| There are multiple costs associated with a Septic System. I’ll start with a list of estimated costs and give a more detailed explanation at the bottom:
Listing of Estimated Septic Costs: | Cost to Pump Out the Septic Tank: | $150 to $250 | | | | | Cost of Septic System Testing with Dye: | $75 to $125 | | | | | Cost to Remove Clog in Pipes to Tank: | $50 to $250 (or more, if it’s serious) | | | | | Cost of Complete Visual Inspection: | $300 to $600 | | | | | Cost to Replace Pipe from to Tank: | $60 per foot | | | | | Cost of Permit to Repair Septic System: | $200 avg (low of $30, high of $444) | | | | | Cost of Permit to Install New System: | $350 avg (low of $180, high of $577) | | | | | Cost of Replacing Septic Tank Baffle: | $200 to $400 | | | | | Cost to Pressure Clean Distribution Pipes: | $400 to $600 | | | | | Cost of Replacing Distribution Box: | $600 to $800 | | | | | Cost of Installing New Septic Tank: | $1,500 to $2,500 | | | | | Cost of Replacing Drain/Leach Field: | $3,000 to $10,000+ |
Explanation of Septic Costs:
Cost to Pump Septic: Homeowners should have a licensed septic contractor pump out their septic tank every 3 to 5 years. If the tank is never pumped, then grease and other particles will flow into the leach field and clog the distribution pipes and the surrounding soil. Once that happens, he will need to have a new leach field installed at a cost of $10,000+.
Cost of Septic Testing with Dye: Septic testing involves adding dye and running water in the house for approximately 30 minutes. Then, the contractor can check for flooding and see where the dye appears. There can be a variety of problems with a septic system, and these problems don’t necessarily mean that the whole system must be replaced. This test will help the contractor diagnose the problem.
Cost to Remove Clog in Pipe To Tank: If the homeowner notices slow flushing toilets, he might assume there’s a problem with the septic system, so they have a dye test done. If the dye test doesn’t cause water and dye to show up in the leach field, then the problem might be a simple clog. A clog will require the assistance of a licensed plumber.
Cost of Complete Visual Inspection: Some septic contractors offer a complete visual inspection of the septic tank with a pumping. Needing this type of inspection is rare because problems with the actual septic tank will usually cause the leach field to fail, and once the leach field fails, you’ll start noticing sewage in the yard.
Cost to Replace/Repair Pipe from House to Tank: Particularly on an older home, the pipe or the connection points may need to be repaired or replaced.
Cost of Permit to Repair Septic System: The local county or city government usually requires a permit for repairs to a septic system. The fee for the permit varies wildly, even for counties in the same state.
Cost of Permit to Install Complete System: Permit fees for an installation are usually higher than for repairs and also vary wildly.
Cost of Replacing Septic Baffle: The septic baffle is a critical component inside the septic tank. The baffle is like a sideways “T”. The top of the “T” is under water inside the septic tank, keeping grease and oil at the water’s surface from flowing into the leach field. If broken, the homeowner should replace it as soon as possible to avoid more costly repairs.
Cost of Pressure Cleaning Distribution Pipes: Once waste water flows out of the septic tank, it moves through the distribution box into the distribution pipes. These pipes are usual made of plastic and have multiple small holes; their purpose is to evenly distribute waste water into the ground for absorption. If they become clogged, a contractor can force high-pressure water through the system to unclog them.
Cost of Repairing/Replacing Distribution Box: If cars or machinery drive over the leach field, they may damage or tip the distribution box causing waste water to distribute unevenly. The soil in the leach field receiving an uneven flow may not be able to absorb it all, and the uneven flow may also cause the soil and pipes to clog faster.
Cost of Septic Tank: Septic tanks, especially older, concrete tanks, can crack. A cracked and leaking septic tank is a safety hazard because the raw sludge, not just waste water, is seeping into the ground and ground water. A leak also messes up the operation of the baffles and could allow grease and oil to flow into the leach field, so replacing a septic tank could save the cost of replacing a whole leach field.
