Buying A Home
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Well and Septic - what are your thoughts/opinions
Hello,
We've narrowed down our house hunt to two cities. One is newer builds, but farther away and one is right in the heart of where we want to be with much older homes. This weekend we'll be touring many of the older homes and many have septic systems and some even have well water.
I have no experience with either, so I'd love to hear your thoughts or opinions on either. The pro for me on these homes is their awesome lot sizes, but I'm a little freaked out by it to. Can you even have a garden?
Thank you! 
Re: Well and Septic - what are your thoughts/opinions
Most of my life I have lived in homes that are on septic... that deals with water going out....not in...water should still be coming in from the city like any other home, we have had no issues (the possible issues are typically that its really old septic and needs the tank replaced! or it bursts! Not end of the world deals, but could cause some headaches down the road...talk to the inspector about it!!),
Personally, I hate well water, but I am a spoiled northwest coast girl with some of the best water in north america coming in through the city....in my experience well water tends to be harder and tastes more minerally. My sister once got a parasite from a well that had not been maintained properly.
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I prefer well and septic over city water/sewers. I don't have a really strong reason, other than I grew up in the country and we had our own well and septic. I currently live in an area where we have to pay for water and sewers but I am always hestiant to use water for the lawn and garden and only because we get a quarterly bill. If I didn't get a bill, I wouldn't think twice about it and really I'm sure it doesn't make that big of a difference. I'm just more concious of it now. Silly, I know.
With a well and septic, you have maintance costs and eventually a large bill if you need to have a new well put in or major septic repairs, but you don't have your monthly water/sewer bill. Generally with a well you need a water softener, but I have also seen softeners used on city water too so that may not be a big difference for you. I'm not sure what type of neighborhoods you are looking at, but I have seen some where they share a community well, and the HOA fees will pay for the maintaince of those utilities.
I would do your research and become familar on both, but wouldn't write off any properties because of it. Good Luck!
We just bought a house that has a well and septic. It is the norm around here, we are way out in the country. You'll probably need a water softener. We are also currently renting a house that runs on well/septic. No issues so far. You'll need to flush your septic every few years though, less if you have a garbage disposal.
I was told that a well usually has a life expectancy of 30-50 years. Not sure what happens after that?
We're on city water (no well) and have a septic tank. This was my first experience with septic though. Most of our neighbors have septic tanks as well and we're all on large 1+ acre lots.
Our water bill is cheap because we just have water and trash (sewer charges around here usually double your bill). We'll need to have it pumped every so many years depending on how many people constantly use the toilet. You can not flush tampons, wipes, etc but it's not a big deal.
Potential problems - it backs up or flows into your yard so you could have poop in your yard and it would smell so bad.
I think DH said we have to be careful where we plant trees that will get big roots because of the septic tank and lines in the yard. You should be able to have a garden as long as it's not ontop of your septic tank.
I've always been on city sewer and water. Currently, we pay less that $50/month for both, and make no efforts to conserve water. Our water is metered, but some other cities charge a flat rate. We've never had any issues with either.
My only experience with well/septic systems has been at friends' houses. Once, during a storm, the power went out, and water was unable to be pumped out of the well. I was mid-shower when this happened. It wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me, just store some extra water.
Also to keep in mind - in my area, at least, houses on septic systems are allowed a limited number of bedrooms. Our friends built a house with 3 bedrooms (the limit), an office, a game room, a den, and a playroom. If that's the case where you're looking, it might only be an issue if you ever wanted to add on to the house.
If you do buy, write in your contract that the sellers MUST have the septic professionally inspected and MUST clean the tank (unless they can provide a receipt from the last year or two) and MUST provide receipts and/or you be present. Call and verify the receipts once they're given to you.
We wrote that in the contract bc I'm a city girl and wasn't certain about septic. Well the sellers said they had it done, but the receipt was still missing a couple days before closing. Their agent said she had the receipt. I said I wasn't closing without seeing it and she said she had it, but left it at the office. Well whaddya know, the agent lied just to get us to close. Later when we called out a septic company, we found out the septic tank was at max capacity and we were just a couple weeks from an unbelievable disaster.
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I prefer a well and a septic because most of the City water around here is terrible.
A well in my area is about $3,000 to drill and a septic runs between $5,000 and $10,000 depending on the size and type.
I know you're technically not supposed to flush tampons, but I always have and never had an issue.
If I were to build a new house that needed a septic I would ask that the septic be built larger than it had to be to meet code.
Just make sure that you put in the contract for an existing home that a water test be done and the septic tank be pumped.
My second house I bought I put in the contract that the septic had to be pumped, and when the pumped it, the tank collapsed (it was an older metal tank that aren't used anymore) so they had to put in a brand new system for me.
