# How much hassle are well/septic systems?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-are-well-septic-systems/569837>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 1, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-are-well-septic-systems/569837 "2011-02-01T23:37:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-are-well-septic-systems/569837/21 "2011-02-02T20:33:49Z")

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> [@FE3O4ENAIL](#):
>
> Worst thing is a power failure, no power, no water. No water, no flush toilet.

This is a major issue with living in more remote-ish areas. You lose power, you could be without water and heat. It’s not a bad idea to get a professionally installed emergency generator to keep your major systems running. If you can cover water, heat and refrigeration, power failures are a lot more manageable.

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**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-are-well-septic-systems/569837/22 "2011-02-02T20:47:48Z")

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When I was a tennager, my paren’t had well and septic. Septic was never an issue. The well water was awful - suflur and lots of it. Our basement looked like Batman’s lab or something, with like 4 water filtration systems and it still stunk like rotten eggs when you took a shower. Blech!!

You couldn’t really drink the water, but it was OK to cook and wash with.

My father had a gas generator that he hooked up to the house for power during outages. You couldn’t do laundry or run a whole lot of stuff at once - but it was good enough to power the well, keep the fridge running, and keep the lights on.

If we had lived in a place where the water was tastey, I don’t think there would have been any issues at all.

eta: our heat was from fuel oil

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-are-well-septic-systems/569837/23 "2011-02-02T21:05:21Z")

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> [@FE3O4ENAIL](#):
>
> We woke up one night to a loud buzzing from the basement.  
> The alarm for the septic tank was triggered.  
> The pump had failed and was replaced the next day, service call and new pump was around $400.  
> Worst thing is a power failure, no power, no water. No water, no flush toilet.

a pump is needed when sewage has to move uphill. if a house is sited higher and the septic and drain field lower then it is all gravity and no pump is involved (if you have plumbing fixtures in the basement then you may have a pump for just that and not the rest of the house).

if you have a private well and septic then it is good to keep a supply of water on hand (or a backup generator). with a supply of water you can flush toilets with a bucket.

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**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-hassle-are-well-septic-systems/569837/24 "2011-02-02T21:07:40Z")

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> [@FE3O4ENAIL](#):
>
> The alarm for the septic tank was triggered.  
> The pump had failed

What does it do, pump waste water up from the basement?  
…Never mind. 🙂

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