Cost of Replacing Drain/Leach Field: The purpose of septic maintenance and smaller repairs is to avoid the cost of replacing the leach field. Grease, oil, and fine particles (particularly lint from the washing machine) can actually cause the soil to clog. If the soil around the pipes can no longer absorb waste water, then the leach field will have to be replaced. The cost is usually in the range of $3,000 to $5,000 but can be over $10,000 in difficult cases. The Maury County YMCA has flag football and youth soccer in the Spring. Flag Football is for ages: 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-13. Registration is Jan and most of Feb, and the season is in the Spring from approximately March 27th through May 22nd. Practices are once a week, and games are on Saturdays. Youth Soccer is for ages: 3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-10, 11-13. Registration and the season are about the same as flag football, and practices are once a week. The fees are the same for both: $70 for members and $85 for nonmembers. Within the city limits of Spring Hill, everyone has to pay city property taxes. In addition, part of Spring Hill is in Williamson County and part is in Maury County, so everyone has to pay property taxes to their county. It’s also possible to have a Spring Hill mailing address but to not be within the city limits. In this case, you would only have to pay county taxes. You’ll need to find out how much the county thinks your home is worth. Use the links below to check: If you live on the Williamson side of Spring Hill, visit the Williamson County Assessor. If you live on the Maury side of Spring Hill visit the Maury County Assessor. Use your last name or address to find your house. Once you’re found your house, click on it, and look for the “assessed value”. The assessed value is 25% of what the county thinks your home is worth. Since Spring Hill isn’t a huge town, they use the county’s assessed value to determine city property taxes. Spring Hill City Property Taxes The rate is $.60 for every $100 of assessed value. Assessed value divided by $100, then multiplied by $.60 = annual city tax.
Williamson County Property Taxes The rate is $2.26 for every $100 of assessed value. Assessed value divided by $100, then multiplied by $2.26 = annual Williamson county tax
Maury County Property Taxes The rate is $2.65 for every $100 of assessed value. Assessed value divided by $100, then multiplied by $2.65 = annual Maury county tax
Total Property Tax annual city tax + your county’s annual tax = total property taxes
If you’re interested in how assessments work, please see my post: Property Tax Assessments Williamson and Maury County. Many clients have asked how property taxes are calculated in our area, so I thought I’d go ahead and post about it. Quick definition of assessments: Property tax assessments are computerized, county government appraisals of all the homes in their county. These appraisals are actual dollar estimates based on what similar homes have sold for. Property taxes are then based on these estimates. One caveat: Even though the terms assessment and appraisal are used interchangeably, the term “assessed value” refers to a percentage of the county’s appraised value. For example, in Tennessee, we only pay taxes on 25% of the appraised value, and 25% of the appraised value is called the “assessed value”. Apparently, in other areas around the country, it’s common for property to be reassessed when a home sales. In other words, when a home sales, the appraised value is simply the most recent sales price. That seems like a pretty simple system. Unfortunately, assessments in our area are a little more confusing. Our assessments are not based on when a home sales but on a assessment schedule. Williamson County reassesses property every five years, and Maury County reassesses every four years. In both counties, the Tax Assessors office is constantly assessing new construction; in the case of new construction, they will actually inspect and measure the building site. Since they’ve been keeping up with new construction for years and years, they have accurate information on all the homes in the County. During the period in between reassessment years, the assessor will drive by every property in the county to be sure that nothing has changed. If there have been additions or demolitions, the assessed value can be changed immediately. Of course, most of the homes are the same. During the reassessment year, the county’s computer program will calculate a new value for every home in the county. The program compares each home in the county to similar homes that have sold recently. Once a property is reassessed, property taxes are based on this new value. For information about how to calculate your property taxes, please see my post: Spring Hill Property Taxes: How to Calculate. If you’re looking for a place in Spring Hill to work out, my wife and I opted for the Longview Rec Center. It’s the county rec center for our area. As of this posting, it’s still a very new facility. We’ve been members there a couple of years, and I believe we joined the 2nd year it was open. It’s in an unusual location. If you don’t have a child in Longview Elementary school, you’d probably never drive by it. It’s located next to the elementary school inside the Wakefield subdivision. If you’re traveling from Hwy 31 on duplex rd. Wakefield only has one entrance on the left. Once you turn into the subdivision, keep going straight until you get to the back of the neighborhood, and you’ll dead end at the entrance to the rec center. It’s reasonably priced as far as gyms go. The following rates apply for people who live in the city limits of Spring Hill or within Williamson County. You can get a 10 or 30 visit punch card (not valid for outdoor pool) at $20 and $60 respectively, or you can purchase yearly at $150/year for a single person and $225/year for a couple or family. The yearly passes are also good at other rec centers throughout Williamson County, and seniors even get more of a discounts off these rates. Being the nerd I am, I did do the math about which is the better way to pay. 30 visits at $60 = $2 a visit. My wife and I would get the $225 yearly plan. $225/2 = 113. In other words, we would need to visit more than 113 times a year to make the yearly plan a better deal. Keep in mind that either one of us visiting counts as a visit, and if we both went together, it would count as two visits. So, the 113 is about 57 visits for me and 57 visits for my wife. In other words, if we both go a little more than once a week on average, the yearly plan is a better deal, so that’s the one we went with. The only drawback for the rec center is its hours: Monday-Friday 5:00am-9:00pm Saturday 8:00am-6:00pm Sunday 1:00pm-6:00pm I suppose these are reasonable hours. I used to belong to a 24 hour gym in Franklin, but you can’t beat Longview for the price and location. Sometimes it can seem like there’s nothing fun to do, especially if you’re new in town. I can sympathize because I hate that feeling. Here’s a list of activities that are going on in March: - Adult Indoor Soccer And Flag Football
- Adult Softball
- Adult Volleyball Leagues
- Table Tennis
- Winter Racquetball Ladder
- Indoor/Outdoor Tennis League Registration
- March Tennis Lessons At The Longview Rec Center
- Parris Island Bootcamp
- Polynesian Dancing
- Scale Down – A free community weight loss education and support group.
