Septic System Cost

Visualize the situation where you want to buy a new home. What is one of the most important things in your checklist apart from a good neighborhood, easy access to necessary amenities and good infrastructure around? I am sure, it would be the drainage and septic system of the apartment when you are buying a house.

A septic system is basically a system through which sewage treatment is done, the waste water is treated and is made suitable for further purification. A bad septic system, I am certain, would wreak havoc on your olfactory senses! However, there could arise a situation where the septic system would have to be installed. Subsequently, you would need to estimate the septic system cost. It is not every day that you talk about cost of septic systems. Therefore, you need to do a bit of homework on how does a septic system work, if you have to install one. There are a few considerations to be kept in mind. The following text will deal with those considerations.

Septic System Installation - Things to Consider

Size of the System
The size of your septic tank and expanse of field line requirement of your system is determined by a percolation test and the estimated water usage. Percolation test will see how fast the soil on a particular property absorbs water which is done by a licensed tester. On the other hand, the estimated water usage depends upon the number of bedrooms in your house.

Components of the System
Primarily, your septic system would include a concrete septic tank and a 4 inch PVC pipe for plumbing it. 4 inch perforated PVC pipes are used to construct the field lines in a bed of gravel. There would be a geotextile material that would help in preventing the dirt, roots and any other unwanted material from filling the gravel or pipes. Pumping the waste water from the tank into the lines might be necessary where the location of field lines is not close enough to the septic tank. Waste water treatment and few other factors like soil conditions and space could affect the cost.

These were the things one needs to be aware of when trying to figure out the septic system cost. Now, we move on to how much does a septic system cost to install. So, here is more on that.

Septic System Installation - Cost

Cost of the Supplies
The PVC pipes to reach from the tank to the field lines would be needed, even if you have the pipe coming from your home. You would also need perforated PVC pipes for the construction of field lines. The number of pipes, the gravel and the subsequent cost will be determined by the expanse of your field line. That in turn cannot be decided before you have the percolation test on your property. So, a percolation test will determine the septic system cost for you, combined with the number of bedrooms in your house. The gravel (good quality) costs around $9 to $12 and the drain field vaults are for around $40 each.

Cost of the Tank
The size and type of tank you want to install will determine the septic tank costs. Cement tank is the most common and most popular type and the most opted size for this is 1,000 gallon tank. Now that can cost you between $500 and $700, according to your location. Opting for a 1,200 gallon tank would cost you about 100 dollars more. But 1,000 gallon is the standard and optimum size permitted. This also involves the septic tank pumping cost.

Cost of Installation
Here again everything depends upon where you live, what is the amount of material you need and any kind of design of the system. The least you can set aside for the installation of a septic system is around $2000. In a moderately good locality, it might go up to $ 5000 and where the labor and material is expensive, it can also go up to $8,000. You can also expect to pay as high as 20,000 where special engineering or construction is required. But normally septic system installation cost ranges between $3,000 to $5,000.

That was almost all that is expected when it comes to septic system costs. It is important to have a general idea of these costs so that you are not quoted unacceptably high prices by the contractor. A well built septic system can last really long with proper septic system maintenance methods and in the long run, septic system costs would not sting your pocket as hard as perhaps they might do initially.