# So, I bought a house....



## swimmer_spe (Sep 14, 2020)

I am a current homeowner. Soon, I will be moving to our forever home. From a Semi detached on a corner lot to a bungalow on a lake.

I will need to learn more about lake water systems, septic systems, dock building, and other fun stuff.


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## tuffy (Sep 15, 2020)

congratulations


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## Jeff Handy (Sep 15, 2020)

And fishing!


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## bud16415 (Sep 15, 2020)

Congrats! sounds exciting.


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## oldognewtrick (Sep 15, 2020)

Sounds like you'll be having the next House Repair Cookout at your new house. Thanks! ...


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## swimmer_spe (Sep 15, 2020)

Jeff Handy said:


> And fishing!



Yup.
Now to find out what is in season when.



oldognewtrick said:


> Sounds like you'll be having the next House Repair Cookout at your new house. Thanks! ...



There will be many similar things with family and friends. How else am I going to get my deck repainted and the grounds landscaped?


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## Jeff Handy (Sep 16, 2020)

And your fridge emptied.


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## hammondbryan445 (Oct 2, 2020)

Congrats, that's very exciting.


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## Jeff Handy (Oct 2, 2020)

Suggestion for priorities to fix. 
First, whatever your spouse wants done. 
Second, same as the first.


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## oldognewtrick (Oct 2, 2020)

Jeff Handy said:


> Suggestion for priorities to fix.
> First, whatever your spouse wants done.
> Second, same as the first.


Yep, pick the battles you have a chance of winning.


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## swimmer_spe (Oct 2, 2020)

Jeff Handy said:


> Suggestion for priorities to fix.
> First, whatever your spouse wants done.
> Second, same as the first.





oldognewtrick said:


> Yep, pick the battles you have a chance of winning.



She seems to want the same things I want.


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## ekrig (Oct 3, 2020)

swimmer_spe said:


> She seems to want the same things I want.


Great that you're in sync then!
Another thing to discuss are realistic expectations in terms of timeline. My wife and I moved into our house 2 years ago, previously a bank foreclosure empty for several years, and there is still plenty to fix/improve. We don't have family or handy friends around, so its all on me. And, if you're like me, you have a busy full time job and need to learn as you go along, then repairs go slowly. If she's ok with that, fine; otherwise, she can help or discuss contracting it out. Either way, discuss and make sure you understand each other, otherwise it is going to be a major point of tension.


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## swimmer_spe (Oct 3, 2020)

ekrig said:


> Great that you're in sync then!
> Another thing to discuss are realistic expectations in terms of timeline. My wife and I moved into our house 2 years ago, previously a bank foreclosure empty for several years, and there is still plenty to fix/improve. We don't have family or handy friends around, so its all on me. And, if you're like me, you have a busy full time job and need to learn as you go along, then repairs go slowly. If she's ok with that, fine; otherwise, she can help or discuss contracting it out. Either way, discuss and make sure you understand each other, otherwise it is going to be a major point of tension.



What we want done ASAP are the same. The rest of the stuff, she doesn't even understand it. Luckily , her family can help with some of the other stuff.


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## Ron Van (Oct 4, 2020)

My wife and I recently (Aug 1st) moved from the West coast To a Lake in a Southern State. 


swimmer_spe said:


> I will need to learn more about lake water systems, septic systems, dock building, and other fun stuff.


 
one major difference is the humidity is much greater here than we are used to. Also, Where we now live, any additions or changes to the boat dock or boat house have to be approved by the Tennessee Valley Authority. I’ve been told that they are easy to work with though. The septic seems to work pretty good.


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## zannej (Oct 5, 2020)

Congratulations! 
How much land do you have?
For septic system, you will need to have your leech lines at least 50ft away from the property line within your property. You will have to get a permit & they can give you more information. A percolation test will have to be done on the soil if there is not an existing septic system in place.

Hopefully you can find all the info you need here, but there are sister forums like the plumbingforum.com and flooringforum.com for specific information. If you don't get an answer here you can try posts for plumbing and flooring related stuff there. I do miss the garage forum but it was merged with this forum I think.

Good luck and please feel free to post pictures! (I love pictures)


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## swimmer_spe (Oct 5, 2020)

zannej said:


> Congratulations!
> How much land do you have?
> For septic system, you will need to have your leech lines at least 50ft away from the property line within your property. You will have to get a permit & they can give you more information. A percolation test will have to be done on the soil if there is not an existing septic system in place.
> 
> ...



The propperty has an existing system in place.


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## bthomas76 (Oct 9, 2020)

Sounds like you're living the good life!


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## zannej (Oct 11, 2020)

Ah, so you need to find out when the tank was last drained, how often it needs to be drained and the condition of the leech field.


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## swimmer_spe (Oct 12, 2020)

zannej said:


> Ah, so you need to find out when the tank was last drained, how often it needs to be drained and the condition of the leech field.



It gets emptied once every 2 years. The rest I'll find out.


