Jump to content

Septic tank --> city water conversion?


RyM3rC

Recommended Posts

Do any of you guys have any experience with changing a septic tank/ well water home over to city water/sewer? My leech bed isn't leeching, and it's either going to be city hookup or a leech bed overhaul in the near future. Any input on cost, hassle, timeframe etc would be appreciated.

 

Obviously with city water/sewer I won't have to do the salt-refiner thing, or screw around with the septic system anymore. Of course, I'll have the initial expense of hookups and then monthly bills.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tbutera2112

my girls dad has a business and he does these...amazing prices, and ive done a few with him so i can vouch for the work being quality...hes a perfectionist...let me know if you would like his number, im sure he could go over it all with you as far as prices and all that....

 

if the city builds sewers, arent you required to tap into them anyways?

 

 

i dont have a price sheet here for tapping into the mains, but i know its 2-3 thousand to tap a 3/4" water line into the main...not including the actual line and the labor, just to tap it.....same for sewage...but again, i dont have a price sheet on what it costs to tap into them, i just know the ballpark....if you call the city they will be able to tell you since its their prices...you have to pay the city before any contractor can get the permits for your address

 

it will be expensive, because youre looking at running a water line, running sewer pipe, crushing the septic tank, and filling in the well so its unusable....i know in a few places they just built sewers and are requiring people to tap into them.... so before you spend money on a septic overhaul, i would call the city and find out what they think.....hate to drop a few grand into the septic and then have to destroy it and run city stuff 6 months later

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, I may ask you for his number here shortly. Bonus points for a quick reply.

 

if the city builds sewers, arent you required to tap into them anyways?

 

I don't honestly know. There is a fire hydrant by my house, but the property is semi-rural so I'm not 100% sure if there are sewers there too. There is some type of storm drain, and a development just across the street I assume is all on city water/sewer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tbutera2112

check my response again...i added a few things

 

best bet is to call the city first and check with them about what theyre asking and what they will be asking in the future.....i know a guy who dropped a few grand into his septic system to get it overhauled and 3 years later he had to switch to city sewage....the state can actually force you, people who cant afford it get grants, other people are forced to pay or can face legal penalties

Link to comment
Share on other sites

so before you spend money on a septic overhaul, i would call the city and find out what they think.....hate to drop a few grand into the septic and then have to destroy it and run city stuff 6 months later

 

No shit! They require you to destroy the well and septic tank? That's retarded. I was guessing it would cost around $7k because that's what was quoted on a house I looked at awhile ago.

 

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tbutera2112
No shit! They require you to destroy the well and septic tank? That's retarded. I was guessing it would cost around $7k because that's what was quoted on a house I looked at awhile ago.

 

Thanks.

 

 

yea if they require you to switch to their services, they make you destroy your old stuff to prevent you from going back... remove the well pump, and fill in the well...then get a trackho out there to smash the septic tank.... as for the price, i have no idea...its priced by foot, so some houses will be more than others...i know you will have atleast half of that paying the city (probably more...i think its around 2k per utility to tap the main, but i dont have a price sheet so dont quote me), but as for how much a contractor will charge to run pipes i really couldnt tell ya

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tbutera2112

ok i found the tap-in fee for the water, and its on the sewer page...so im not sure if you need to pay both, or if the water fee covers sewage as well...you can have seweage and still have a well...they meter the sewage and charge you based on that instead of metering the water...that would be another thing to ask the city about

 

http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/commissioners/seng/PDF/sewer_fees.pdf

 

$1375 is the fee to tap the 3/4" water line which is what you would use with your house....less than i thought

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tbutera2112

ok i figured it out...

 

water tap fees:

http://www.co.franklin.oh.us/commissioners/seng/PDF/water_fees.pdf

 

sewer fees:

http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/commissioners/seng/PDF/sewer_fees.pdf

 

 

not sure if you need both or if one covers the other....i imagine the sewer tap fees are based off of whatever size water line you have, since all sewer pipes are the same size...not sure how that works with sewage only and well water.... thats the best info i can give you....if you have other questions give the city a call or shoot me a PM and ill get you in touch with my girls dad and he can tell you what you need to do

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest tbutera2112

also...based on the fact that you havent been required to run sewer yet, and youre in a semi-rural area....im going to guess that you do not have city sewage available to you, but i could be wrong....another thing worth looking into

 

my girl has well water and a septic system because theyre semi-rural also and its not an option to run city utilities.....you said you have a fire hydrant though, so idk.....

 

give the city a call and ask if you have the option to have water/sewage and ask about capacity fees...

 

report back here after you do that

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't speak to the costs to fix the septic system, but I would do it if it was not too expensive...

 

Tired of dragging that damn salt downstairs every few months

No more failed shit pumps

No annual inspections

Constant water pressure (Mine sucks even with a new well pump and pressure tank). If it was available I would install.

No more rusty toilets or sinks

Etc.

Etc.

Edited by Second Gen
Spelling was bad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm going through a bag of salt about every 2 days, so it's not too much lugging around I guess. I'm in Union county, but I imagine the costs of $1375 would be fairly close. Thanks for that, I appreciate it. I'm not withing city limits I don't think (I'm about, 5 miles from Plain City).

 

I really don't mind digging up the yard and re-doing the leech bed to save a couple grand, because I only make $12/hr :(

 

I'm talking to the city now about it, thanks for the advice guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you have a dual leach field? I have two fields, I switch back and forth every 6 months.

 

Well water has its draw backs, but I prefer it to chlorine.

 

I honestly have no idea. I doubt it, the owner probably would have said something about it, but he lied about the septic system being 100% too, so...

 

Plain City says Marysville services our water, so I'm trying to get in touch with them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my parents house in pickerington still has leech beds and well water and they arent that far out haha. I always remember growing up and hating the well pressure and lugging the salt down to the basement. We never had a problem with out septic system though as we lived on a full 2 acres with no trees near the leech beds, grass always grew really well right underneath the lines for the leech beds though.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm going through a bag of salt about every 2 days, so it's not too much lugging around I guess.

 

Not to get too far off track from the real question, but...

That sounds like a lot. How big is your softener setup? Our city's water is from an aquifer that is pretty much pumped straight to the houses without any treatment, and its harder than hell and pretty nasty (compared to normal city water). Our filter/softener setup is top of the line, but we only go through about 2 bags of salt a month.

 

In other words, you might be regenerating your system too much... maybe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a kinetico softener, I'm honestly not sure how often it regerates. I'm thinking about every 2 days or so? At our old house we leased a brand new system that used about the same amount of salt, so I assumed this was normal. So 80 or 100 lbs of salt a week isn't normal? :confused:
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...