Country Living (septic, well water, etc.) ... who's done it?
- Thread starter LBV
- Start date
KLR Junkie
Well-known member
As everyone has been saying, inspections are key. If it was me, I'd make sure to have a professional inspection of the septic system and a flow test of the well before making an offer. When you visit this weekend make sure to walk around the back yard looking and feeling for soft spots or places where the grass is noticeably greener or thicker. Those could indicate that wastewater is not flowing evenly throughout the weeping bed, either because of a collapsed/blocked pipe or an improperly installed diverter in the tank that is sending more water to one pipe than the others.
I'd also have the raw well water tested for metals/micro/hardness, either before you make an offer or fairly soon after you move in. That way you know if you actually need any fancy filtration equipment. Make sure you collect the sample BEFORE the water goes through any filters or water softeners for the most accurate results. For the love of all things Holy, please don't have your water tested by a company that sells water treatment equipment! Just do it yourself.
It shouldn't cost more than maybe $100-200 to get the full suite of tests. Basic micro testing for e.Coli is provided for free by the Simcoe/Muskoka Health Unit, but getting more detailed analysis will help you make the best decisions for your own health and also the health of the house's plumbing system.
My company does industrial water testing and we use Bureau Veritas for our lab work. There are other labs in the GTA including SGS and AGAT. Give one of the labs a call and tell them you're looking to test the water at your new house.
My boss had them test the water at his new cottage last year and he found that the high maintenance and expensive filtration systems that the previous owner had installed were completely unnecessary. He also did a couple of rounds of testing just for hardness and sodium levels to figure out the proper dosages for the water softener.
I'd also have the raw well water tested for metals/micro/hardness, either before you make an offer or fairly soon after you move in. That way you know if you actually need any fancy filtration equipment. Make sure you collect the sample BEFORE the water goes through any filters or water softeners for the most accurate results. For the love of all things Holy, please don't have your water tested by a company that sells water treatment equipment! Just do it yourself.
It shouldn't cost more than maybe $100-200 to get the full suite of tests. Basic micro testing for e.Coli is provided for free by the Simcoe/Muskoka Health Unit, but getting more detailed analysis will help you make the best decisions for your own health and also the health of the house's plumbing system.
My company does industrial water testing and we use Bureau Veritas for our lab work. There are other labs in the GTA including SGS and AGAT. Give one of the labs a call and tell them you're looking to test the water at your new house.
My boss had them test the water at his new cottage last year and he found that the high maintenance and expensive filtration systems that the previous owner had installed were completely unnecessary. He also did a couple of rounds of testing just for hardness and sodium levels to figure out the proper dosages for the water softener.
Getting test results before an offer would be tough (but not impossible, take a sample while you are looking at the house). That gives you composition but not flow rate. It would be kind of a dick move to run the flow rate test during your walkthrough as it wastes a ton of water.
Most rural properties have septic and well testing as one of the conditions prior to going firm. If the seller doesn't want you to do those, walk away.
guzzirider
Well-known member
If you are going to view rural a property the first thing to do is put the plug in the bathtub
and then turn on the hot water full blast.
Have a nice liesurley sit on the toilet and see how long it takes for the water to run cold or not at all.
Then let the water sit while you go look at the rest of the property.
After you return check for colour and smell of water.
Pull the plug and time how long it takes to drain.
Compare the time to your existing house.
Take a walk in the yard to see if you have any wet spots that where not there previously.
If things look good THEN spend the money on an inspection.
and then turn on the hot water full blast.
Have a nice liesurley sit on the toilet and see how long it takes for the water to run cold or not at all.
Then let the water sit while you go look at the rest of the property.
After you return check for colour and smell of water.
Pull the plug and time how long it takes to drain.
Compare the time to your existing house.
Take a walk in the yard to see if you have any wet spots that where not there previously.
If things look good THEN spend the money on an inspection.
guzzirider
Well-known member
Friends of ours built a new house in a new subdivision in Edmonton Alberta back in the 70s.
They where on city water and sewer so no problems.
While landscaping a year later they found a steal pipe that seemed to be a well.
They thought this would be free water for the lawn and garden and maybe for a heat pump.
They sent a sample off to be tested to be safe.
A week later 2 guys in black suits and sunglasses driving a black SUV showed up.
"Son where did you get the water?"
The problem was it was radioactive!
The next week there where premix cement trucks filling in the well.
