Need advice on purchasing home with well/septic

If it makes you feel better a friend who lives in Fulton / ATL pays 17k a year in property tax.

 

I'd like to know how much that property is worth before I find it outrageous. But it probably is.

 

What does that entail and mind sharing cost?

Knock on wood, I haven't had any issues with my septic system since we've moved in and pray we don't at least until we decide it's time to go.


To the OP, it might be on the pricey side but if your that concerned and for peace of mind, I'd get the septic inspection.

 

Contact the local jurisdiction that oversees the septic systems. (In my area it is the county health dept.) They likely have all the installation and repair records, including who did the work. They will also have a list of companies that can do the inspection for you. We have a septic and only issue in 12 years was the pump needed replaced. With only having a 1/2 acre to work with, I'd ask during the inspections is what are your options if you do have an issue with the leech field. Definitely have the well water analyzed, PO on our property disconnected the well due to contaminants. Don't run away, but do your due diligence. Opportunities for a unique property don't come around very often. Our house was built in ~1838 (found newspaper clippings stuffed in the wall from that year), there are challenges, but for us the pros outweigh the cons. We like to think that with the work we've put into it that it will still be going strong for another 100+ years.

Paul

 

Our tank had not been serviced in about 15 years. The downstairs toilets and tub were backing up into the house. I flew back from my consulting job in Idaho and oversaw the job. The guy broke up the solids on top of the tank, pumped it out, then realized it was not draining when he tried to auger the drain piping. He dug up the first 30 feet of the drainfield pipe and found a massive blockage. He cut it all out, tested flow to the downstream drainfield, determined it good, and replaced the ADS corrugated pipe with PVC in that 30 feet. Cost $3200. He did a good job, even planting grass seed on his backfilled trenches. It has worked fine until the wettest winter on record raised the water table. We are drying out this spring and all works well. Now doing a new roof next week, I love home ownership.

 

1.2 according to the property tax site.

 

Good part about septics - if shit backs up into your house, at least its yours and not the whole neighborhoods.

A quality installed field will last a life time (don't plant trees near it, roots will screw it up). I never had my field pumped, usually you'll know if you need it done as you'll get some pooling on the field. But it is best practice to just do it every 5 years or so.

 

That’s not outrageous. Do the math.

 

There is no reason to run. Anybody telling you to is over-reacting. If you show serious interest to the realtor it may be possible the current owners could be talked into having an inspection on their dime.

 

Maybe it's climate related? My parents said (I think) they were on the 6th year before they found theirs was full. It was only them two as well. I remember living their for a decade and a half and I know we pumped it a few times in that timeframe. So, I dunno. I would imagine you could take the lid off yourself and look, can't be that hard.

 

If there is a water softener, you may not want it run into your concrete septic tank. The salt isn't good for it.

 

I'm on a well and septic. Been in the house for I think 5 years. I got the water tested to make sure nothing is in there that I should worry about. All good there. I also had a flow test, and had the tank inspected. Only thing that I've had to do and not sure if it's just my luck is that I've had to replace the lift pump twice. Once about a year after I moved in and then again about a year ago, they think maybe lightening strike for the second go around. Or maybe I jacked it up when I do the redneck back feed the power after a hurricane and I lost power for a week fried it I dunno. Short of that no issues.

 

Everyone knows that girls don't poop, so you are the one that is full of crap!

 

Get the tank pumped. Mongo is living on borrowed time. If the solids (that the undigestable grease) that float in the tank make it low enough to the point where they get to bottom exit point of the tank then flow down to the drain field (or sand mound in my case) you have a major expense on your hands. $250 every 4 or 5 years is cheap insurance.

 

House I'm building is on heavy soil so its a full engineered field thats going to run about 28K.. stupid expensive. But we have to haul in a ton a fill and sand. Going with 2 1250 gallon tanks. That usually prevents any solids from entering the field as the first tank will hold them and only liquid will get to the second tank.

I like well and septic over city hook ups. I feel more in control of my own destiny ya know.. my water, my waist, no outrageous municipal bills for systems they rarely update and service.