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## rbm328 (Oct 13, 2020)

I just moved from a house with a septic tank.  I am a firm believer in Rid X and used it religiously.  In 11 years, we never had a problem with the tank.


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## Spicoli43 (Oct 14, 2020)

rbm328 said:


> I just moved from a house with a septic tank.  I am a firm believer in Rid X and used it religiously.  In 11 years, we never had a problem with the tank.



I moved to a house with a septic 6 years ago, never before saw one. The septic company said NEVER put any additives in, especially not Rid X.


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## billshack (Oct 14, 2020)

I have a high tech septic system , with agitator's and aerators. the manual says to not use any of the stuff. Tank works very good never had a problem .
I just had it pumped out, It was something to be seen .


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## zannej (Oct 19, 2020)

Once every two years seems like a lot to me, but then, mine is supposed to be pumped every 5 to 7 years. We need to get it drained soon. I will say that you should watch the person doing the job & make sure they get all the solids out. The old septic service guy here died & the only one in the area uses a smaller hose for draining & doesn't take the solids. He actually got fined by the health department for not fully draining tanks. The last time he was out I stood by & watched & told him to get all of the solids & pointed out ones he missed.
We have used RidX but I don't know if it's done anything to the system or not.


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## bud16415 (Oct 19, 2020)

When I was a kid and a new septic tank put in it was common to toss a road kill in to get it going. 

It really depends on the size of the tank and how many people live in the house and how good the system works at breaking it down. Then factor in all new ones the laundry empties into the tank and people use all kinds of stuff in the washing machine that's not great for a healthy tank. In the old days the kitchen sink and the laundry went to a smaller tank called a grease trap and then to the leach field bypassing the septic. the grease trap would have the exit pipe draw water out of the center of the tank by a drop pipe. The idea was some floats and some sinks. 

I know people that haven't had a tank pumped in 40 years. I had mine pumped every 2-3 years.


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## zannej (Oct 19, 2020)

My house actually had a grease trap for the sink & washing machine when we first moved in. I believe it got filled in a few decades ago though. The laundry detergent is something I worry about with my septic tank.


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## ajaynejr (Jan 29, 2021)

Suggest having the septic tank pumped out, first thing. Best if the person you hire knows about septic systems because there may be a need to repair or replace baffles in the tank at the inlet and outlet.

Two to three years between pumpings is a good starting point. By the third pumping the person you hire should be able to set the best  time schedule for pumpings further in the future.


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## swimmer_spe (Jan 29, 2021)

ajaynejr said:


> Suggest having the septic tank pumped out, first thing. Best if the person you hire knows about septic systems because there may be a need to repair or replace baffles in the tank at the inlet and outlet.
> 
> Two to three years between pumpings is a good starting point. By the third pumping the person you hire should be able to set the best  time schedule for pumpings further in the future.



Part of the sale included a pump out. I have been told they did it every 2 years. The system is less than 10 years old.


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## Bob Reynolds (Jan 30, 2021)

I was always told to flush a package of yeast down the toilet once a month to keep the septic tank in good repair.


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## 68bucks (Jan 30, 2021)

Bob Reynolds said:


> I was always told to flush a package of yeast down the toilet once a month to keep the septic tank in good repair.


I wonder if yeast would do anything. Yeast will generally break down starch but not anything else. Not a lot of starch in a typical septic system. Different enzymes and bacteria do most of the work, not yeast.


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## Yod12 (Jan 31, 2021)

Previous owner put in a new septic before I moved in. Installer said, "Don't put any of that aftermarket stuff in there. Believe me, there's enough bacteria in there to do the job."


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## swimmer_spe (Jan 31, 2021)

Yod12 said:


> Previous owner put in a new septic before I moved in. Installer said, "Don't put any of that aftermarket stuff in there. Believe me, there's enough bacteria in there to do the job."



Ours was put in within 10 years. I am not messing with it.


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## billshack (Feb 1, 2021)

back in the day, when you had your septic tank pumped put they would leave  about a foot of stuff at the bottom to act as a starter batch. Now they pump out the tank , then strain the stuff and put back the same water.


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## bud16415 (Feb 1, 2021)

Most pumping companies have to pay some city waste treatment plants to take the waste from your tank by the gallon. If they can return some of the liquid back to your tank it saves them money. They also don’t like using your garden hose to flush the tank out but can back flush using the liquid in their tank if they need to break up the solids to get them to pump out.



Getting the action started back up in a tank is normally not a problem. The problem is more in what we put into our tanks from our laundry and toilet cleaners. In the old days no one hooked the laundry up to the septic tank instead they had what was called a grease trap tank like a small septic tank that also emptied to the leach field.

Now we put all kinds of bleach products right into the septic tank by code.


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## Bob Martin (Mar 11, 2021)

oldognewtrick said:


> Sounds like you'll be having the next House Repair Cookout at your new house. Thanks! ...


yes indeed


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