I haven't read other replies, but my parents house has a well and septic, and our current house has public water and sewer so i've seen both sides.
I have never not flushed anything specific at either house. I know everyone said if you have septic not to flush those things but there was never an issue.
I actually did the math once regarding public sewer costs and getting a septic pumped. I think my dad said he gets theirs pumped every 2-4 years and what we pay quarterly in the same time frame for our sewer is about the same as what he pays for a pumping.
The only difference that I can see between well water and city water is that our city water is regulated to meet certain guidelines (of minerals and whatnot), and it is fluoridated. Hardness/softness of our water has also changed over time (when we moved into our house in 2003 it was soft, now it is slightly hard). My parents well water is hard and they need a softener for it but we do not have one.
Of course you can have a garden. Not sure what well/septic/public utilities has to do with having a garden or not.
We have a septic tank and are on a community well (basically a private water company). No problems. I don't wash anything but toilet paper and specifically designated wipes (they say on the side they are septic safe, and I only flush two at a time).
I grew up with a mix of wells, city water, and septic tanks. No real problems with either. My brother prefers well water b/c city water smells like chemicals to him. My preferences are specific to each well (I hated his well, it tasted like Evian and I pretty much hate all spring water) and city (I've lived in towns where the water was great, some where it had too much of a chemical taste).
Get the septic inspected and pumped, get the well inspected, and taste and smell the well water before you buy. Also make sure that proper permits were pulled for all of it, and that the well is in the correct location (can't be too close to the septic field).
I've had both in my own homes. I don't really have a preference either way.
I don't flush anything except waste and terlet paper, so the inability to flush random goodies isn't an issue for me.
The water is hard in my area, so you'd have to deal with hard water or a water softener regardless of whether it was a private well or city water. I prefer to just deal with the hard water than install a softener.
There's a decent water table around here so it's extremely uncommon to hear of a well drying up. The last house I owned that had a well had a well from 100 years ago, still in working order. It was an old hand dug well that I wouldn't drink from for any amount of money (it was only about 15 ft deep so the water was brown [more surface water than ground water]) but it was still staying at least 50% filled. Having a new well drilled was about $8k. But that house won't need another well for a very long time.
We kept a water bladder in the basement (big metal tank). How it worked was the well pumped water into the bladder on a sensor. If the bladder was full it didn't pump. If we used water, the well pump would re-fill it. We didn't have to worry about being without water for at least a couple days if there was a power outage or freak well dry-out.
For your garden, you might want to watch what pesticides you use. But you should do that anyway since whatever you dump in the ground can hit the water table and get into the springs from there. But there's no reason you can't have a garden. A lot of people who have large gardens and farmettes (less than 5 acres) get a secondary well drilled for watering. But I think that's more for peace of mind than actual necessity.
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We're looking in a town right now that is 100% septic with some neighborhoods on city water and others on well. We've had quite a few extended power outtages here in the northeast this year, which obviously impacts those with well water doubly - no lights/heat AND no water. So while we wouldn't necessarily rule out a home entirely based on well water, it's certainly something to consider.
Also while I can't see why you couldn't have a garden, you'd need to be very aware of the placement of your well and septic because changes to driveways/walkways, placement of a shed, etc. could get problematic.
We own a home with a well. Like others have mentioned, a water softener is required. We also have a reverse osmosis system for our drinking water. Even though it does require maintanence, I prefer it to city water. When traveling or at friends houses I realize how much chemical taste is in the city water. I would prefer a well anyday over municiple water. Good luck!
Grew up with well and septic. Lived later life in St Paul MN (all city there) and recently bought a house in Northern MN in the country with 10 acres -- with well and septic.We bought a bank owned home - well/septic tests are done (either at bank's, buyer's, or your expense) and must be certified.
Get informed. There are different types of septic systems basd on your area. We have a mound system and no backs up will happen b/c they have to be at least 50 ft from your house. They do need to be maintained - based on the size of your system, every 2-4 years (pumped). Nothing should ever get flushed down there except toilet paper. Garbage disposals are not advised (if the house even has one) with septic systems b/c stuff can really mess them up. We have become a lot more conserative with water consumption. The better you treat your septic and well, the longer life you will have without expense.
As far as the well goes - we have hard water. Water softeners are advisable (and if possible, not directly into the septic, unless energy efficient) because if you have hard water, corrosion/oxidation can happen on fixtures and later cause expensive plumbing. However, now that we have one, our once awesome tasting 'spring water' now tastes terrible and we use a Brita pitcher. Every couple of years, you should have the well tested to make sure it's still compliant.
They're not scary (but they are scary to replace - our septic was 11k and that can be cheap) and neither are wells....but they're scary if you're not informed and if not properly taken care-just like everything else.