Am I buying a time bomb?

Many first time buyers, or perhaps buyers moving out to the country for the first time, encounter something that they have little or no idea about – a septic system. Many people have lived their entire lives in cities of communities that have sewer systems. They never worried about where things went when they flushed the toilet, nor did they concern themselves about hiring someone to come pump out a huge tank in their back yard. If they had any notion of a septic system maybe it was from watching the 2000 movie Meet the Parents, which probably didn’t leave a favorable impression about septic fields.

So, now they are looking at houses out in the country a bit and seeing the terms Well and Septic on the listing ticket. What’s that all about? Should you be concerned if you see that? Am I buying a time bomb? The short answer is NO, you need not be overly concerned; but you should take the time to educate yourself about these waste disposal systems and what that means in terms of your responsibilities.

A septic system performs the same functions as the sewer system, just at a much smaller scale and much more close to home. Everything that goes down a drain in the house or is flushed down a toilet has to go somewhere and has to be dealt with somehow. In settings with sewer systems your house is hooked with pipes to much larger pipes that carry all of the waste water from all sources in your house (and every other house around you) to a central waste treatment plant somewhere. You really don’t care where that is at; unless, perhaps, you happen to live right next door to it. At the waste treatment plant the waste from thousands of homes is treated with chemicals and natural bacteria in huge ponds. The bacteria are there to breakdown and digest the solids in the waste water. Eventually the clean  water that results is released into stream or lakes.

Individual septic systems perform the same functions, just underground and right out in your back or side yard.  The waste water from your house flows into a large tank (called a septic tank, which is named thus because the water and waste that flows into it is septic - infected with bacteria) usually of 1000 gallons of more. The septic bacteria came mostly from you, but that’s likely more than you really want to know.  Anyway the septic tank provides a place where good bacteria can work on the solids in the waste water to break then down and digest them. The solids tend to settle to the bottom, providing a smorgasbord for bottom-feeding bacteria. Some remain suspended in the water which is directed out of the tank and into the septic field. The septic field is a series of pipes with holes in them that are buried several feet underground. The holes let the water escape out into the soil where other good and hungry bacteria digest whatever is in the water for them to eat.

A well designed and properly installed septic field can last for a very long time, if it is also well maintained. However, they are not necessarily design to last forever. A study of septic systems published in 2013 by Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) via a grant from the NYS Water Resources Institute with funds provided by the NY State, had this advice.

Most septic systems will fail eventually. These systems are designed to have a useful life of 20 to 30 years under the best conditions. Older septic tanks with concrete or metal parts degrade over time. Eventually the soil in the drain field becomes clogged with organic material. Many other factors can cause the system to fail well before the end of its “natural” lifespan. Pipes blocked by roots, soils saturated by high water tables, crushed distribution pipes, improper location, poor original design, or poor installation can all lead to major problems. The most common reasons for early failure are misuse or inadequate maintenance by homeowners. When a system is not pumped regularly, solids build up in the septic tank, then flow into the drain field and clog it.

Symptoms of Septic System Failure –

·         Slowly draining sinks, bathtubs and toilets.

·         Surface emergence of wastewater

·         Lush green grass over the drain field, even during dry weather

·         Nitrate, nitrite, or coliform bacteria in your well water

An excellent article by Mila Ready outlines the main reasons that septic systems fail. The bottom line is abuse or neglect (or both) by the owner. One of the more common things that I see in my little patch of the world is people overloading their septic system by having more people in the house than the system was designed to handle. When the developer lays out the plans for developments that will have septic systems associated with each house they have very specific guidelines about how many bedrooms the house should have given the proposed size of the septic field. The idea is that a three-bedroom house will house maybe four or five residents with their waste byproducts. Some developers then build houses with “bonus rooms” that they sell with a wink of the eye as the fourth bedroom. Sometimes owners just add bedrooms through add-ons or converting spaces in basements or elsewhere into bedrooms.  The result is a house with 5-people in it, all contributing to the waste going into a septic system that was design to handle 3-4 residents. He system gets overwhelmed and fails.

The other things that I see a lot is poor or no maintenance of septic systems. Many sellers tell me that they don’t even remember that last time that they had the septic tank pump out. Why is that important? Well, eventually the solids can build up to the near the top of the tank and get into the pipes that make up the field and clog them up. The other thing that can happen is that the field itself gets “clogged” with solids and can drain away the liquids, so they eventually come to the surface. Remember the scene from Meet the Parents when the main character was driving through the soggy, failed septic field – yuck.

Going all the way back to the headline question; perhaps you are buying a time bomb, if you don’t pay any attention to this very important system. You should have the septic tanks pumped out every 2-3 years and many will also recommend not putting normal kitchen waste down a garbage disposal. In fact, most country homes were built without disposals to begin with. Some of the solid kitchen waste that you might put into the septic system by grinding them up in an in-sink disposal just don’t “digest” the way that other waste matter does and can clog the system up. Animal fats and meats are particularly bad for the system.

