Possibly buying a home w/ septic & well: what should I know?

This are a couple photos of our drainfield site. The drainfield consists of four 40-foot trenches that are spaced 8-feet on center. This would make the area of the entire drainfield about 30ft by 40ft. It was designed for four bedrooms. The soil is loamy sand. We planted the drainfield area in wildflowers.

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If the well has not been used for a long time ,you will need to clean it out before testing the water, and dont drink any of it untill you have it tested. One way to start to clean it out, would be to pump out water, lots of it to get the good fresh water back circulating in it again. I would do this before having the water tested,are they may condim your well, before it is even cleaned out.

I would reccommend having the dye test done on the septic system as a pre-purchase contingency. When we bought our place, the sale of the property was being handled by a relocation company which required a lot of tests and jumping through hoops for us and for the sellers. They required an open pit inspection of the septic tank but NOT a dye test. We didn't want to bother with the dye test since there was already so much to deal with and we figured if the inspection was good enough for the relocation company it was good enough for us. We found out from a neighbor, after we moved in, that the previous owners had had a dye test done before they bought the house and discovered that there was NO leachfield and the sewage was running right out of a pipe and into a small stream. This left the folks they were buying from on the hook for putting in a leachfield. If they hadn't done this, WE would have been on the hook for putting in a leachfield when we discovered the lack thereof (or when our future buyers discovered the lack thereof!)

Not wanting to drift here, but Cabin Fever, I have always wondered why they base the septic size on the # of bedrooms? We have 3 bedrooms, but 9 people. Seems kind of strange to use the # of bedrooms as a guage to figure what size septic you need. As you can see, you might have only 3 bedrooms, but have 15 people in the house. Why do they go by that? Just curious.

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Because studies have shown that the # of bedrooms correlates best with water usage. There will always be exceptions to the rule. We are the opposite case. Our septic system was designed for four bedrooms and there is only the two of us living here. But who knows, someday a different homeowner's family may occupy all the bedrooms.

Now if you were building a new home and knew that 15 people where going to occupy only 3 bedrooms, it would behoove you to have the septic system designed for that # of people. Overusing or "stressing" a septic system will likely cost you $$$ in the long run.

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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....

I am not in the least knowledgeable about this stuff. I can however pass on just a couple of sorta practical things for you to think about re your new place.

One...people who are selling and have "bad" water...like it tastes bad... or has a high bacteria count many times know how to treat the water so you can be fooled. Just be aware of that.

Two...once you get your new place, mark the spot where the septic tank has to be entered for future reference and where the actual tank is buried..... so you know where it is, winter and summer. I just put a wind toy on a pole over mine along with a decorative rock on the lid that is raised up for cleaning, pumping and all that stuff.

Three, mark your well head if it is not readily apparent and protect it but make it readily accessible. YOU need to know these things...not just your dh.

I have 2 12 acres here and the drain field goes out about 100 ft into my meadow from the septic tank. It's all meadow grass which I keep mowed. I am careful to keep anyone with heavy equipment from running over it. Boy does the grass grow there! And it's ideal for playing catch with the dogs. I can heave that "Chuck IT" a long ways before encountering the fence or the river. LOL

Where in Oregon are you looking for a place to buy? Just curious as I'm south of Cottage Grove.

Good luck, how exciting to be looking for a new home!

LQ

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At least in the Nashville, TN area a bedroom is defined as a room with a built-in closet. Some builders try to slip by a bedroom by calling it a computer room or such.

Konbanwa.

Another possible scenario is that there is a holding tank. In that case, there is no leachfield. These are used in areas that drain slowly, such as clay soil.

Most likely a mortgage company will require a survey in order to get a loan.

RF

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