Well and Septic Systems are Common in Barrington and Inverness Homes

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Which homes in Barrington use Well and Septic Systems? Many of the homes in the village center and nearby communities have their water and waste taken care of with public water supply and public sewers. Residents pay the village a monthly bill for both. In hot summer times of drought, water supplies for gardening can be restricted to odd or even days only, and in severe drought watering of yards, grass, plants can be forbidden. This also applies to Lake Barrington Shores in Lake Barrington. Homes on larger lots are the ones that will usually have a well and septic system.

Well Water

Properties in the country suburban Barrington villages are commonly built on acre or more lots and so providing water through a public system would be extremely costly. These properties have private wells. The advantages of a private well can include no water restrictions and little to no worry about water supply, not to mention no monthly bill.

However in times of extreme drought aquifers (where wells get the water from underground) can run low. So as always with the earths precious commodities, care should be taken not to abuse any bountiful supply.

In 2012 the villages issued a warning about overuse of water due the extreme drought conditions we were experiencing. The aquifer was indeed drying out and water no longer was a given. We needed rain! Fortunately 2013 was a year of more rain. Just shows we should never take anything for granted.

Wells are not like the old days when you dropped a bucket into a well and scooped up the water. The principle is the same but a pump now does the hard work for you. Wells are capped off and sealed at the top and underneath the surface will feed the supply into your home into or through an expansion tank. You should have your water evaluated once a year to make sure it is fit to drink. On occasion you may have to add chlorine tablets.

Water from a well in the Barrington area is likely to have a lot of minerals. One side effect of rust is that it stains your toilets and therefore you know you’ll likely be drinking it too. You’ll see most homes here also have a water softener and another system for reducing those minerals and rust. These apparatus must also be serviced to work correctly and their life span is about 10 years. in our house we have adding a third layer of water filtration which almost completely removes all the rust issues. A consultation with a water filtration company is recommended for any house you buy.

Personally I like well water taste much better than public, and it has been said that well water is better for your skin and hair. If you don’t like the idea of drinking well water you can buy a filtration or reverse osmosis system, or simply drink bottle water.

Septic Waste Systems

Perhaps just a little more complex than a public waste system because you the owner are responsible for maintaining your system.

Simply put, all your household waste will exit the house into whatever kind of system you have. Commonly the water part of the waste will be filtered from the solids and be pushed out to a septic field somewhere in the yard. Don’t worry this water is often 99.9% free of effluent. The remaining solids stay in the septic tank and you will have to have this pumped every 1 to 3 years-depends on how many in the house. 2 adults and 2 kids in the house will probably require yearly tank pumping.

Each county has different rules for maintenance of septic systems. You are likely to have a contract with a service company who will inspect your system periodically and carry out and maintenance or repairs. This will keep your system working well for years and years.

Cost: The average cost in 2013 for your maintenance was $200 a year, a tank pump about $350.00. Repairs would be extra.

Living with well and septic.

There is often a worry that living with a well and septic system is sub standard or unhealthy. This is usually because of lack of knowledge and experience. As some one who has lived on well and septic since 1996, I can tell you I have never experienced any issues.

Don’t Under Estimate The Cost of Replacement

When buying a home you’ll want to be sure to ask the seller to provide a well and septic report. A sanitarian will have the water tested. They will also lift the lid on a septic system, tank, and use a mirror to inspect the inside. The sanitarian can give you feedback about the condition, need to pump. They can usually explain how your system works.

You must also consider the age of a system when buying a property using a septic system. They don’t last forever. The cost of replacing either a well system or septic system can be a lot of money.

Well and Septic

Well Water

Septic Waste Systems

Living with well and septic.

Don’t Under Estimate The Cost of Replacement

About Corinne Guest, REALTOR®

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