Things are finally coming together!!

I have a question!! I didn't find a "home maintenance" board to post this on haha so I'm going to ask here...

The light on our septic alarm is on (we noticed it on when we went to clean out the house). The tank was jump pumped prior to us buying it and the tank was inspected and supposedly everything was fine. I talked to someone at a septic company and she told me some things to do before I paid them to come out (she said she wanted to save me money! Thanks lady!!) Anyways, she told me to reset the breaker for the tank and the GFI. I am almost positive there are no GFIs at that house and the breaker panel is not labeled. Anyways, she said after I reset the breaker, if the alarm light comes back on, to go out near the tank and locate a power pole. I also have not seen a power pole in the yard near the tank. I also know that there are 2 septic lids, so I am not sure which one to look in for the pump/float. She said the float could be stuck on the tank wall or that the "piggy back" to the pump could have burned out or the pump itself could have burned out and she told me how to test it. I know nothing about septic tanks or electrical at all. I have spent this morning searching online and I'm finding things that tells me how to figure out when to pump it, but I don't need to know that. I am wondering if anyone here could explain what I need to do and what things looks like and where to find them.

Also, our inspection pipe in our drain field is missing the lid and is caked with dirt and leaves. She said to scoop stuff out with my hand and or shop vac it...I'm not sure how much material to take out of the pipe.

Please help!!!!!

Get a non contact voltage detector . To help labe breakers that aren't plug ins.Home maintenance is the same as shop talk i think.Show us what you have to work with in some photos and we can try and talk you through it.Have you done anything you were told to check?

Not yet, won't be at the house until briefly Wednesday.

I decided to call the company that inspected the septic and the business owner was a father whose son had done the inspection. I sorta figured out that the soon that did the inspection was the sellers friend and didn't actually really inspect it. They came back out to the property for free and looked at it. Apparently the pump was unplugged and it's all been sitting stagnant for god knows how long. I will have to re check the alarm this weekend to make sure it's off so fingers are crossed!

Congratulations on your purchase and you are wise to post this thread. You have been given excellent advice.

Your source of water and heat are TOP priorities. As others have said, it is critical to have a non-electric source of heat, like a wood stove. All sorts of little stuff can wait, but winterizing is also very big on the list, as others have posted. There are HTer's here who can come up with all sorts of "work around ideas," for almost everything.

I know you prefer to wait on the wood stove, but please put some thought into what you will do if the power goes out for heat. While I live in a mild climate now, I did live 7 years combined (CO and WY). If you are going to rely on a generator, I'd recommend more than one that can power up that well pump and run a heater... If you have an issue with a generator, you will need a back-up.

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Christie Acres
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I truly do want a wood stove but all the duct work that is already there is in weird sports and we would have to re do parts of the roof. I'm not intending to put it off but I just don't think financially we can do it before winter. In the spring we are having the roof done so that might be the time to think about it more.

We are moving tomorrow!! Ah, I have very mixed emotions!! I am excited to start this new adventure but I am nervous and scared. It is a lot of new responsibility and I guess fear of the unknown...Wish us luck!! =)

Good luck.

We found out the roof can't wait until spring huge huge burden for us right now but we had to do it. We are expecting a foot of snow by Monday and they haven't even started the roof yet, I'm getting nervous about if it'll get done before the snow stays for good. Already learning that being a homeowner is very hard! We have not been able to do much for projects because of this roof thing. We did get the back porch torn down, the locks replaced, mowed with a push mower a few times and hand raked the yard (still have the blisters to prove it!) Unclogged a basement drain, got a dehumidifier, harvested my apples (and made applesauce and apple butter), and pretty much have everything organized the way we want it now. Life is stressful! We will be putting plastic on the windows tomorrow!

We just got the plastic on our worst windows yesterday.
Please do post us some pictures.
I hope and pray you find this home to be a blessing.

1.5 acres is not enough to support a horse if that's what you are wanting, or a cow either.

I would concentrate on having a real good garden and keeping a few chickens.
chickens have to be protected from predators. Read the entries in the poultry section on here.

COWS

Technically I have just over 4 acres and I don't have much of a clue as to the amount usable other than just a guess. I don't really plan to have a horse, I've thought about a cow but a goat is more likely, and garden and chickens for sure!! I just don't really know how to plan the layout of where things should go :/ we have a strangely laid out property!

Tmama, how much snow do you have? Are you'all staying warm enough? Tonight is going to be cold here so I know it'll probably be colder by you.

We have gotten 20" so far. It's cold but we're managing. Got out the warm socks, sweatshirts and extra blankets. We also put that plastic stuff over our windows today thanks for checking in on me

Soup, hot drinks and a "we're gonna get through this winter" attitude will help you. Also prayer is good too! I'll be keeping you'all in my prayers.

My first winter in WI I was by myself with 2 little kids. Learning how to use a woodstove and going out with a shotgun because there was all sorts of animal noises going on. It was the first and last litter of kittens being procreated from old Cleo that lived over 20 yrs. with us. The renters left her behind... I have no idea where the tom came from...

My husband had to go back to the DC area to finish his job for the last three months. I slept with the kids on blankets until our furniture arrived about a month later. A child on each side and a loaded single barrel 12 gage within arm's reach. Hang in there. You're tough!

Tmama, how are you'all doing?

Thanks so much for asking we are doing OK. We moved into the house the end of August. We had to replace the roof last month which cost $11,000 and we'll be making payments for awhile. Our oven stops working occasionally and our furnace is acting up. So, lots and lots of stress. BUT, we do like having our own space. It's lots of work!

We won't be getting chickens or anything for awhile, maybe a year or two. I'll be starting some container plants this spring while I try to decide where to put the permanent garden.

In my experience it takes a full year to get settled from a move and new purchase. Then add the animals. Be patient. It won't happen overnight but it will happen. remember to have fun, smell the "roses" and watch the sunsets. Chickens and a few (3) feeder pigs will do nicely on that size and won't break the bank.

That is great news, your own homestead. Hey you do not need lots of acreage to plant and have small livestock it will save you a lot not to mention the health benefits. Great news!! for you.

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Just saw your posts and thought about our first year or two on this property. It's a learning curve, for sure. Every time my husband tore into a wall to fix something, he'd find something else that needed to be done first. We had to re-roof, put siding and insulation under that, move the water heater to the basement then found out we couldn't put a propane water heater in a basement due to codes at that time. Had to get an electric one. Roof had leaked, floors were rotted in places under the new carpet, etc. Always something. We jumped in too fast getting animals before we had places for them, taking anything people were giving away. Eventually, we got a barn, garage, enlarged the chicken coop, put in some garden areas, ran water lines, etc. It takes time, but it will be worth it.

Do keep us updated on your progress, and best of luck to you!