Reasons to Consider Moving from Septic Tank to Sewer Lines
At one time or another, your city administrators may start developing options for city and residential sewer services. The most common option is for a development to expand city sewer services to more rural areas where septic tanks are still in use. If your home is on a septic tank service, and that septic tank is an older version, you may be considering taking the city up on the offer to move from septic tank to their city sewer options. If you are still only considering it, and you aren't sure it is the right move for you, consider the following reasons why making the switch may be ideal.
Older Septic and Soil Contamination
There is usually very little reason to remove a septic tank option and replace it or upgrade it if the septic tank is not having issues. This may have been the situation you found yourself in when you purchased your home. If the existing septic tank was operating find and not in danger of leaking, you may have just left it as is. However, this choice may have been made based on a quick overview of the septic tank. Keep in mind, sometimes you can not tell if the septic tank has issues until an issue occurs or until you pay a very costly fee to have it inspected thoroughly. If the septic tank does leak or overflow, and you do not know about it for an extended period of time, the soil around your home could become contaminated. This means you must have contaminated soil removal scheduled and could mean not only a replacement of the septic tank, but also a costly soil removal fee depending on environmental law in your area. A contaminated soil removal company could come and inspect your land to determine whether you need removal and how much it would cost.
Yearly Cleaning
Septic tanks require routine cleaning and pumping. The misconception is that this only needs to happen once every few years. The truth is that could change depending on the size of the tank. If you have a smaller tank or if you increase the amount of usage because the family number in the home increases, you could be looking at paying yearly to have the septic tank pumped. If you have multiple small tanks on the property, this price becomes even more costly. However, if you are on a city sewer system, you do not have to worry about out of pocket expenses for pumping out the tanks since the sewage is taken from the house and through city lines. Any pumping is done by the larger industrial pumping station and done on a routine basis.
Your Cost versus Their Cost
One of the leading reasons why many people decide to make a switch from septic tank to city sewer system when it is offered is based on cost. If you own a septic tank, any issue dealing with that tank is on you. Insurance usually does not cover major repairs, and minor issues like routine pumping are all on you and your budget. If you are on the city sewer system, any issues with that system are on the city. If a pipe leaks or busts, the city comes out and fixes the issue. Though you may be left with the cost of damages to your property, which are usually minor landscaping issues, you will not be left with a much larger financial issue from septic tank related replacement, contamination removal, and other issues.
By considering these three reasons to make the switch, you can make a more informed choice for you and your household. Remember to check with the city to determine what costs will be yours and what will be theirs under various circumstances so you are even more informed how this switch will affect you down the road.
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