Old House on 1 Acre w/ Septic, Bad Buy?

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Built 1940, 1 acre lot and a septic and well system. My fiancee' likes it because it's in the rural area and I like it too, but I'm slammed to a stop about the fact it uses septic field bed for sewage and well for water and only because it's on just an acre and there is no where to do a new septic field or mound. System may be fine now, but "what if" ?

So probably avoid, yes? Municipal sewer and water may be available but tap-in cost is high.
 
I'd say getting an inspector out there to look at it would be in order. I personally love well water. Septic is a solution where you are so far away from sewer services. So the question is are the two systems working? What will it take to get them to working if not? Is septic polluting well? A pro can get these answers for you.
 
If you are in Iowa the seller has to update the septic system when they sell it unless it is an estate sale. Even if the system is less than ten years old it most likely will test bad.

Septic systems are low maintenance if they were built right.
 
Check with county. My cottage in Michigan required 75 feet between well and septic. Well had to be through 10 feet of impenetrable layer. My well was 150 feet deep, even with a 10 foot water table
 
Despite those rules, I could no longer have a septic. Lakefront now requires holding tanks for all septic. Cha ching. Needs to be emptied monthly. Ymmv.
 
Whatever the laws are where you are should be more important than opinions on BITOG. Here the seller has to have the septic tank pumped and the leach field has to pass a flow test before close of escrow. Lots of last minute leach field re-dos to close the sale.
 
Going to be different everywhere.
After moving in a similar set up ten years ago we just paid $13k for new Leach field. That’s without a new tank.
 
Nothing wrong with a septic or a well. Every howe around here is on septic and any built before the 90's has a well. The shop I work at is on septic.

My septic was put in around 1955. The tank was rusted out so we had it replaced in 2013. The leech line was replaced in the late 70's because someone planted trees too close to it and the roots plugged it up. My well was drilled in 1965 and still gives us 59f water. We get about 18 yrs out of a pump.
 
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OK, I agree with the above. Nothing wrong with septic as long as you keep it maintained. A great way to recycle your water (no flow through waste as a muni system) and you are independent of regulators and charges as long as it's functioning and historic. Same for well.

I'm on a river and have septic (1930's) and two wells. Kitchen well dug to ~70 ft in the 1940's - sanitary seal 20 ft. About 75 feet from one leach line. More than 100 feet from the other. They diverge in an L pattern. Second well is garden (wife has registered culinary garden - restaurant trade) and it's 120' deep with water table at 20' ... Sanitary seal for well number 2 is 50 ft.

Point being that is it's all maintained well, these systems can run well into the hundreds of years w/o trouble.

So, if you like the property, buy it. Live there and do incremental upgrades as time and budgets allow.

last year was first major repairs to septic in 85 years. Pumped and new lid installed with new rim seal and risers. One leach leg dug (by hand, two laborers) and reset with new drain rock, existing tiles, and new top seal. The old top seal had failed and dirt had in-filled the drain rock. Total cost was less than $3,000. Contracted teh tank lid and pump out. Hired the day labor to re-set the first leg of the leach field.

Works better than ever. In a few years, I'll have a couple of laborers dig up leg #2 and re-set it the same way. It'll be good for another 100 years at that point. Have the tank pumped every 20 years or so to get the "un-digestable" solids out of the tank.

Wells need new pumps and controls occasionally. New pressure tanks maybe every 30 years or so. Depends on if you do maintenance on a regular schedule ... The less maintenance, the more you'll be replacing stuff ...

Muni systems are why we have water shortages in the USA. They are almost all pass-through systems, and send their waste down stream. Require new water from upstream.

Well and septic systems are much better balanced. Septic keeps waste in top zone until it can be digested by bacteria. It'll slowly settle into the water table, but it's a decade long process. Much more self reliant system. Well and septic systems that are working well, are good almost indefinitely
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And, if you are worried about bacteria in the house water, use an in-line UV system at least 4 ft long. It'll kill anything in the water - no taste or pH changes to be worried about. AND, use copper pipe to feed the house because copper will keep all the bugs away. There are very few bacteria that can survive a copper rich environment. Copper pipe is mandated here by the County Building Department, and we're glad it is
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I laugh hi. See folks saying wells some. substandard same with skeptics. They work fine. And keep that ever increasing town bill away. It is yours to deal with though which can be pricy.
1st and foremost. NEVER TAKE THE WORD OF A REALTOR. They work for the selle and you know who end paying their commission. So be careful there. They without the down side of things.
Go to the town offfice or county clerks. It depends according to how they operate. Are sure there aren’t any hit you in the face requirements or a new owner. Probably not but you never. Know. Here are some things that won’t grandfather across. Is there a town water / sewer line ,going by? The usual trick is to make. The new buyer hook up and sock them with a $2000+ hoookup fee. ASK.
Well, what kind? Dig wells can be ok but they better. Sealed. Or if a critter falls in you’re gonna. Get sick. drilled far better, how deep is it. As for water purity all you really need is a fairly cheap 5 stage Reverse Osmosis. Unit. We put ours in basement under the kitchen sink so as. To save space under The sink.
Waterrtests: those ones the county mandates are [censored] only test. For bacteria. YOu have to send. In your own for the chemical nasties. For the most part though you just need to look roundabout olddump sites dead factories of the ast ect. There are usually visible telltale signs of this stuff.
RADON. Most folks never heard of it but. Is the second biggest cause of lung. Cancer. Test kits available online under 20. Set out mark the.time date. Sendin few days later with time date sealed back up. Or a deal killler it can be dealt with.
Who would plows. The road? Is it county state or sometimes private and you have to do it? It happens.
WETLANDS. Before 1967 it was a.swamp now it’s treasured wetland . That means he had an old dock at the pond but you can’t. Same goes for waterfront with a few rushes. there are setbacks and if restrictions.
Waterfront ,LOOK AT THE TREES ALONG WATER. FOR A SCUM LIINE. Water was that high once so you can bet it will again.
BOUNDRIES: Make sure hopefully they are. All marked. In they can get really weird to say the least.
apologies for the ramble and misspells but t I-pad is behaving even worse than usual.
 
