Looking at a decent 20yo house on an island here in the SE Michigan area. Supposed to sign the paperwork sometime next week but will still have a week to do inspection. Been to the house 5 times. Think we are on the downward trend of the 30year high water cycle (LOYTS of flooding the past 2-3 years). 30 years from now high water will be the least of my worries.

Any first hand info on dealing with a septic. Do's donts? Will just be the wife and I (and maybe our 22yo son for a year or two). I obviously read online. No chemicals. Low flush toilets. Septic friendly detergents. sounds like a gigantic PIA that I never considered. Being "city folk" we can take long showers, do 10 loads of laundry and use drain cleaners. Would having it cleaned out every 2-3 years like I read eliminate any/all potential issues?

Have the seller present you with an inspection by a pro who deals in them prior to sale. You do not want to find out afterward that it has problems. I have worked on many jobs-renovations where they have had to have them replaced or pipes that go to it. As sellers did not disclose things and no one inspected things. So new owners ended up having to do a lot.
And have it pumped out as well so you get a fresh start.

Most houses I have owned since 1991 have had septic systems including my current one that I've owned since 2003 and lived in since 2008.
I haven't found that any special detergents or anything else is required. Just a dose of common sense - don't put buckets full of grease down the drain, or large quantities of chemicals that may kill off the needed bacteria in the tank.


Check the solids level in the tank every few years (my honey wagon guy says if a long stick will stand upright in the tank it's time to pump it out). Many septic tanks never have to be pumped at all, but I've found that about every 7-10 years is usually required.

Simple Rule: Don't put anything in there unless it has gone through you first.

My county requires it to be pumped out every 5 years. Check you local requirements.

Best way to inhibit bacteria growth is to flush a couple cubes of yeast down the toilet every two to three months. Helps keep the bacteria thriving = hungry little buggers break down the solids

Yum...."solids".

Either that or don't ever, ever 'poo' when at the cottage. Go to the neighbors.

since i'm just an old "city wimp", i can't offer any advice about service of your septic tank.
however, from growing up in a house with one, i can offer this : make sure it is well marked !
one, so you don't have to dig up the whole back 40 to find it when it needs pumped.
and two, so you don't drive over it with heavy stuff, like tractors.
i remember these things happening during my "yout", and learning cool bad words from my dad, uncles, and grandpa.

Funny chit

Sounds like good advice. Thanks!

Many counties in Michigan require a health department inspection of both the septic tank and your water well prior to the sale of a home.

The number of occupants will determine how long you must go between pumps. As stated up top, have the tank lid clearly marked aw well as where your field is laid out. What type of vegetation or soil are you in? And . . . given it is a cottage in Michigan - is this a 1930's cabin septic - just 1 or 2 - 50 gallon drums buried out back or is is a professionally engineered system (re: Health Department Inspection) . Many older cabins do not meet current specifications and local county governments are demanding upgrades when new owners take possession. If this is the case, you may be required to dish out $10k to $20K for a new poo pot!

Some folks I know have flushed eco-friendly dye into the toilet and came back to the house the next day only to see it leaching out near the water line - not good!

Wisconsin Counties require every three years

I have a 1,500 gallon conventional with a drainage field out back - Basically a two acre sand box in WI

I pull the cement cover for the pumper , we clean the filter , and he pumps away complaining every time on how much toilet paper we use

I blame the wife of course

$150.00 every three years for inspection and pumping - Price has almost doubled in twenty years , just like everything else

And trust me , they will fine you if it’s not inspected , pumped and paperwork sent in to the county

So far so great , going on twenty five years since the house was built

LOL. It's not like a discount is applied (or given) whether or not the amount of solids in the tank. It's a flat fee here in Connecticut. If I'm paying... they're pumping!

Wow...really? $150? Last time I had mine pumped it was well over $300.

$350 here last fall. Did it before winter.

before you spend a dollar buying that house have the septic inspected buy a top notch company.. one that will send cameras down there.. chances are at 20 years old its going to fail... can cost big money to fix.. 15 years ago it cost 11k to put in a new leach field at our place.. had the seller put that money in escrow for use to have it done..

Again, all good info. I'll have a local company on the island inspect it. It's not a "cottage" like with an outhouse. In fact the neighbors of "the cottage' told us it was almost insulating when the sellers called it a cottage. It's a nice 3bdrm house with a guest house over the large detached garage. Nicer than my home on the mainland. The seller just built a new $2M house on this island. The neighbors said they spared no expense when they built this one. The seller gal told me they paid $5k every few years just to have the cedar shake professionally cleaned. On a 20yo house it looks like they just installed it. So I'd imagine, and I'll ask (and verify) that they had the septic tank maintained.

Yep....had mine done last year..$150 and yep...WI needs to see paperwork from a licensed pumper that it was done and inspected every couple years.

Mine's 32+ years old....zero issues

If you can afford that place, I think you can afford any septic issues that may come your way. Good luck