We found the well. We were even lucky in finding the well. It was in the most logical place it could be and we found it on our first try. We dug four feet down and behold there it was.
Much jubilation ensued.
Then Monday the engineer came for a preliminary visit in order to see where a new septic system could be installed.
The news was not good.
You see, when you’re and idiot from the city you don’t tend to think in terms of the evacuation of crap. At least not in this context.
You see the cool cottage clinging to the side of a mountain. You see the trees, the nature, the five acres of land behind the house. You see the view, you see the fireplace… In short you see everything but the crap.And a house clinging to the side of a mountain is not conducive to the installation of a drainfield with a septic system (you need a maximum 30% grade or less). And the only place that could have a drainfield is a problem because a) it’s too close to the well and b) it doesn’t belong to us, and somehow I don’t think the next city over (which is our neighbour) would be willing to let us use their land to drain our septic system.
Y’all are learning way more about septic tank installation than you ever wanted to, eh?
A closed tank seems to be the “best” option in a world of nasty options. Not terribly expensive, but it has to be emptied very very often for much much money. And it pretty much kills any possibility of living there full time.
At this point, I’m kicking myself for not having thought of this when we bought. And I want to take a slingblade to the idiot who built the house. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your point of view) he’s dead.
I know, eventually some solution will rear it’s head, and, yes Ian, I know, this too will pass.
8 comments:
And this will pass much like the stuff for which you need the septic tank in the first place. In a conversation with Sancho Panza, Don Quixote refused to accept Sancho's well-consider point that if the spiritual man was on the side of the angels, why must that spiritual man still shit?
Maybe you and Mr. J could seek more spirituality, cut down on the fibre, and look to hanging out with the angels. Then the tank wouldn't be needed?
Ian
Wow..who knew so much thought could go into the elimination of our eliminations?!? Best wishes for a reasonable resolution.
Oh oh, I still say build an outhouse out back for the guests, or provide them with a toilet kit (shovel with a roll of toilet paper). Funny though I thought that in Québec you were no longer allowed to have a drainage field and all sceptic tanks had to be closed. I seem to remember my father in law saying to take it easy on the toilet paper at the cottage cuz if we filled the tank and they had to open it he'd have to change it for a closed system and that was about 20 years ago. Dumb question, where's your drainage system at the moment? And second question, is there a way to get to the back of your property to install it there?
I'm with BB. I was wondering where the current shit is going? I was also wondering why the new one can't go right there?
That sucks. Sorry to hear that. And I have felt on many an occasion that I wanted to smack the dude who built my house.
BB and Ticknet asked the question I was going to ask. Where does it go now? Or are you just really, really careful not to eat a lot of roughage?
What a lovely cottage. Don't kick yourself for seeing such a lovely place and not asking, "But where does our poop go?"
Ian - I have the spirituality of a bucket of rocks, but I'm willing to work on it...
Em - Yeah, who knew... Welcome back to the blogging world.
BB, Josie and Tick - We have an old system, that's now illegal. Basically, it's a tank with holes in it and the "water" runs out. Unfortunately the water isn't purified in any way, though heavy "matter" sinks to the bottom, forms a sludge and it is vacuumed out.
Nowdays you have a drainage field where the water goes and is purified. Or you have a closed tank which fills up really quick and costs a fortune to empty every couple of months (especially as we go there year round) rather than once a year or so. The problem is where to put the drainage field.
As for getting to the back, we'd have to check into having a road opened... Mucho $$ Again.
DD - Well, mine is dead, can I smack yours?
Geewits - Bwah! Yeah, I guess it's not the first thing in your head when you're from the city...
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