I guess it was not a good idea to build next door to a retired land fill site!
Please don't let me scare you away from an acreage as it is a wonderful life.
After 40 or 50 years the locals may even quit calling you City Folk.
They where on city water and sewer so no problems.
While landscaping a year later they found a steal pipe that seemed to be a well.
They thought this would be free water for the lawn and garden and maybe for a heat pump.
They sent a sample off to be tested to be safe.
A week later 2 guys in black suits and sunglasses driving a black SUV showed up.
"Son where did you get the water?"
The problem was it was radioactive!
The next week there where premix cement trucks filling in the well.
I guess it was not a good idea to build next door to a retired land fill site!
Please don't let me scare you away from an acreage as it is a wonderful life.
After 40 or 50 years the locals may even quit calling you City Folk.
We have a cottage in the Kawarthas. Septic and dug well. Built 1966, we purchased in 2004.
We replaced septic in 2016, resized for a reno we've just completed. Now 3 - 2 bedrooms + 2 full baths. 6,000 L tank and large leaching field. Original septic was old, too small and in the wrong place for a planned lakeside deck expansion. $10,000 cost at the time and fully inspected. Killer deal vs. current cost. Contractor put lengths of rebar at the corners of the field for future tracking purposes. Maybe yours has the same provision. Septic size total overkill for a 4 season cottage, but Peterborough Health Unit indicated the system had to be sized for the house, not the type of occupancy at the point in time when the system is being replaced.
Dug well still working properly. Public Health Ontario does free tests for e coli + coliforms. They have a number of sample drop off points. Many Health Units accept samples for transfer to PHO. As an FYI PHO and Health Units are not the same organization. As others have mentioned you can get more detailed water testing done if you wish.
If you're planning to see the place this w/e I'd be telling your agent to contact the other agent and owner to pull any existing septic and water system info they have on hand including prior water tests, in particular if this place is anywhere near or downstream from any farms in the area.
Pay particular attention if the well is dug vs. drilled. Dug wells are susceptable to contamination from a range of sources in general and from surface water infiltration in particular.
It's a buyers market right now. Water and septic issues are expensive to fix. Reasoanble conditions in the offer to test the existing systems should not be an issue, unless a seller has something they are trying to hide.
We replaced septic in 2016, resized for a reno we've just completed. Now 3 - 2 bedrooms + 2 full baths. 6,000 L tank and large leaching field. Original septic was old, too small and in the wrong place for a planned lakeside deck expansion. $10,000 cost at the time and fully inspected. Killer deal vs. current cost. Contractor put lengths of rebar at the corners of the field for future tracking purposes. Maybe yours has the same provision. Septic size total overkill for a 4 season cottage, but Peterborough Health Unit indicated the system had to be sized for the house, not the type of occupancy at the point in time when the system is being replaced.
Dug well still working properly. Public Health Ontario does free tests for e coli + coliforms. They have a number of sample drop off points. Many Health Units accept samples for transfer to PHO. As an FYI PHO and Health Units are not the same organization. As others have mentioned you can get more detailed water testing done if you wish.
If you're planning to see the place this w/e I'd be telling your agent to contact the other agent and owner to pull any existing septic and water system info they have on hand including prior water tests, in particular if this place is anywhere near or downstream from any farms in the area.
Pay particular attention if the well is dug vs. drilled. Dug wells are susceptable to contamination from a range of sources in general and from surface water infiltration in particular.
It's a buyers market right now. Water and septic issues are expensive to fix. Reasoanble conditions in the offer to test the existing systems should not be an issue, unless a seller has something they are trying to hide.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Simple solutions I’ve seen in water tanks and cisterns.
- A simple oil tank level gauge - $60
- sight tube - run a clear vinyl tube up the side connected to your drain bib, the level in the tube is the level in the tank
- Float switch. Wire it to a light or buzzer.
Lived in the country twice, farm I grew up on had a natural spring on the Niagara escarpment, small pump and 20ft of pipe , septic was built into a field and was fine , well or septic had never been serviced in the eighty yrs my family had the place , my own house was seventy ft dug well and a big septic field , we had to be cautious as we did not have unlimited water , but always enough .
However I have had friends with well nightmares , septic problems and collapsed cisterns . Do due diligence , insist on inspections and if available permits and drawings . Trucking in water and digging up a system can ( will) cost thousands and then the inspections seem cheap .
