Rental property with septic & well water
Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2016 · 3 posts · 1 vote
Hi all, I've never owned a property with septic or private well and hoped to get a landlord's perspective on dealing with these systems. Is it better/worse/same as municipal water-sewer in terms of maintenance & expense? Thanks for any input.
@Account Closed where do you get 2 time per year from? maybe a holding tank, but that is more like every 3 months. a properly functioning septic could go many years without pumping, Here in Wisconsin Law dictates it mist be pumped and inspected every 3 years, so it is important to know your local rules regarding septics.
In regards to cost, I would rather all my properties be on Well and septic, my personal home is, I hate municipal charges. our rentals on septics we have in the lease that the tenant is responsible to have the tank pumped per local law, if they dont, like unpaid water bills, they will be evicted. wells come with in some cases Iron issues, as well as hardness issues, we supply a filter and softening system, it is the tenants responsibility to replace filters, and fill salt, no different than having them replace furnace filters. yea you may have a pump fail, or a septic fail, but the over all cost can be a CapX item. Tenants like it, because they dont have a quarterly water bill that many times is $300-400/ quarter, where pumping is generally $150-300 every 3 years. I have a lot of experience with wells and septic systems, so dont hesitate to ask.
@Account Closed I have a house with septic. We pump every year one time. Over pumping can cause the enzymes that decompose sewage to become low level resulting in a tank that fills with solids quickly. These enzymes turn raw sewage into a liguid called affluent that drains out of the tank into a drain field or leach field. These enzymes are crucial to proper operation of the leach field. Garbage disposals become less advisable and it's a very good idea to have your tenant put an enzyme ( I believe we use a product called Riddex) in the system a short while after pumping. Simply pour it down a drain or flush it down the toilet. I own no well properties but well pumps do go out and need replacing. The water needs to pass potability tests periodicaly (at least I would sleep better knowing the tenant had potable drinking water). Well pumps are notorious for getting hit with lightning if not properly grounded. This burns up the pump. Some well water has minerals that cause electrolysis that damage copper or galvanized plumbing. In these cases pex or some similiar plastic piping is generally used. If the well pump is newer or correctly installed it can provide "free" water for many years save for an annual water test to prove potability. Not sure if free water is an advantage as most of my tenants pay water themselves. RR
@Account Closed where do you get 2 time per year from? maybe a holding tank, but that is more like every 3 months. a properly functioning septic could go many years without pumping, Here in Wisconsin Law dictates it mist be pumped and inspected every 3 years, so it is important to know your local rules regarding septics.
In regards to cost, I would rather all my properties be on Well and septic, my personal home is, I hate municipal charges. our rentals on septics we have in the lease that the tenant is responsible to have the tank pumped per local law, if they dont, like unpaid water bills, they will be evicted. wells come with in some cases Iron issues, as well as hardness issues, we supply a filter and softening system, it is the tenants responsibility to replace filters, and fill salt, no different than having them replace furnace filters. yea you may have a pump fail, or a septic fail, but the over all cost can be a CapX item. Tenants like it, because they dont have a quarterly water bill that many times is $300-400/ quarter, where pumping is generally $150-300 every 3 years. I have a lot of experience with wells and septic systems, so dont hesitate to ask.
@Account Closed where do you get 2 time per year from? maybe a holding tank, but that is more like every 3 months. a properly functioning septic could go many years without pumping, Here in Wisconsin Law dictates it mist be pumped and inspected every 3 years, so it is important to know your local rules regarding septics.
In regards to cost, I would rather all my properties be on Well and septic, my personal home is, I hate municipal charges. our rentals on septics we have in the lease that the tenant is responsible to have the tank pumped per local law, if they dont, like unpaid water bills, they will be evicted. wells come with in some cases Iron issues, as well as hardness issues, we supply a filter and softening system, it is the tenants responsibility to replace filters, and fill salt, no different than having them replace furnace filters. yea you may have a pump fail, or a septic fail, but the over all cost can be a CapX item. Tenants like it, because they dont have a quarterly water bill that many times is $300-400/ quarter, where pumping is generally $150-300 every 3 years. I have a lot of experience with wells and septic systems, so dont hesitate to ask.
