Rural houses are not frequently connected to the municipal sewage system. This implies you’ll need a domestic water treatment facility to clean and dispose of your wastewater. There are numerous types of home wastewater treatment systems on the market, but they all essentially do the same thing: remove waste from your house, filter and treat it, and then discharge it. The costs of septic tanks are determined by their sizes and septic system types. For instance, because there will be less daily wastewater with a two-bedroom property using an 800-gallon septic tank, that sort of tank would be ideal for such a house.
How much does a septic system cost?
Two main septic system types are available: anaerobic and aerobic septic systems. The traditional septic system is anaerobic, which decomposes waste with bacteria that do not require oxygen. These types of septic tanks typically cost between two and five thousand dollars to install before factoring in permit costs, piping, leach fields, and soil tests.
Aerobic systems require oxygen, which speeds up the decomposition process and produces considerably cleaner wastewater than their anaerobic alternatives. The effluent is treated so efficiently that it can be used for irrigation. Anaerobic systems also use less space, as they require roughly half of the leach field surface area needed by traditional systems. However, these systems are much more expensive, starting at about thirteen thousand dollars.
How much does a septic tank cost?
Polyethylene or plastic septic tanks are the most affordable and lightweight option. The average cost for a thousand-gallon tank is around eleven hundred dollars, but their use can pose several problems. Some states in the US have even banned their installation as they are prone to cracking and leaking under pressure. This can lead to costly repairs that cancel out the money saved on installation.
The traditional, middle-of-the-road option is the tried and true concrete septic tank. These tanks may still crack due to expansion and contraction, but the cracks are less likely to be severe if they even appear; the concrete septic tank is a durable workhorse that costs about twelve hundred dollars for a thousand-gallon tank. Properly maintained and well-constructed concrete septic tanks can last for decades before needing to be replaced.
Finally, fiberglass is the premium option, costing approximately sixteen hundred dollars for a thousand-gallon tank. Like plastic tanks, fiberglass septic tanks are easy to install and much lighter than concrete tanks, but they do not suffer from the same cracking issues as the two septic tank types listed above. Combined with their diminished capacity for algae growth due to non-porous construction material, this option is worth the hefty price tag.
What does this mean for me?
If you are considering installing or replacing a septic tank, understanding the factors that affect the cost is an important step. The experts at NexGen Septics can explain the differences in the options listed above in great detail, along with additional concerns like permits, piping, and soil preparation costs. Maintenance costs will also play a role in determining the overall price of your septic system installation.
