Septic system?

Question

Hi I am looking at buying a home in Grundy VA. It will be sold to me for a cheap cost (10,000) because It is a real fixer upper. ( New floors, roof, all new appliances, plus more) The only thing I am having a problem with is there is no septic system. From what I have been told is that the house has been in the family since it was built and they lost it due to forclosur. The only septic system was contected to the neighbors house down the road but the neighbor is not wanting the new owners to use it because they are the family who use to own it and have been trying to coming up with the money to buy it for the last 3 years or so. The realitor is in the process of having the health department check to see if one can be put in. She also say we might beable to bride the neighbors into letingus use theirs. Which I really do not want to do. So here is my questions..Is there anyway I can force them to let us use it? OR is there a alternative to a septic tank ? Thanks~!!!

Answer 1

Even if the neighbor allowed it, being a new owner causes an inspetion to be made and each living occupancy is manditory to have it's own septic system. You wouldn't get away with it anyways.
Also, many places require an engineer to plan the placement. If propperty fails the purge test, then youwill need an above ground tank that will run almost twice as much. All and all, your looking at $300-1000 for engineer, 2,500-8,000 for septic
plus it might cost extra to close leach to neighbors property.

Answer 2

The assumption is sewers are not available, that said, it's not possible to have "no septic system" but have indoor plumbing. It has to go somewhere, which is the neighbor's system. Ohio rules used to be one house, one parcel, one system. New rules in Jan '07 have modified that, but I won't go into those details here. I'm not sure what your state or county requires. That needs to be your first stop - the local county health department. They can tell you what types of systems will work in the soils you have.

There are always alternatives, the question is how much money are you willing to spend? The cheapest route will be to install your own system on your own property. The more "alternative" a system is the more expensive it tends to be (not always, but usually).

In general, don't always trust the real estate agent. The have their own best interests at heart - she wants to sell the thing (and make money). You need to talk to the authority, the Health Department, yourself and find out what your options are - before buying the property! In fact, I always suggest a buyer contact the health department to get the well and septic system records for a house they're buying. They have the original records and they're not trying to sell you something, like a septic system installer or other inspector might be trying to do.

No - there's no way you can force the neighbors to allow you to use their system (I'm not a lawyer, so if you really want to pursue this get the advice of a lawyer.)

Good luck.

Answer 3

Okay, I was, until recently moving to SC, a Realtor in VA. By VA law septic systems do need to be inspected at property title transfer, however, rural jurisdictions have override authority on state law. They need it, you can't have a one-size-fits-all since all areas have different soils and needs.

However, that being said, I WOULD NOT recommend sharing a septic. There are too many issues, the least of which being that it is a mark against the property for resale, thereby hurting your investment.

How much land is the house on? Typically in Virginia you can put a septic provided you can find a drainfield site and a reserve site should the first fail. The reserve site is the hard part, especially if your county requires 100% reserve. A perc test will need to be done and provided to the County for approval before they can say whether or not you can put a septic field in.

Another thing to check is whether your County will allow alternative systems, such as low pressure, peat moss, sand filter, etc. This will help if the perc test is the problem.

Wow, I could go on and on. Nuts and bolts, if you can't put your own septic in I would suggest walking away from this property. Septic restrictions aren't going to get more lenient, just the opposite, and in 10 years you don't want to be the one stuck with it.

Answer 4

As others have said, chemicals can stop the process of breaking down what is in the tank. So go easy on them. Grease is a no-no for any drain septic or sewer. It depends on how many live in the house as to how often they should be pumped. Water is the biggest enemy of the septic system. When the tank fills the water seeps out into the lines in the ground. More water used the quicker the ground is saturated and wont absorb any more. Then you have to have the lines replaced and moved to a different location in the yard. This does take a while to happen but the more showers or baths, more clothes and dish washing the faster it can happen. Thats why the number of people in the house have an effect on the system.

Answer 5

Alright hun, I didn't see any of these people respond to the fact that the realtor is checking up w/ the heath dept. for a possibility of having one installed.
Here is the way to get around having a septic installed... I'm sure right now you have some type of water supply to your home, more than likely well water, which also drains out to the neighbors. Now, for your water drainage... fit your self up with a "graywater" system. It is being used in Australia to conserve water right now due to their excessive droughts. What this is, is your water from you doing your laundry, and showers and the water you didn't get in your drinking glass all go down the drain and into a large holding tank that you then later use to water you yard, wash your car or dogs. Installing this system would take some effort, but it would make up for it by saving you money on water and help control your water waste. And for your toilet situation,... there is a thing called composting toilets, and what they do is eliminate the need for a sewer hook up or septic tank by tuning your waste into compost for out door foliage (I wouldn't trow it in my tomatoes even though it is safe to). I believe that they do not run over $1500, and the cost of the graywater systam depends on your needs and water consumption, but shouldn't run you over $5000. The total for the septic installation should probably run about the same as adapting both of these methods, but the septic system will have to be drained every 5-7yrs which means footing a new bill too. The adapted system not only saves you this cost every 7yrs, but it ADDs the function of using recycled water for your lawn (less bills) and the one a year adding free compost to your lawns too!

Answer 6

From what you say, I take it you are in the county, not the city. If there are no sewers available in you area, then the county health dept will have the code book, or be able to send you to the right dept, this will explain what you must do to put in a septic system. You must follow the rules as they will have an inspector that checks at least 2 and may 4 times.

I would suggest and do away with the hook up to the neighbors now. I am sure it against every page of the rule book.

Answer 7

To svae yourself the headache and then cutting you off and not tell you, I would recomend you putting one in yourself. Do you know how old the septic system is?? If it is really old, chances are they will need to replace it soon. For what you are paying for this forclosed home, I would set aside an extra $8000 to $10000 to have your own. At least you are guaranteed that the septic system is not going out any time soon. Does this home have a well? Do you know if that water smells like sulfur? If it does, good indication that the well will need to be replaced also. Good idea to put a water softener on a well, due to iron and hard water in well water. Some things to keep in mind. Oh, keep in mind the septic will need pumped every 2 years or so, and you have to put enzymes back into it, which you can buy at any hardware store, or home improvement store. Hope this help you out.

Answer 8

Septic tanks have to be somewhere within distance to the home... using a septic tank down the road is uncalled for...

As the need is eminate, I would seek local contractors about thier pricing.... in the long run you will want your own tank.

Answer 9

You will have to put your own in... and typically it would have to be inspected before water can be turned on to the home. The only way around that is well water.

Are you really advocating some kind of legal action to force someone to allow you to use THEIR private property and a system THEY paid for to dispose of YOUR waste with? Come on... I can't believe that feels right to you. You wouldn't want someone to "Force" you into complying to something like that.

Get a perk test, and get your own system, they aren't that expensive. And shame on those rednecks for trying to half-a** something in the first place.

Answer 10

I think you will have to put one in our your own. If they share it will save pumping fees.