Well and septic

[Yugo]

Anyone have any experience? Moving to the country here in VA, and before we finalize everything on the house wanted to hear from any of you all that have or had them.

Both are fairly new built in late 2018, conventional septic type. Anything to worry as far as water quality goes? I do plan on testing both once a year.

[RickFLM4]

Consider a whole home filter and softener (other than Culligan) for the well. As for the septic, I have been able to avoid and stay on city sewer. Be careful what you put down the drain is about all I can offer.

[2000cs]

Septic should be pumped and inspected. If a lot of bleach and nasty detergents have gone in there they might have eaten the baffles of the tank, which means it won’t work well. I think they can also do a test on the drain field to make sure it is draining. Septic systems are sized for bedrooms, not bathrooms. If the house had a lot of people in it (guests, bunk beds, etc) the septic might have been overused, leading to the above problems.

Really they are pretty good and reliable systems in most areas. Some people put stuff in the toilet monthly to help he system “digest” solids; but the Septic pros I’ve used all say that is unnecessary. Just avoid putting stuff in the system that won’t break down, like “sanitary” products.

[AnOldBiker]

Make sure you put a filter on the incoming like that will stop debris pumped in. WestingHouse makes a good one that has activated charcold in it, and it doesn't break the bank. Can get them at Lowes or Home Depot.

Make sure the septic gets a tea cup of yeast each month and this will make the processing of the waste work in high gear. The yeast can be the cheap stuff from the grocery store.

Not knowing where the house is, if you have power failures, get a generator when there is a power loss or you will not only have no electricity in the house, but no water.

See if the heating is electricity or gas. In power failures, with gas you have hot water, a way to cook and with the generator, heat.

Or you will be looking for a place to stay when the power is out.

[2000cs]

A lot of people I know with well water use it for everything except drinking; that is always bottled water. Some don’t like the taste of well water; but the best advice is RickFLM4’s to filter it.

You’ll be able to use the old W.C. Fields line: You know how to heal a sick fish? Put it in a bucket of well water.

[M_Six]

Make someone show you a groundwater map that proves your well is upstream from your septic system and not downstream from your neighbor's.

Does the septic system use a leech field? Is so, there should be some percolation data (perc test). You don't want a leech field that floods when it rains heavily.

If you need a water softener, get a system that doesn't require electricity. And if you're used to hard water, get ready for a tough adjustment. Soft water takes some getting used to. We've had a water softener for 5 or 6 years and Wifey still can't get used to the feeling.

[vreihen16]

The bank will likely make the seller provide a water lab report before closing.....

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Make someone show you a groundwater map that proves your well is upstream from your septic system and not downstream from your neighbor's.

Does the septic system use a leech field? Is so, there should be some percolation data (perc test). You don't want a leech field that floods when it rains heavily.

If you need a water softener, get a system that doesn't require electricity. And if you're used to hard water, get ready for a tough adjustment. Soft water takes some getting used to. We've had a water softener for 5 or 6 years and Wifey still can't get used to the feeling.

That’s interesting. My wife claims extreme hardship if I forget to fill the softener with salt or we are traveling somewhere with hard water.

[Nisfro98]

Country boy here with septic and cistern. Mine are 30 years old and no issues. As long as they're properly maintained and the spectic is leached properly you shouldn't have a problem. And especially so since its only 2 years old. I put yeast down the toilet very 6 months and have the cistern sealed every 2 years.

[M_Six]

I was raised on Dial anti-bacterial soap. That's a no-no with our septic system as it kills the good bacteria in the system.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

That’s interesting. My wife claims extreme hardship if I forget to fill the softener with salt or we are traveling somewhere with hard water.

Wifey complains that it takes her forever to wash the shampoo out of her hair because she still feels "slimy." I keep telling her that "slimy" is the new clean. Accept it and move on. Just to prove the point, I by-passed the system for a week or so. That didn't go over well. The untreated water here is waaay on the end of the "hard" scale.

I've thought about maybe splitting the feed line so that only water to the water heaters goes through the softener and cold water doesn't. That would give a mix of water to the showers and eliminate the occasional salty taste from the tap water for drinking. But that means hiring a plumber to do a lot of work rerouting the water lines. And then I'm not even sure it's going to pay off.

[Maynard]

Don't drink or cook with softened water if you can help it, very high sodium levels. And I'd second the advice to be sure and have a generator.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Maynard

Don't drink or cook with softened water if you can help it, very high sodium levels. And I'd second the advice to be sure and have a generator.

That's a common fallacy. If your water softener is introducing sodium into your water, it's a failed system.

[Black Sunshine]

Well and septic for me are both pushing 50 yrs, I took over the house I was raised in. Just normal maintenance so far. I did have baffle work done on the septic a couple of years ago. Actual well hole is slowly collapsing, so eventually a new one will need to be dug. I have gone through a couple of pumps, but some of that was lightning. Water is contaminated with microorganisms, easily solved with either UV or even now very good filters. Like others have said, the bank will likely want both tested and if not I still would. A new septic system is not inexpensive.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

Septic should be pumped and inspected. If a lot of bleach and nasty detergents have gone in there they might have eaten the baffles of the tank, which means it won’t work well. I think they can also do a test on the drain field to make sure it is draining. Septic systems are sized for bedrooms, not bathrooms. If the house had a lot of people in it (guests, bunk beds, etc) the septic might have been overused, leading to the above problems.

Really they are pretty good and reliable systems in most areas. Some people put stuff in the toilet monthly to help he system “digest” solids; but the Septic pros I’ve used all say that is unnecessary. Just avoid putting stuff in the system that won’t break down, like “sanitary” products.

Yeah....you can ask for. "Perc" test before buying although those are typically only done when the land is being considered as a place to build a house.

[jimbobiggens]

Well and septic tank here. House was built in '74. As far as I know, the septic tank has never been opened for any reason. That may be because the only plumbing going to the septic tank is the toilets, everything else runs out into the woods on the side of the hill. I live out in the country so....That's just how we rolled in West Tennessee back in the moonshining days.

When I moved in in '94 I had one of those filters that attaches on the outlet of the kitchen faucet. I found out rather quickly the water straight out of the ground tastes the same as the filtered water. Now I can't stand city water, I bring water from my house to work so I can have decent water to drink while working.

I've replaced the pump once, the original pump filters got clogged with sand. Other than that, I've had no problems with the well.

[Yugo]

Thanks for the great input everyone! Ton of great questions for me to ask the builder/inspector. There is a filter in the garage for the whole house. We never buy bottled water and always drink filtered fridge water, and I hope we can continue to do the same with the well water. Sounds like it comes down to taste preference.