived there, about 7 years ago, the septic and well functioned.
My plan would be to get the old trailer hauled off or call the local fire dept to see if they could use it for practice burn. I just want it gone cheaply as possible.
Can someone advise what can go wrong with septic and wells that have not been used for that long?
Also how expensive is it to get them checkout /and or repaired due to non-use for this long?
I can’t comment on a well but for septic - some considerations..
Is it a septic tank or cesspool(s)?
How old?
How many gallons?
What is its construction?
Does it flow out to a drainfield? Anything over the drainfield?
A check in general shouldn’t be too expensive if it’s a concrete reinforced septic tank with easy access. Maybe a couple hundred. Might need to be pumped out to be inspected.
My concern would be if it was sized big enough for what you want to build.
my concern is the legality. Some areas won't allow use of septic that has been idle for that long, the concern being that it could have filled with dirt.
I think your 1st stop or call should be to the local zoning office.
If the septic worked when the owner lived, it probably will work for you. The well pump motor may also work. I bought a fishing shack back in the eighties that had not been used in years, and all I to do was turn everything on and move my stuff in. I drank bottled water and washed the dishes with water from 5-gallon buckets until the well water test came back good.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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They are sized based on the building it will serve. If you are going to put in more than a newer single wide, or 1BR 1 BA house you will most likely have to replace it with a bigger one anyway.
You'd have to have the septic pumped and inspected to see what kind of condition it's in, and what size home it could still service. If it's an older gravity system, it has no electronics or mechanicals to fail and I would definitely try to save that if I could.
You'll learn half of what you need to know when you lift the lids. If it's dry inside.... the tank is *probably* leaking. Though some will have certainly been lost to evaporation, it shouldn't be dry inside. If it is leaking, you'll have to pump it to find out where and whether it can be repaired. The drain field can be scoped if desired.
I don't see why either would have to be replaced. You should talk to a septic service to get their opinion though. It might be that sludge has built up in the bottom due to lack of use.
One thing I would look at regarding the well. Is the pump still there? My neighbor down the road had a house fire years ago and decided not to replace the house but still intended to use the well for his cows. Somebody came by and stole the pump out of the well. The things cost 500+.
I bought a house that hadn't been occupied for a couple years that has a septic and a well.
The well in this case required a new pump and pressure tank that the seller installed (he was a builder that intended to live there til he got married and she changed his mind.)
A Septic inspection and leak test were recommended; I don't totally remember the price so it couldn't have given me much sticker shock. With the leak test they pump the tank out, then fill it and measure the leakage over 24 hours.
There shouldn't be specific problems with the septic that come from disuse, the only thing I can think of is the cement drying out and cracking?
The well pump may or may not work, but the well probably does need testing and probably a bunch of chlorine dumped in it. Mine did; tested positive for bacteria, they put chemicals down it and I drank bottled water for a few days after moving in til it started running clear (the chlorine shook loose a bunch of corosion in the pipes.)
We just moved, and the house has a new generation septic system. You can get information all about them on YouTube.
The house is 12 years old. And the septic system was found last week to be slap full of solids. The liquids were not draining into the leech field because the plastic filter was completely stopped up.
I had the system cleaned out and drained--$550 cost.
Come to find out the plastic man hole on one side needs to be removed, and the red filter pulled every 6 months and hosed off. That's all it is to keeping the system healthy.
If you are buying another home with a septic system, make sure your home inspector takes time to pull the tops off the system and do a visual inspection. It would have saved me $550.
Also how expensive is it to get them checkout /and or repaired due to non-use for this long?
Do you have a copy of the septic system design. Usually located at the town hall. Or the state will have some department that keeps records of all septic systems and wells.
So get going and get these documents.
What is the manufacture date of the current trailer/manufactured home? Was it put there new and placed there used?
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