Advantages to a Septic System and Well Water

Unless you are a homeowner who is building a house close to city limits, you may want to consider making a well and septic system part of your building plans. Over time, these items can prove more cost effective than tapping into town or city water and sewage utilities.

Well Water

Well contractors say that a well can be drilled into the water table just about anywhere the equipment can fit. This means your water source can be much closer to home and be less expensive than connecting to a public utility that may pump in water from miles and miles away. Wells can be drilled through bedrock or simply sandy soil until they reach the water table below.

A well is drilled in several stages. A contractor should ensure that the refill rate after the water is pumped from the well, or the yield of the well, is adequate. Optimal rates are at least five gallons a minute. It can take digging up to 400 feet to produce such a yield. Afterward, a pumping system is installed and connected to the plumbing of the home.

Advantages to well water are that after the initial well installation costs, there is no charge for using water. The system will need periodic maintenance, and you may need to install a water-softening or filtration system depending upon the quality of the water.

Septic Systems

Much like a well, septic systems are primarily installed where it would be more costly and involved to connect into a public sewage system. Typically a homeowner should have one acre or more of property to properly install a septic tank and the drainage field, common elements of septic systems.

A septic system usually works by having wastewater from the kitchen, bathroom and laundry flow into a septic tank, which is installed outdoors below ground. The solids remain in the tank and the liquid waste, also known as effluent, drains out into a drainfield, also known as a leachfield. The leachfield is a system of gravel-filled channels and piping that spreads the effluent under the soil. The soil naturally filters germs and bacteria from the effluent before it eventually reaches the groundwater supply.

Maintenance of a septic system involves routine pumping of solids from the septic tank. Over time, and if not pumped, solids can clog up the system or overflow into the leachfield, causing backup and pooling effluent. Homeowners can also take care to limit water use and not flush any septic-unfriendly materials down the toilet, such as facial tissues, cigarette butts, or hygiene products. It's also adviseable not to pour cooking grease down kitchen sinks and limit the use of garbage disposals.

If there is an odor outdoors where the septic system is located, or pooling or soggy ground, you could have a spetic problem, or the leachfield soil is not performing up to par. A professional can come in and diagnose the problem.

With care and a little routine maintenance, homeowners may find that septic systems and well water is the way to conserve costs when building a new home.