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However I have had friends with well nightmares , septic problems and collapsed cisterns . Do due diligence , insist on inspections and if available permits and drawings . Trucking in water and digging up a system can ( will) cost thousands and then the inspections seem cheap .
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We have a well and a septic treatment plant. Be aware that if you end up with a house with a powered septic it needs inspected twice a year and you can't do that yourself. Cost about $600 yearly for inspections. If you don't get it inspected the health unit will come and fine you. On the well front we're lucky we have unlimited water we can pump from our well when they did the flow test they quit as they couldn't pull the water level down.
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A buddy has a holding tank at his cottage and Haliburton wants him to put in a monitoring system. The tank is very old and will probably need replacing as well.
Tanks are relatively cheap. The R&R labour cost isn't.
Recovery times. Let your overnight guests know or the second guest doesn't get a shower.
I've lost touch with drilling costs and wonder about policing ground water usage if a local golf course is sucking it dry. A few McMansions with acres of turf can also be a problem.
Tanks are relatively cheap. The R&R labour cost isn't.
Recovery times. Let your overnight guests know or the second guest doesn't get a shower.
I've lost touch with drilling costs and wonder about policing ground water usage if a local golf course is sucking it dry. A few McMansions with acres of turf can also be a problem.
Couple of points.
Typically the septic system is pumped out and inspected, this is a typical condition of sale.
If current owners have lawn care, snow removal equipment you can request purchase of it with home. Of course ensure you want it and in good condition.
Water test is typically done, regardless if water filtration equipment is already on site. Clean water today does not mean clean water tomorrow.
If filtration is required have it based on water conditions, consumption and your peace of mind.
Ask for a couple of site visits to check it out with different weather, check drainage, water pooling etc.
Be prepared to walk away, property is not selling like it used to, it's your time, money and lifetime. Treat it wisely and best of luck
Typically the septic system is pumped out and inspected, this is a typical condition of sale.
If current owners have lawn care, snow removal equipment you can request purchase of it with home. Of course ensure you want it and in good condition.
Water test is typically done, regardless if water filtration equipment is already on site. Clean water today does not mean clean water tomorrow.
If filtration is required have it based on water conditions, consumption and your peace of mind.
Ask for a couple of site visits to check it out with different weather, check drainage, water pooling etc.
Be prepared to walk away, property is not selling like it used to, it's your time, money and lifetime. Treat it wisely and best of luck
Good point on the golf course as 1 property is backing onto that.
A nice website to provide some listing details you won’t find on realtor.ca is HouseSigma
It’s not 100% but, often has previous listings for the same residence to show the evolution of the property. If it was a flip, you can see purchase price, pics at time of listing and current listing. As well as description of the property from past and current listing.
Also, shows how long the property has been listed and any change in price etc. You can do your own comparison review of similar properties, listing price, sold price, days on market etc.
You do need to set up a profile to have access to the information but, it’s easy enough. Highly recommend when shopping for a home.
It’s not 100% but, often has previous listings for the same residence to show the evolution of the property. If it was a flip, you can see purchase price, pics at time of listing and current listing. As well as description of the property from past and current listing.
Also, shows how long the property has been listed and any change in price etc. You can do your own comparison review of similar properties, listing price, sold price, days on market etc.
You do need to set up a profile to have access to the information but, it’s easy enough. Highly recommend when shopping for a home.
guzzirider
Well-known member
Everybody is overlooking the most important aspect of country living!
Do I have fiber optic cable so I can stream Netflix?
Do I have fiber optic cable so I can stream Netflix?
Internet/cell coverage is important. Starlink solves the internet issue for a few thousand a year.
guzzirider
Well-known member
Do you need to commute for work?
I rolled up 300,000 km in 4 years living on an average.
It was a good thing I leased a Volvo (5 year) with option to buy rather than buying the Chevy Chevette.
The good thing was my girlfriend was prone to migraines and she never had one living on the acreage.
She also recovered her sense of smell.
I rolled up 300,000 km in 4 years living on an average.
It was a good thing I leased a Volvo (5 year) with option to buy rather than buying the Chevy Chevette.
The good thing was my girlfriend was prone to migraines and she never had one living on the acreage.
She also recovered her sense of smell.
As others noted check cell and Internet availability. BTW Starlink is sold out in many rural places in Canada so don't take it for granted either.
That is mostly just a money issue. Buy the more expensive roaming package and it works, it's just more money for slower speed.
