Forums > Specific Focus > Home, Garden & Construction in Mexico

elprofe

Aug 20, 2004, 7:36 AM

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Septic System Questions

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We are considering purchase of property in the lakeside area. I am concerned about the septic systems used on very small lot sizes, many with no aeration or leach field area to speak of. Having lived with and installed a variety of different systems over the years here NOB, I am familiar with what it takes for a good system to operate efficiently or, conversely, a poor system to be nothing but a nightmare.

Any information that could be shared would be greatly appreciated. We need to know what to look for when evaluating a potential property. Specific questions I have are:

Are there any regulations concerning the construction or installation of septic systems?
How is the typical system built (ie: just a tank + field lines; tank size)? I did not see anything resembling pressure injection, biologics, or the like on any of the properties we looked at.
Are there pumping services available? How often does the typical system need to be pumped? Cost?
Are the systems generally reliable and sized correctly for the property they serve, or does one need to break out the "honey bucket" every time there is a hard rain?

Esteban

Aug 20, 2004, 9:36 AM

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Re: [elprofe] Septic System Questions

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I'd be interested in what answers you receive but you can always go "green" and design what you want. I'd never design a system that had to be pumped. When you refer to "biologics" I assume you are referring to one of the newer inverted triangle/sand systems used in lieu of a leach field. That sounds like the way to go or even something similar. Hell, you can drink the effluent out of those systems :-)

elprofe

Aug 20, 2004, 3:27 PM

Post #3 of 4 (6157 views)

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Re: [Esteban] Septic System Questions

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I too am interested in the replies. Just to clarify, we are not looking to design a system as we are looking to buy an existing property and I am concerned about what kind of systems are typically used and what we should look for as a precautionary measure to avoid a headache later on.

FYI - there are a variety of biologic systems used in the US and other countries. Just put "biologic septic system" into Google and they are fairly well covered.

johanson

Aug 22, 2004, 10:01 AM

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Re: [elprofe] Septic System Questions

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This is not an answer to your question, but an observation. I know that at least some if not many of the areas lakeside have their own sewer systems. We do in Ajijic. And I understand that to be the situation to be so in most population centers lakeside. Am I wrong?

Maybe you won't need a septic system in the area you are moving to.