To live the lifestyle that you want in your new home, every part of that home needs to be considered. Most people look at the amenities and the cosmetics of a new home but give little thought to the “hidden systems” like the sewage system. If you are building a new home or buying a new one, you should know the pros and cons of a septic system.
What is a Septic System?
If you are coming from an urban area and moving to a rural or a suburban area, you may not know what a septic system is. Typically, homes in urban areas or well-developed areas are tied into a municipal sewer system. Mostly, you flush your toilet or run water down the drain and never give it a second thought. It is just a normal part of the lifestyle in urban areas to not think about wastewater and where it goes.
According to the EPA, there are over 60 million people across the United States that depend on septic systems to manage wastewater. Household septic tanks are wastewater and waste solid holding tanks. Think of it as a private sewer system. There are both pros and cons to these systems.
Cost Savings
If your lifestyle is such that you focus on ways to cut costs, a septic tank system will fit nicely into your goals. With municipal sewer systems, you must pay a monthly sewer bill. In some areas, they double your water bill to cover the cost of sewer management. In other areas, they include your sewer fees with your yearly taxes. Either way, you must pay.
Being able to cut costs when you can is a tremendous boost to your finances and your lifestyle. According to the Wall Street Journal, only 11% of homeowners are satisfied with their garage. Opting for a septic system can offset some costs of the other features in your home.
Environmentally Friendly
If you focus on living a lifestyle that is kinder to the environment, then a septic system can fit into that lifestyle well. Septic systems can be very kind to the environment when they are properly maintained. Unlike municipal sewer systems that use chemicals to treat the wastewater, septic systems dispose the wastewater of harmlessly into the leach field.
You Can Live Anywhere With a Septic System
Another pro of a septic system is that it gives you the freedom to live where you choose. You can live in the middle of nowhere and not have to worry about being able to tie into a municipal sewer system. Septic systems allow you more location freedom.
It is Not All Good News
Septic systems are not right for every lifestyle because you have to maintain and be careful about what goes down your drains. You will need to arrange for pumping every three years, and you will need to learn to change some lifestyle habits to keep your system in top condition.
For example, you should flush nothing ever down your toilet other than human waste (some suggest you do not even flush toilet paper). Be very careful with grease and other kitchen scraps as well.
Septic systems typically last for about 40 years, which means, depending on the age of the house, you may have to replace it at some point. Septic tanks can fail when they are not properly maintained, which could contaminate the groundwater that feeds the well. Of course, a leaky septic system can really affect your lifestyle.
There’s A Lot To Consider
There are both pros and cons to having a septic system. Whether it is right for you largely depends on your lifestyle, and whether you will change your lifestyle to accommodate using a septic system. Get more information about septic systems from a professional septic system company today.