- Roth IRA Conversion Class
- Estate Planning Class
- Jewelry Fundamentals
- Introductory Stained Glass
- Flower Of The Month Floral Arranging
- Open Glass Studio
- Advanced Knitting
- The Magic Of Flowers
- Basic Portrait Drawing
- Floral Arranging
- Acrylic Painting
If it sounds like a class, then it probably has a fee, but most of them are really reasonable. All this information comes from the Longview Rec Centers monthly newsletter. Unfortunately, it’s a little hard to find on their website. Here’s the link for more info: http://www.wcparksandrec.com/template/images/longview.pdf For an explanation of coverage areas, please see my post: Spring Hill Electricity Providers. Then, follow the instructions for the provider you fall under. Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation (MTEMC) If you’re moving but staying within the Mid TN Electric service area and your account with Mid TN Electric is in good standing, then they’ll transfer your deposit, and you’ll have to pay a $40 initiation fee. Everyone new to the company has to pay the $40 initiation fee plus a $5 membership fee. If your home is new construction or doesn’t have a meter, then there’s a $75 fee to install a new meter. Then, they will do a credit check to see if they’ll require a deposit of $275. If your credit meets their criteria, then it’s just the $45; if it doesn’t, then it’s $45 plus $275 or $320. On the plus side, the deposit will be applied to your last bill or will be mailed back to you when you move away. To have your service set up, you’ll have to give them a call at (877) 777-9020. Duck River Power The deposit for duck river power is $10. You’ll need to fill out the Application and send it to the district office in Columbia. You can drop is off at 798 New Lewisburg Highway in Columbia, or fax it to them at 931.381.5331. Their phone number is 931.388.3131. http://www.dremc.com/Forms/DR-77.2.pdf Columbia Water and Power Only a very few homes in Spring Hill are served by Columbia Power. Ff you fall in this area, you’ll need to call 931-388-4833 to get your power set up. Name of the Credit Bureau (one per letter) Date: Dear Sir or Madam: Please be advised that I have found inaccurate information in my credit report. The following are incorrect: (Provide numbered list. Each number should include the creditor, account number, account type, explanation of the error, and reference to supporting documents included in the letter.) Please (tell them specifically what to do like remove or correct) these items. Sincerely, Your name Date of Birth Address Social Security Number (Get the most current mailing address of each of the bureaus by visiting their websites: experian.com, equifax.com, and transunion.com.) Some of the big employers in Spring Hill are Kroger (both locations), Publix, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and the many bank branches we have. As of the writing of this post, the Spring Hill GM plant is still idle; however, there is much talk of it being reopened. I have a post solely dedicated to news about the plant at Spring Hill GM Plant. Most Great Nashville jobs will go into the Tennessean, who’s affiliated with Career Builder. You can check them out at Tennessean Jobs. Other good sites for local jobs include www.indeed.com/l-Spring-Hill,-TN-37174-jobs.html www.jobsearch.monster.com/Tennessee/Spring-Hill/get-jobs-12.aspx www.simplyhired.com/a/local-jobs/city/l-Spring+Hill,+TN http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobs-l-Spring_Hill-TN Currently, Spring Hill employs about 34 policemen and 34 firefighters. If you’re interested in Spring Hill government jobs, here are some of the applications. http://www.springhilltn.org/employment.htm www.springhilltn.org/PDF/2010PoliceApp.pdf www.springhilltn.org/PDF/firedepapplication.pdf |
