[ZL9M2]

Originally Posted by Watching The World Burn

We are on septic and well, have been for 9 years at least. It isn't the issue that you think it is, sure there is more to think about than just hooking up to the city, but I'm ok with using whatever water I want without paying for it...which I would have to do if I hooked up to the city sewer and water. I know the cost is not a concern to you though, but in the long run you might start to complain, so don't entirely discount this.

Plus, the taste is honestly night and day difference, well water tastes much better. Get a reverse osmosis system installed and it will be some of the cleaner water you drink (healthier than all that chlorine the city puts in too).

We got a generator for reasons other than worries about the septic because unless your power is out for days, it isn't going to be an issue, but it is still nice having a generator that powers the whole house including the water system. Not needed if you aren't in an area where the power goes down frequently, but the generator is just convenience more than anything else.

Honestly, I get the tank pumped every 3-5 years, and I change the filters on the reverse osmosis every year (and probably replace the UV bulb about 3 times a year, but the filters and bulb are easy). If I drive my truck on the lawn I'll go around the leeching field but that was only when I was building a zipline structure, now there is nothing I need to worry about that is heavy going on the yard.

Been on a well/septic system for 25 years. We designed the system so that the septic field was in an undeveloped part of the property. Thus you don't see the mound and also do not have to mow over/around it. We are required to pump it once per year here... which makes no sense, as 95% of the tank is liquid... and fills right up again. But you do need to pump any accumulated solids out periodically.

We have a separate reverse osmosis water system for drinking/ice maker/cooking, etc.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

This might be the most engaging thread in OT in years.

Y'all know your sh*t!

I see what you did there.

Ya, you guys are awesome, I feel like if I do ahead w this someday, everyone's gonna give me some great advice to make sure that everything's tiptop.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by ZL9M2

Been on a well/septic system for 25 years. We designed the system so that the septic field was in an undeveloped part of the property. Thus you don't see the mound and also do not have to mow over/around it. We are required to pump it once per year here... which makes no sense, as 95% of the tank is liquid... and fills right up again. But you do need to pump any accumulated solids out periodically.

Annual pumping seems like extreme overkill. I can see where the government would mandate periodic pumping, but annual?!?

[vreihen16]

...just like replacing the UV bulbs more than once per year that someone mentioned above.....

[Maynard]

Originally Posted by tranquility

I see what you did there.

Ya, you guys are awesome, I feel like if I do ahead w this someday, everyone's gonna give me some great advice to make sure that everything's tiptop.

We're all going to stop over for a bathroom break - hope you've got more than just Roundel in the magazine rack

[ZL9M2]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Annual pumping seems like extreme overkill. I can see where the government would mandate periodic pumping, but annual?!?

It is required here. Makes no sense.

[infinitekidM2C]

Originally Posted by tranquility

I see what you did there.

Ya, you guys are awesome, I feel like if I do ahead w this someday, everyone's gonna give me some great advice to make sure that everything's tiptop.

When can we all come over to shit?

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by infinitekidM2C

When can we all come over to shit?

Maynard called dibs already, wait in line.

The best I can do is in the forest w a dug hole right now.

[Watching The World Burn]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

...just like replacing the UV bulbs more than once per year that someone mentioned above.....

If you've got a suggestion, I'm all ears. But literally, the ballast sends an alarm out and beeps like an annoying clown until you replace the bulb and reset it. And there is no use trying to reset it without changing the bulb - I tried that.

Come to think of it, I just did the reset steps, but didn't physically disconnect the bulb...maybe if I did that and reconnected it would but not sure.

The other thing is that a little while after the alarm goes off, the bulb will actually go out. And I need the UV light on to make sure the water is potable.

[UncleWede]

There's well water, and then there's well water.

My water comes out of a well, but about 150 properties share in the well contents. Cali forced us to start putting that hazardous waste into the system.

I have a whole-house filtration system as the first stop for any water from the lateral. It's pretty good, but I grew up drinking Oxnard water out of the hose, so get off my lawn.

We had septic until Cali also mandated we get off that. Was something like $30k/connection but county supervisors found a way for our neighborhood to pay via tax assessment for the next 100 years or something. Other underprivileged areas got slammed with that 30K bill, some got foreclosed.