If the septic system fails due to a clogged field, there are companies that profess to have remedies that you can introduce into the system to clean it out (here are links to two of them – NewTechBio and REX-BAC-T). Think of them as super hungry bacteria that get in there and eat everything they hit.  Most septic companies would probably disagree with that and still recommend replacing the whole system.; however, replacing a septic system can cost $8-15,000 (more if it is an engineered field). Hope springs eternal, so maybe trying one of those modern biotech solutions first is worth the few hundreds that they may cost. Of course, the best solution is not to have a failed system in the first place, so regular maintenance is still the lowest cost approach. You can get on the right track by insisting that the septic be pumped out as a condition of your purchase offer.

So, you don’t have to fear the septic like a ticking time bomb, but you do need to be mindful of its ability to blow up in your face, if you don’t take care of it. Set up a regular maintenance inspection and pump out with a local septic company to remain flushed with pride about your home.

Norm Werner is a full-time Realtor® working under the Real Estate One brokerage in Milford, Michigan. For more about Norm visit his web site – hppt://www.movetomilford.com.

First time buyers - The house has a septic. What’s that?

Many first-time buyers have always lived in an environment where sewers were available or perhaps they just didn't think about where the waste water from their parents’ home went. Now that there are buyers and looking in the suburbs they will often hit homes that are advertised as being on well and septic system.  In the last post we covered having a well as a source of water for a house. In this post we’ll look at where that water is going to end up going.

When you flush the toilet or turn on the shower the water and everything with it goes somewhere. In the city there are sewers to carry the waste water away to a treatment plant somewhere, where it is treated to remove the waste solids and purify the water enough to be released back into a river or lake. In suburban settings you don’t have the sewers to carry the water away, so you have to have your own little treatment facility to deal with your waste water. That facility is called a septic system.

Just like for the well as a system to supply your water; there is really nothing to be afraid of with having a septic system to deal with your waste either. But, just like for the well; there are things that you should be aware of and things that may need attention over time.

It its most simplistic level the septic system consists of a tank with two chambers that is connected to the waste plumbing in your house. The waste water flows into that tank from the house. On the other side of the tank are pipes leading out to what is called the drain field or leaching field. Most of those pipes have holes in them, so that the water in them can flow out into the soil. Those pipes are deep enough to avoid freezing in winter.

So how does this all work? Well, as the waste water and solids flow into the tank, some things float to the surface and some sink to the bottom of the tank. Think of this tank as a big digester for the solids that flow into it. Bacteria in the tank break down or digest most of that material. Some of the stuff that floats to the top gets digested too, but some is made up of things that the bacteria can’t eat. Over time that layer builds up, as may the sludge at the bottom, so it is recommended that the tank be pumped out every 3-5 years. The tank is engineered such that only liquids are supposed to flow into leach field.

In normal operation as the tank fills with liquid eventually it will reach a level within the tank where the leach field pipes exit the tank. The liquid runs out into those pipes and from them into the ground itself where it percolates downward, pulled down by gravity towards the water table. During the process of that percolation the liquid is purified again by bacteria that live in the soil. Eventually that water joins the ground water aquifer at some level underground. Because that aquifer may be the same one that your well is tapping into the two are required to be at least 100’ away from each other. Keep that in mind also when you dispose of hazardous materials or old drugs – do not flush them into your septic system. You may end up contaminating your own drinking water or that of others.

You might see the term “perc test” on listings for vacant land. That means that a test has been performed to make sure that the soil is sandy enough to allow for that percolation process. Clay soils will prevent the liquids from percolating down. In that soil type, special “engineered fields” must be built by digging out large amounts and of the clay and replacing it with gravel and sandy soil (very expensive). Here’s a link to a great EPA article that explains septic fields in much more detail. Print it out and keep it, because it has good advice for living with your septic system – what to do and not to do.

When you are buying a house with a septic system, you should have the septic system tested and the tank pumped out. A good home inspector can do that for you or recommend someone to do it. It adds a little to the inspection cost, but it is worth it for the peace of mind. There are things that can go seriously wrong with septic systems and letting things go to long can result in having to replace the septic tank and field – a very expensive proposition. Regular septic fields can cost $10-15,000 to put in and engineered fields can run upwards of $30-40,000.

As a homeowner you should also be aware of the things that you can do to keep your septic system working properly and the things that you should not do which could shorten its life.  There are great tips for maintaining your system, in the EPA article referenced above.  A well maintained system that is pumped out regularly should last as long as the house; unfortunately many do not because of homeowner neglect or carelessness. For those of you who saw the original movie in the series of films about the Folker family - Meet The Parents – you saw what a failed septic field can do to a yard and a household.

How do I know where my septic tank is located?

Hopefully the seller showed you the location or your home inspector found it as part of the inspection. It is an important thing to know.  If neither happened, you can go to the County Health Department (at least here in Michigan) where location drawings (relative to the house) fields are required to be on file, as well as information about the installation date, tank size and other useful data. That might be especially important if you are considering putting a pool or patio in your yard and don’t want to screw up your septic field in the process. It will also help you to not park on the ground above the field, since that often causes the field pipes to collapse. Also when planting trees in the yard, you don’t want to dig down and hit the field.

Since septic systems are normally paired with wells as the water source, you will also save by not having a sewer charge bill, in addition to no water bill. In the case of the septic you don’t even have an electricity charge; however, remember to budget for that pump out every 3-5 years.