Rural water and septic tank sewer vs city. What do we need to know before we buy a house in the country?

Question

Is there any downside or benefits to rural water and septic tank sewer? We're looking at a house in the country that has these features.

Answer 1

the ''down'' side to ''wellwater'' is heavy iron in the water making ''red stains'' in your sinks,tub/shower,washer, have the water ''tested'' before you buy any home that has wellwater and have the septic system checked out to see if it needs to be re-built(tank and drain field) If everything checks out good, than one good thing is no ''bill'' for water/sewer service.

Answer 2

I grew up in the country and always had a septic tank and a well for water.

Well water may taste better or worse. Try the water in the house you're looking at. One place I lived had an extremely deep (400 ft) well; it never dried up, but the water smelled awful. Another house had great water, but the well was too shallow and occasionally we had to ration water.

The upside is that you don't pay for the water, only the electricity to pump it into your house.

The same goes for a septic tank: you don't have to pay the city's sewer fees. If the septic tank is reasonably new, you probably won't have to worry about it. However, if it's old or if something goes wrong, it can be very costly to remedy.

If you can trust the seller/realtor, ask them how deep the well is and if they've ever had problems with it going dry. Also ask them about the age and condition of the septic tank.

Answer 3

You really want an inspection of the water and the septic system. As stated, no electricity equals no water. If you have always been a city dweller, you will need to change some bad habits to live with a septic. You cannot just dump anything you want down the drains. A septic works from bacteria eating the solids. If you dump lots of chemicals or grease/oil down the drain, you will kill the bacteria and have problems. Old saying is "if it didn't go thorough you, it shouldn't go through the septic". This is overstatement but is true for basics. I have had septics for 15 years and have had no problems.

Answer 4

Well, most house you find in rural areas have a septic tank, I live in the country and I do, when buying a house find out when the septic was put in, because if you have to replace it, it's not cheap. Then you should have them pumped out every few years, by the guy on Red-Green ha ha.

Answer 5

I lived in the country once and the major problem we had was that whenever there was a power outage, we had no water (because of the pump that was powered by electricity.). Also, check the depth of your well, this is especially important if there is a dry spell, and have your septic tank checked and/or cleaned. Have an environmental agency do a water test (mine was contaminated when we went to sell, nothing big) and if needed, purify with bleach. They can give you the directions if you need it. Also, expect a bigger electric bill, but no water bill.

Answer 6

Check the taste of the water and see if you like it . Most counties check it for bacteria or you can require the seller to. Septic tanks need to be pumped out every few years, sewerage treatment plants not quite as often. Wells do not work without electricty, having a generator handy is a good thing if you think inclimate weather could affect your power. You can't flush without water. I personally love well water and not getting a bill for water and sewerage.

Answer 7

You need to have the septic tank inspected to make sure it's in running order. It may be a big price difference if it needs to be replaced.