Had to put a new leach field in, was about $6k a decade back. Tank was fine. Old "leach field" was a substandard gravel ditch. Part of that was $395 for an engineer to print a single page diagram of the pipes in an E shape then stamp it. Then another $150 for the town to approve a permit-- you'd think they want people's yards to not have poop-water boiling out and make the fee reasonable.

My shallow well is amazing, but then I'm from the land of Poland Spring water. California relatives visit and bring bottled water and I tell them to their faces they're insulting me. It runs off 120V and I can plug my generator in. Never a bill. I did put in a $400 UV treatment doohickey to kill bacteria but it doesn't affect the taste. Supposed to change its bulb annually, draws about 35 watts.
 
Great thread this.

Grew up in a house with a shallow well and ancient, deficient septic "system". The tank of which was the size of a refrigerator. The leach field was a pipe .

People who wash paint brushes at home have problems with theirs.

I think using a septic system would be good for the development of many people's character.
 
Well and septic are fine. Typically great water from well. Septic needs to be pumped occasionally.

My home in DE has a fancy septic with an air pump I believe. It use aerobic bacteria vs anaerobic bacteria. It's gets inspected yearly.

You will get a home inspection and septic and water test should be part of it.
 
Regardless of regs, well and septic are large $$ and inconveninet liabilities should they fail; I like to 'spread the risk' of home ownership.

I pay a $70/year insurance to cover my water line from the road to my house.... another $$ risk neutralized.

Two years ago city sewer extended to my street; i couldn't be happier. The neighbor next door spend 20K 10 years ago for an engineered system due to poor perc conditions.
 
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Sorry if I missed it, but did you determine for fact that you can't repair or replace the septic system on a one acre lot because of lack of space?

Reason I ask is, you can typically do all the repairs on an existing system you want and without permit, etc. Like said, it all depends on your local ordinance. The type of system you can have depends on your soil and what is around you.

Where I live, the only type of system you typically see installed is a sand filter system. The "sand filter" takes place of the old stone/gravel leach field and is a very compact system. I do know of folks with old leach field septics from the 1930-40's but they most certainly would not pass the mandatory health dept dye test come sale time. You won't typically get 100yrs out of a sand filter system either, but with light use, regular tank pumpings and no trees nearby, I suppose it's possible.

I ran into that exact scenario with the sale of our last home and had to replace the 1950's system for the new owners. I got quite the deal at the time (2011) at about $8200 all-in. I had quotes that ranged from that to $20K.
 
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Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
Built 1940, 1 acre lot and a septic and well system. My fiancee' likes it because it's in the rural area and I like it too, but I'm slammed to a stop about the fact it uses septic field bed for sewage and well for water and only because it's on just an acre and there is no where to do a new septic field or mound. System may be fine now, but "what if" ?

So probably avoid, yes? Municipal sewer and water may be available but tap-in cost is high.


I think you also have to look at it from the investment side, as we all hope our home is worth more then we pay for it, in the future.

Assuming you choose to live in the house a long time, will changes in regulations cost you money to sell at some point in the future?
1 acre is on the small side if you are limited for space.. IF, if Municipal sewer and water is available that would be great as at least you know in the future, you could have an option.

Never trust an inspector, means nothing after a year anything can happen. I am not saying dont get it inspected, just saying even if it gets a good bill of health you never know.

In the strongest sense of the words = Nothing at all wrong with septic systems, as they are used in every rural area of the USA and VERY environmentally friendly. 1 acre is on the small side though, for well water and septic, but I am NO expert.
 
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Much ado about nuttin' here.

Having lived on property with both septic and a well for over a decade I can say that with a small amount of sense (it is not common) they can serve you reliably for as long as you want.
 
have the septic inspected by a professional. maybe a perc test. I would also have the well water tested for purity. I live in an area where there are thousands of houses on septic. if an issue comes up, just have to deal with it.
 
I bought a hundred yr old house 40 yrs ago. I'm still working on it. From a practical standpoint, an old house is a constant maintenance nightmare. Basically, despite it working perfectly, my septic system won't pass a title 5 certification. The shallow well is like wise not to code. The house site is a retreat lot 700 ' off the street, surrounded by conservation land. Had I been smart, I would have bulldozed the house and started fresh.
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Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
Built 1940, 1 acre lot and a septic and well system. My fiancee' likes it because it's in the rural area and I like it too, but I'm slammed to a stop about the fact it uses septic field bed for sewage and well for water and only because it's on just an acre and there is no where to do a new septic field or mound. System may be fine now, but "what if" ?

So probably avoid, yes? Municipal sewer and water may be available but tap-in cost is high.


Local ordinances vary widely. If sewer is "available", you may not be allowed to replace the septic. It's 300' around here to be considered "available". That can get expensive.

Septic systems are like anything else - they have a lifespan. Some may work "forever" and some may not last. In 1940 it's likely just a set of trenches and how many feet is a wildcard. I always subscribe to "if it ain't broke..."

If you need a replacement, that's plenty of space. We have replacement systems built on 60'X90' lots. Modern designs can be really small and some of the newest technology takes next to no space at all. Sometimes, you can even build in top of the old one.

I'd say don't let that affect your decision on the house.
 
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