Questions About Septic Systems

It seems many of our buyers are coming from metropolitan areas where septic tank systems are uncommon.  Here in Haywood County, we have sewer systems in municipal areas, but much of our county lies outside those areas and is dependent on septic systems for biowaste treatment and removal.  I will attempt here to answer questions we hear more frequently.

If you are purchasing a lot for that dream home, or cabin in the mountains, and there is no sewer system available, you will need a septic system.  Haywood County Environmental Health Department will need to approve your lot for a septic system prior to installation.  You will need to complete an application for a permit and furnish a site plan, showing where the home and driveway are to be located. Once your application has been approved, Environmental Health will send a sanitarian to check for soil suitability, and that all setbacks are met.  (The septic tank must be at least 5 ft. from the foundation of the proposed home, that none of the drain field is within 100 ft. of water sources, and at least 10 ft. from property lines.)  The sanitarian will also define a repair area, which would be used for a drain field if your primary drain field ever fails.  Also, there are 2 primary types of septic systems, gravity and pump.  A gravity system is less expensive and requires less maintenance.  However, on some lots the drain field must be at a higher elevation than the septic tank.  This requires a pump system.  A pump system has 2 septic tanks.  The first one is just like a gravity system tank.  The liquid effluent drains into a second tank which has a pump.  When the tank is close to full, the pump activates and pumps the liquid up hill to a drain field above the tank.  These systems are more expensive to install and do require more maintenance than a gravity system.  Once a permit is issued it will give the number of bedrooms that the system can accommodate. (The more bedrooms, the larger the drain field.) Keep in mind that you may build a home with 3 or 4 rooms that could be used as bedrooms.  However, if you only have a 2-bedroom septic permit, your home can only be advertised or listed on MLS as a 2-bedroom home.  We have had issues with this when a homeowner decides to add another bedroom in an unfinished basement without having his septic system modified to accommodate an additional bedroom.

Also, if you are remodeling an existing home, it may require an approval of your existing septic system.

Septic systems should be checked every 3 to 5 years to see if they need the solids to be pumped.  There are several companies in the county that pump septic tanks.  This costs approximately $300 currently.  Also, newer systems have a filter inside the tank that must be cleaned when the tank is pumped.

Many people purchase septic tank additives and flush them down the toilet monthly.  The gentleman that pumps my septic tank discourages this practice.  I was just reading a website from a septic system installation company that says “Septic tank additives generally do more harm than good.”

If you’re considering buying some property to build that dream home or cabin, we can help you with the process to get your septic permit.

Happy New Year everyone!