In a city like Waltham
you don’t often run into private septic systems on a regular basis. Most home
in Waltham are
connected to public sewer which is part of the MWRA system. Being connected to
public sewer makes selling a house very easy.
In other towns like Weston, Wayland and Sudbury, private septic systems are the norm.
Today’s typical newer installed systems are little engineering marvels. In a
nut shell, all waist water from the house pipes into a big tank where the solid
waist stays and the liquid moves, via gravity, to the distribution box which is
situated next to the big tank. The distribution tank then feeds the liquid down
a series of pipes that spreads out over a large area of sand and gravel called
a leaching field. The pipes have hole which allows the liquid to "leach” into
the sand and gravel, filtering it back to the ground water.
Older homes, that have original septic systems, will usually
have a cesspool. A cesspool is a large round tank made from concrete blocks with
lots of large holes in it surrounded by gravel. The liquid is "leached” out
from the sides and bottom of the tank through the gravel. Older cesspools fail
simply because of many years of use; the gravel becomes clogged with solids. The
tanks leaching properties diminished and the system stops functioning property.
If this happens a new system must be installed. This is not cheap. On average a
new basic septic system can cost $15,000 or higher. The more complex the system
required for the property and home will increase the price exponentially.
Before a house can sell, the septic system must be tested
using a test called Title V. A system receiving a passing grade from Title V is
only good for one year and won’t guarantee the system from failure later. Homes
that have cesspools can also pass Title V, even though those types of systems
are obsolete. Title V considers the rate of which water leaches from the
system, how full the system is when it’s opened, the type of material used it
its construction and the overall condition of the system, to name a few
requirements.
If a system fails Title V, the failure is recorded in the
health department. Under current state laws a failed system has one year to be
replace. Replacing a system requires the homeowner to hire a septic system
engineer who will design the system. There are a multitude of steps that needed
before a septic plan can receive a stamp of approval from the town in which the
home is in. After stamped and approved plans are submitted to a septic system
installer/contractor and a new system can be installed.
It’s customary the seller has the responsibility of installing
the new system prior to closing. However, in some cases the buyer may have to
take on the installation.
Tags:
Waltham , Weston , Septic , System , Sudbury , Wayland.
Kenneth Brown
