You can learn a lot about someone when you take a peek under their kitchen sink. And here in rural Chesapeake, Virginia, it is no different. To the left, you can see the contents under the kitchen sink of my rural Chesapeake home. It looks like the typical assortment of household cleaners. But look behind the cleaners and there you will see one thing that you want to see under the sink in a property that is not supplied by city water.
Can you see it?
It is the reverse osmosis filter and holding tank that supplies my family with their drinking water at the kitchen sink. When we first moved into our home, the previous owners had only a water softener through which the well water flowed before coming out of the taps in the bathrooms and kitchen. As a result, the water was smelly and had a funny color. My children did not want to take baths or showers because warm water made the smell intensify and washing clothes resulted in a nasty smell permeating the laundry room. Bathing in water that smells funny seems to be counter-intuitive. In my garage, a water softener has been joined by a variety of tanks and doo-hickies that take the hard metals out of the water, remove any sulfur gases, and generally help to ensure that the only thing flowing into my house is H2O. My reverse osmosis filter under the kitchen sink quietly works in darkness, making sure that my family has safe and clean water.
If you are considering purchasing a home in Chesapeake Virginia that is supplied by well water, pay attention to the water supply and how the water is being treated. If it is only being serviced by a water softener, you may need to purchase supplemental filtration equipment.
The second thing that is not normally found in a property with a septic system is my super-charged Insinkerator garbage disposal. And I have to admit that I am bit nervous admitting this to a group that is populated with very wise home inspectors like Mr Charles Buell. However, I just could not break the garbage disposal habit (There, I admitted it). My husband tried to talk me out of a garbage disposal but you know how the saying goes: Happy wife, happy life and my wonderful husband relented.
If you are considering a Chesapeake Virginia home served by a septic system, whether you have a garbage disposal or not, understand that you will need to diligently apply bacterial boosters each month and pump the tank every three years (at the minimum). Septic systems are quite expensive to fix or replace. However, if you treat them right, you can extend their life significantly.
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