excuse my ignorance... septic/sewer question

[ckhagen]

Thanks for the responses, this has been very helpful.

At least I know who to call now!

I remember when my grandparents in Seagrove went from septic to sewer during the installation they offered them a half-price deal for jumping on it and said it would be double later if they waited. They took out a personal or equity loan to do it IIRC because there was no point in paying double later.

So... it's possible this could cost me little more than a few extra bucks on my bill every month? If that's the case, outta my way!!
I have heard friends complaining about the price of water/sewer in comparison to the low low price of septic... anyone here with a family of four including two toddlers? How much are we talking about?

 

[ckhagen]

By the way...
On the enforcement. I almost had to laugh. If it meant coming up with $7k they'd have to put me in jail to enforce it. Seriously, that's not even in the realm of reality at this point.

But, if it's just a matter of getting it financed and tacked onto the bill, that's different.

 

[Sand Angel]

Regional Utilities does crush and fill septic tanks when sewer is put in, but they do not remove the tank or drainfield material. It can legally be left in place, buried and not in use. If you have a mound system, I'm sure you would like to get the tank, drainfield, and some additional dirt removed if possible. In my consulting job, I work with septic contractors and the health department on a regular basis. I would highly recommend calling Buddy at Windham Septic to check on removal. He does good work, and his prices are reasonable. The office number is 835-3356. You will likely get an answering machine, but leave a detailed message. He will call you back. It is a small business, and he answers calls either late afternoon when he comes back in or the following morning. Good luck! I hope you can work out a deal you can live with.

 

[Jdarg]

Our water/sewer bill runs $65 to $80/month, which is what we paid quarterly in Louisville.

 

[Smiling JOe]

ckhagen, the sewer is directly tied into your County water usage, they charge based on the amount of water you use, because all of that water has to be treated, once you connect to the sewer. It can get pricey. I think the minimum charge for the sewer is around $35 per month, that is based on the minimum usage of 10,000 gallons per month. I have never used more than the minimum, but if I had a family of four, I'm sure that minimum amount would grow rather quickly.

On a side note, this won't enable you to go free with your backyard, but I know a few people who intentionally kept their septic after installing the sewer, so that if something happens like the power goes out for extended period of time, they can still flush toilets, without filling the grinder pump container. They installed a switch valve to divert from one system to the other.

 

[ckhagen]

Hm, so I would need to get it totally removed in order to really be able to use it as "just a backyard"? The whole crush and fill wouldn't be enough. We can hardly even keep the grass looking decent on it... it doesn't grow on the sides (we've seeded it multiple times) and the top is just riddled with weeds. The whole backyard is just useless at this point.

 

[seagrovegirl]

Hm, so I would need to get it totally removed in order to really be able to use it as "just a backyard"? The whole crush and fill wouldn't be enough. We can hardly even keep the grass looking decent on it... it doesn't grow on the sides (we've seeded it multiple times) and the top is just riddled with weeds. The whole backyard is just useless at this point.

The hump in your back yard is the drainfield...that is where the "slush" goes to settle after running thru the septic tank. When you have the septic crushed, they do not remove the drainfield unless you specify you want it gone....additional cost. Then you may need some fill dirt.
Just FYI..

 

[ShallowsNole]

Grass always grows greener over the septic tank. The same holds true of other plants as well! I think you could still do your veggie garden there, except for those you have to pull up.

 

[seagrovegirl]

NOOOOoo.......Tomatos, for instance, suck up water from the earth....earth meaning sludge. Anything edible gets it's nutrition from sludge, which contains an assortment of bacteria such a salminella.

 

[Lisa Ruby]

And a word of caution if you remove the drain field. It's hard to know exact postion and those lines are wrapped in a mesh material holding little stuff similar to the the packing popcorn that scatters everywhere. It was real challenge to clean up, and I still wasn't happy with the appearance of the backyard. My final solution was building an enormous deck with raised areas for plants and an outdoor kitchen. Expensive, but worth it!