Our cabin is septic, and also shared well water. That one we keep a Brita for any drinking water needs. Rid-X goes down the toilet when I pump the water out of the pipes to close it up in the winter.

[infinitekidM2C]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

There's well water, and then there's well water.

My water comes out of a well, but about 150 properties share in the well contents. Cali forced us to start putting that hazardous waste into the system.

I have a whole-house filtration system as the first stop for any water from the lateral. It's pretty good, but I grew up drinking Oxnard water out of the hose, so get off my lawn.

We had septic until Cali also mandated we get off that. Was something like $30k/connection but county supervisors found a way for our neighborhood to pay via tax assessment for the next 100 years or something. Other underprivileged areas got slammed with that 30K bill, some got foreclosed.

Our cabin is septic, and also shared well water. That one we keep a Brita for any drinking water needs. Rid-X goes down the toilet when I pump the water out of the pipes to close it up in the winter.

Oxnard be cray!

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Watching The World Burn

If you've got a suggestion, I'm all ears. But literally, the ballast sends an alarm out and beeps like an annoying clown until you replace the bulb and reset it.

Do you clean the lens whenever the alarm goes off? Ours needs cleaning every few months, and will alarm until it is cleaned.

My DW worked at a county health department doing restaurant inspections, and their requirement for commercial systems was for logging bulb replacements every year. This is the same schedule that we've been using for over a decade, and our replacement date is 4/15 so its hard to forget.

There are now UV LED bulbs on the market now with longer service lives, if you want to run a TCO calculation on upgrading.....

[Watching The World Burn]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Do you clean the lens whenever the alarm goes off? Ours needs cleaning every few months, and will alarm until it is cleaned.

My DW worked at a county health department doing restaurant inspections, and their requirement for commercial systems was for logging bulb replacements every year. This is the same schedule that we've been using for over a decade, and our replacement date is 4/15 so its hard to forget.

There are now UV LED bulbs on the market now with longer service lives, if you want to run a TCO calculation on upgrading.....

I assume mine is like yours - the UV light being similar in length to a fluorescent bulb that goes in a sleeve. If so, are you suggesting I clean the inside of the sleeve? I've never done that, suppose I would need some sort of narrow duster or something as it is enclosed and rather long. If you clean it, what do you use?

You think there might be some dust / dirt or something inside that might be degrading the bulb life?

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Maynard called dibs already, wait in line.

The best I can do is in the forest w a dug hole right now.

Yeah, but once you move into your new place, we will all be stopping by to use your bathroom.

[Watching The World Burn]

Originally Posted by Watching The World Burn

I assume mine is like yours - the UV light being similar in length to a fluorescent bulb that goes in a sleeve. If so, are you suggesting I clean the inside of the sleeve? I've never done that, suppose I would need some sort of narrow duster or something as it is enclosed and rather long. If you clean it, what do you use?

You think there might be some dust / dirt or something inside that might be degrading the bulb life?

Nevermind, watched a video on it and in that one, you can remove the sleeve and just clean the outside...I'll have to take a look at mine sometime to see if similar. His wasn't exactly like mine, but I'm guessing close enough.

However, I don't think this would extend bulb life, just the bulb's efficiency at destroying unwanted bacteria. So I suspect I'm still replacing at least twice a year.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Watching The World Burn

However, I don't think this would extend bulb life, just the bulb's efficiency at destroying unwanted bacteria. So I suspect I'm still replacing at least twice a year.

The sensor for the alarm is on the outer jacket of the unit, measuring how much UV light makes it from the bulb through the water to the outer jacket. Our lens tube cruds up on the outside, and needs a wipe every 2-3 months. I don't know if there's even a way to get access to the sensor to clean it, but that may be crudded up as well and throw alarms. Another cause of alarms is turbidity, which is sometimes a problem for us even with a (cheap) whole-house pre filter.

The UV system that we installed years ago was commercial-grade, and made in Canada. Something apparently happened with the UV bulb supply in the size that it needed, because the price went up, my DW ordered multiple DOA bulbs, and they seemed to be dusty old stock. TL;dr she bought a new UV system last year that had bulbs readily available.

