Considering purchasing a home with a septic system and well water?

Question

Is it a good idea? What are some things to look for. Depth of well? Septic systems I know nothing about. Anybody have them for a long time or work on them? Thank you for your imput.

Answer 1

Here is your best answer;
The seller will have to have the septic tank pumped and inspected at sellers expense. Get a copy of such as the lender usually will not fund until they get their copy. Look for rows of buttercups or longer grass in rows in the yard. Either can be evidence of drainfield issues. The well needs to be certified by the county ecology department for purity and adequate supply. All info is extremely handy to keep for when you become the seller years from now. Can the well serve more than one residence ? If so that can be useful in the future. Does the well water require additional filtration such as iron removal or sulfur removal. I have sold hundreds of rural properties that have had wells and septic systems and any good agent should already have had the correct answers for you by now. The septic tank should be full when they open the access lid and the field discharge box access cover should also be uncovered. The tank if not full will be due to a crack in it and that will need repaired. The well cap should not allow bugs to drop down the casing. You can check that yourself. The pump will have a breaker box between it and the house. The breakers should be protected from rain and children being able to access them. Having no water or sewer bill is a good plus as long as the systems are in good working order. Some people use sugar others flush a packet of yeast into their septic once a month to keep the enzymes active. You do not want to use your garbage disposal like you did when on a sewer line as grease is not good for a septic tank. Lastly the tank itself should be large enough for your home to add 1 more bedroom. Septic tanks are rated by bedrooms in a house, not bathrooms. Should you want to add a 4th bedroom in a remodel you cannot sell the house as a 4 bedroom with only a 3 bedroom rated septic tank. Hope this helps you as most of the previous answers are city people that know little about rural things.

Answer 2

Your state or county probably was a well water website which can give you information about the depths of wells in your area and check to see if yours is comparable. Check to see if your well and septic were permitted, just in case there are issues down the road. If it is an old well and septic, it may not be, and that is not cause for panic. Permits didn't happen until the mid-70's in most areas. The type of pump and septic is important. If you write an offer on the house, make sure that it includes that the seller provides either a very recent test regarding the function of the well, the quality of the water and septic or will pay to get it tested. Sometimes if well function is questionable, a house will have a holding tank. In times where you are not using the water (i. e. during the night) the well pump will kick on and fill your holding tank.

A well and septic really isn't a scary proposition, just write your offer contingent on having a good well and septic system.

Answer 3

Homes with a well and septic system are fine. You must realize they do require some maintenance. It depends on the type of septic and water systems the house has. Not every house has a well - they might have a pond, a cistern, or a spring. Also, not every house has a septic tank and leachfield (many do), it might have a tank and filter bed, or an aeration system, or a mound, or something else.

Whatever you do, have the local health department do a well and septic inspection, including a bacterial water test (on the well). Get copies of the well and septic records. When was the septic tank last pumped out?

The health department is your best unbiased resource for well and septic system questions.

Answer 4

#1) Get the water professionally tested. (bacteria AND minerals)
#2) How old is the pump?
#3) Is there a holding tank for house water?
#4) How deep is the well?
#5) What type of septic system? (tank or drain field)
#6) Last time it had to be cleaned?

Most of the time, having a well is trouble free. (At least ours have been.) If the pump breaks, then it's not cheap. If the water is high in minerals, you can either buy a treatment system or live with it.

As for septic systems, you should give them "booster" treatments. The intervals depend on the products you use. We got ours from Home Depot.

Good luck!

Answer 5

If you want to use water from a well it needs to be certified by the county ecology department for purity and adequate supply. However, if the water needs additional filtration such as removal of iron or sulfur, the cost will slightly increase.

Maybe the well can serve more than one household, consider that in the future (it may be useful). But don't forget the well and septic system requires some maintenance... Septic tanks are rated by the number of bedrooms in a house. It should be large enough better add to the calculation one more bedroom.

Answer 6

Just for peace of mind, I'd have the water tested, the local health dept. should be able to give you a sample bottle with instructions, the test isn't very expensive. You should also ask the previous owner for a map showing the location of the septic tank, distribution box, and the drain field. That might come in handy 10 or 20 years from now. Make sure the detergents and bleach you use are listed "safe for septic" on the label. Some detergents and bleach products can kill the bacteria in the tank. Having it pumped isn't cheap.

Answer 7

before you buy in your offer stipulate that the owners are responsible for inspection of your septic system. the cost is cheap and even if the owners won't do this you should have that done. depending on where you live your local health department will collect water samples and analize it at no cost, also ask the owners for information concerning the age of the well pump, and if it is a JET pump or Submersible. submersible is what you want. ask your realtor about the aquifer in the area. have a water well company inspect the system. if you do tese things you not have any surprises, a new submersible pump will cost you about $1200-1400

Answer 8

i have a septic and well system. the deeper the well the better, check the rating for the septic for how many people and how often it has been cleaned out. i m single bought a property rated for 4, has been clean for 3 yrs so far

Answer 9

I have one and you benefit by not having to pay for a water bill. Have a inspector come out to inspect the well and septic tank. You want to make sure your well is deep enough and your not going to run out of water in 5 minutes from the well being too shallow. Also, have the water quality tested to make sure its safe to drink.

Answer 10

Make sure you sample the water first. I was on a contract job in Ohio and was put up in a house on well water. The water quality was literally so bad that I started showering at the local YMCA. A minor inconvenience for three months, but not something I would have wanted to put up with permanently.

I think the area I was in (Grove City OH, just south of Columbus) may have had exceptionally low quality water, but make sure you check to see if its OK with you. (I've heard it can also be a bit of a shock for people who are on city water.)