There are positive points about city water sewer but there are certain positive points about living with a septic system as well. The city takes away the mess, but if it fails the homeowner is often responsible for the repair. If you are considering a home with an acre of land it probably has a septic and you are wise to understand how to take care of it. I hope this helps.
Septic systems are the homeowner's responsibility and are a bit easier to understand if you know how the septic field works.
The local Washtenaw County did a great video for explaining how they function. Please watch this! It may not be Oscar worthy but it does a great job of explaining!
http://in-sitevideo.com/itsallconnected
There are very important necessary maintenance issues with septic fields and once you understand a septic field you should be very confident that it would last for many years.
How it works
The home waste flows to the septic tank. The sledge and scum (technical terms, I kid you not) breakdown and decompose. They need to be pumped out every 3-5 years to remove the solids and the parts that will not break down.
The drain field is the next place for the liquid and this is a field in your yard. The important thing is to not overstress the drain field. The soil around the field percolates into the soil and is filtered.
The following are recommendations for a healthy system from Washtenaw County:
Maintenance is much cheaper than replacement!
Four things you can do to help your sewage system:
1. Pump your septic tank regularly.
2. Use water efficiently.
3. Manage what goes down drains.
4. Protect your drain field.
Okay those are the points but here are the specifics that are so important:
Laundry - little bit every day is much better than 7 loads on Monday.
Use low volume toilets and washer (green suggestion as well).
- Don't over use the garbage disposal. Sorry but much less expensive to throw scrapes into the compost bin. (Green suggestion again and this is aka Martha Stewart).
- Never allow solvents to go down drain. (True for ALL drains, very important to our Earth and groundwater.)
- All female items should go in the trash not toilet.
- Do not overuse cleaning liquids.
- Don't use the system starters. Our county says they cause more harm than good.
- Take care of leaky faucets! Fix them asap.
Follow these instructions and you should have a healthy septic system.
Art work and suggestions from Washtenaw County in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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Good to know...most homes out here are on public sewer systems, although occasionally I will come across one that has a septic in a more rural out-of-the-way area...