If you need to replace your system, I strongly recommend doing a TCO calculation to see if an LED UV system makes sense for you. I would have installed one just because last year, but we don't plan on staying at Chez Vreihen long enough for it to make sense.....

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Llarry

Yeah, but once you move into your new place, we will all be stopping by to use your bathroom.

Thanks very much for all your help, guys. I'm so proud of my new system! I christened it already, but you can be #2 (pun intended).

[M_Six]

Our annual service contract (read:extortion) came today. They're cutting back on services, but not on cost. So now it's $175/yr, which only includes an inspection. Anything beyond that and you pay the normal fee. No free pump or break on labor. So we're wondering WTF the $175 is for? It can't take more than a few minutes to inspect the system, and I have yet to see them come out here even though I've been home the better part of three years. Hard to miss a septic pumping truck in your driveway. Time to wing it and go without a service contract.

[kscarrol]

Yes, drop that. Not sure what they charge to pump but its around $400 here in SC so pocket that $175 for 3-4 years to pay for pumping...

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by M_Six

So we're wondering WTF the $175 is for? It can't take more than a few minutes to inspect the system, and I have yet to see them come out here even though I've been home the better part of three years.

If the environmental fines are insane in your area for a septic malfunction, paying for contracted annual inspections may transfer the liability to the inspecting company. Probably worth checking with counsel before terminating the contract.

I imagine that a basic inspection checks the tank sludge and inlet baffle, lift pump, and junction boxes in the leach field for effluent or leaks. A more thorough inspection (performed by pre-purchase home inspectors in this area) dumps dye into a drain, and traces it through the tank and into the farthest junction box in the leach field to ensure complete system flow.

My big fear when we build down at our SC tree farm is that the septic will blow out a junction box and send effluent streaming into the lake. I plan to put a french drain channel between the leach field and shoreline as a mitigation, even though it is not required by code.....

[M_Six]

Very few codes or laws out here in the cornfields. Environmental fines or even any enforcement actions are rare to non-existent from what I've seen. Back in MA, if your truck leaked just a few gallons of diesel fuel, there would be a hazmat cleanup team on the mess in a heartbeat and they'd make the offender pay dearly. Last summer some truck in the McMansion neighborhood across the way must have lost 20 gallons of diesel on the way out of the neighborhood. The mess just sat there until the rain finally washed most of it way. There is still a long, noticeable stain running down the street. It's odd that out here where groundwater contamination could be disastrous, they don't seem to care about fuel spills or septic codes.

Wifey and I were looking at a house we considered making an offer on (22 years ago). I noticed the plumbing looked a bit amateurish and so did some of the electrical work. I asked the owner who built the house. He said a local company put up the frame, but he and his brother did all the interior walls, plumbing, and electrical themselves. Neither of them were licensed to do such work, but it doesn't matter here. Needless to say, we took a hard pass on that house.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

My big fear when we build down at our SC tree farm is that the septic will blow out a junction box and send effluent streaming into the lake. I plan to put a french drain channel between the leach field and shoreline as a mitigation, even though it is not required by code.....

One of my first projects as an environmental geologist way back when was at a Home Depot that was under construction. There was a major storm coming (some hurricane, can't remember which one). The contractor who owned a tractor trailer sized dump truck didn't want his trailer filled with water, so he left the bed raised before the storm. Turned out to be a bad move. The hydraulic hose to the bed-raising piston blew out right as the storm started. All that hydraulic fluid leaked out into the oil/water separator in the parking lot drain. But there was so much water that the hydraulic fluid ended up in the nearby swamp, which was hydraulically connected to the local reservoir. We managed to prevent the hydraulic fluid from advancing past the swamp, but it was a costly mistake for that truck owner.

And then there was the home owner of a very nice house in a ritzy neighborhood who had a sump pump in his basement within a few feet of a 175 gallon heating oil tank. The sump pump outfall pipe went out to his backyard, which bordered a wetlands. Murphy's Law took effect and his heating oil tanked leaked. All that heating oil ended up in his yard and the wetlands. Plus his entire house smelled strongly of heating oil.

TLDR: Shit happens, so be prepared.