@Zack Parish where do you come up with every 2 years? State Law is 3 years, does your municipality require more often? I havent heard of one in WI that requires more frequent pumping.
yes no disposal, and advisable to have a filter on the washing machine discharge as well, and good idea to have them drop enzyme tabs monthly as well, but in all honesty, a good working system will work 20-40 years (average life expectancy) or longer with out any issues. around here a 3 bedroom system replacement (tank and drain field) runs around $5-$6K but a mound with clay soil can easily exceed $20K so lots of variables.
I agree with others that have said the septic system needs to be pumped on a semi-annual basis. But, that depends on the type and size of the septic system, your local climate, and the number of people using the system. Remember, it's not just the people on the lease, you may need to account for visitors as well if the tenants entertain a lot.
The best way to know what you are getting into is check with the company that currently services the septic system. They keep great records on the cleaning cycle, condition of the system, etc. They may even be able to tell you the location of the leach field, depth, etc. It's important to know where that is to prevent damage from above ground vehicles (like parking on the yard as is common in a lot of rural areas). The location of the leach field and the septic tank can also be useful in knowing if there are trees nearby that may have root systems potentially damaging the septic tank or disrupting the leach field.
For a quick overview of a septic system, WIKI has a fairly decent page on the most common systems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septic_drain_field
Lastly, regarding your concern over the pump/private well...
A SFH with a their own well is different than a shared "private" well used by 2 or more homes. So, I'm assuming that you mean a private well in the sense that it serves only the house you are considering.
Generally, private wells are very reliable. Most likely you have a local company that services the well or perhaps even installed it. The county offices may have records of the original installer if the current owner does not know who that is. Or there may be a metal service tag hanging on the well cap. It's worth a little investigating to contact the local service company and inquire about service records.
Well pumps have a variable service life. The industry claims 8-10 years, but many last longer than that based on overall water usage and quality. For example, a pump operating in water with a lot of sand, rust or mineral content is likely to wear out sooner.
By far the more expensive repair is having to move the well. If a well is not performing, it may require lowering the pump in the well (simple), or digging the well deeper which will mean boring a hole somewhere else on the property to a greater depth or simply a fresh bore hole. This is a multi-thousand dollar expense. I would think that the local company can give you much more accurate date for the particular area where your potential home is.
Also, check with the county health department. They may have requirements on the frequency of testing the water for contamination. It's a simple and inexpensive test, but it can save you and your tenants a lot of problems.
@Scott Schultz In Texas in the country they have very small tanks.
OK, but if the system is working properly you wont need to pump often? what is small? 3 bed in our area requires a 2 chamber 1000 gallon with filter screen, 2 bed 750 gal, and 4 bed 1250 gal. tanks
@Scott Schultz The ones I have seen are only 500 gallon and made of cement.
ok, so unless law dictates otherwise, a properly functioning 500 gallon septic tank, with an appropriate leach field should only need solids pumped every 5+ years, if you have to pump twice a year, its either a holding tank, (not a septic), or you have a failed system.
@Scott Schultz Every county around me requires every septic system be pumped a minimum of once every two years unless otherwise needed. Some contractor will submit the paperwork but it's ultimately the homeowners responsibility to report that it has been done.
there are some web sites out there that tell you how often you need to pump. Just google "how often pump septic".
These sites have lookup tables with tank size in one direction and number of people living there in the other direction.
I know properties that get pumped every 20 years.. only 1 person lives there and a 2500 Gallon tank. It goes twice as long if the person lives there during the summer months only.
Garbage disposals basically cut the # of years in half.
@Scott Schultz Every county around me requires every septic system be pumped a minimum of once every two years unless otherwise needed. Some contractor will submit the paperwork but it's ultimately the homeowners responsibility to report that it has been done.
Hmm, I just checked Winnebago, Outagamie, Waupaca, and Shawano Counties requirement, and they are 3 years, unless the pumper has reason to think it needs it more because the system is failing, and I have never had a pumper Not fill out the yellow card, they generally prefer to because their name is on it.
@Melanie Carter I'm not sure on mound vs. holding tank, I was just generally curious since I'm not familiar with them. Once in a while a 'city' property will have septic & well listed and I wanted to get a better sense of it since I've only dealt with municipal. Thanks for the info.
Appreciate all the info, thanks everyone!
This is a lot of information, thanks guys. So, it looks like having a well and septic system for rental is not such a hassle on the landlord. Assuming the system is working good. However, landlords need to account for small to big expenses for maintenance and repairs.