When a Claremont Property Has a Well, Septic Tank, or Propane

Most homes in town are on municipal water, sewer and natural gas, and the systems disappear into the background. A minority of properties, usually older parcels or ones near the edges of a service area, run on something else: a private well, an on-site septic system, a propane tank. If you are buying one of those, your due diligence list changes shape and it changes early, because these items affect your lender and your insurer as well as your inspection.

None of this is a reason to avoid a property. It is a reason to investigate before you remove a contingency instead of after.

Confirm what the property actually has

Before you plan any testing, establish the facts. Ask in writing which utilities serve the property and get the answer in writing. Check the disclosure packet. Look for a water bill and a sewer charge on the tax bill or the utility statement. Look at the meter, or the absence of one. Find the propane tank, if there is one, and note whether it sits above ground or buried.

Do not rely on the listing description for this. Read what the seller has actually disclosed, and where the answer is unclear, ask the city and the county. The habit of verifying rather than assuming is the same habit that makes the rest of a purchase go well, and it runs through the Claremont home tour checklist.

A private well: quantity, quality, equipment, paperwork

A well is four separate questions and buyers often ask only one.

QUANTITY. Can the well produce enough water for the household? A flow or yield test run by a qualified contractor measures sustained production rather than a momentary reading at the tap.

QUALITY. Laboratory testing of a properly collected sample is the only way to know. Bacteriological testing is standard, and depending on the area the panel may include nitrates, minerals, metals and other constituents. Ask the county environmental health department what testing they recommend or require at a transfer.

EQUIPMENT. Pump, pressure tank, controls, wiring, storage, and any treatment system all have service lives and maintenance histories. Ask for service records. Ask how old the pump is.

PAPERWORK. Is there a well permit and a driller's log? Is the well on your parcel, or shared with a neighbor under an agreement? A shared well is a legal arrangement and you want to read it.

Septic: the tank is the small part

An on-site wastewater system is a tank and a dispersal field, and the field is what costs money when it fails. A cursory look inside the lid tells you very little.

Ask for a full inspection by a qualified septic professional, which normally means locating and opening the system, pumping the tank, inspecting the baffles and components, and evaluating the dispersal area. Ask for the county permit record, the as-built diagram, the tank size and the pumping history. Ask whether the system was designed for the number of bedrooms the house now has, because additions and conversions can outrun the original design.

Ask whether the county requires any inspection, certification or upgrade at transfer, and ask early. Requirements vary, they change, and they can affect your timeline. Where a system is undersized, failing or unpermitted, the remedy can be significant, which is a very good reason to have the answer while your contingency still protects you.

Propane: ownership is the question that surprises people

With propane the first question is not condition, it is OWNERSHIP. Some tanks are owned by the homeowner. Many are leased from a supplier, which usually means buying fuel from that supplier and inheriting an agreement. Ask which it is, in writing, and ask to see the agreement.

Then ask about the tank itself. Above ground or buried? What is its age and condition, and is there a data plate? Buried tanks raise additional questions about corrosion protection, and on any property an abandoned or unknown buried tank is worth identifying before closing rather than discovering during a landscaping project.

Have the gas piping, regulators and appliances inspected. Ask what remains in the tank at closing and how that is handled, because fuel on hand is a real item that gets negotiated rather than assumed.

Lender and insurance effects

Tell your lender at the start of escrow that the property has a well, septic or propane. Some loan programs carry specific requirements about water testing, system certification, distances between components, and access. These are the sorts of conditions that are routine when raised early and painful when raised late.

Quote insurance on the specific address as well. Carriers ask about these systems, and the answers can affect availability and terms.

Ongoing ownership, not just closing

Budget the rhythm rather than a number. A well means periodic water testing and eventual pump and tank replacement. A septic system means periodic pumping and inspection on a schedule that depends on use. Propane means deliveries and a supplier relationship. None of it is exotic, and plenty of owners barely think about it, but it is a maintenance calendar that a house on city services does not have.

Sequence it correctly

Order the specialist inspections in the first days of your contingency period, not the last. Well and septic professionals schedule out, laboratory results take time, and county records take time to pull. If a result comes back late and unfavorable, your options depend entirely on whether your contingency is still in place. What that protection is actually worth is covered in the real risk of waiving contingencies.

More buyer guidance is in the buying a home hub.

Anthony Grynchal has been licensed in California since November 2009.