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newhome4us

New Home Build - Questions - Help-what should we consider

newhome4us
11 years ago

There is so much to think about when building. They are running the plumbing in the basement now before the concrete floor is poured. After reading some of these post, I realize we should be thinking ahead.

What are the main things that we should consider when you are on well & septic??

I saw somewhere on this site that - we should consider running the outside faucet on a line that doesn't go through water treatment. Which I would have never thought about--but will now ask builder to do so.

What else should we think about?

What recommendations do you have for Well Water Treatments? We are in Northern Virginia.

I can not tell you -- I have been a nervous wreck building this home--since the day we signed the contract. I just feel I know nothing, so your help is GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Comments (5)

  • lazypup
    11 years ago

    Ask your plumber to take a 3' piece of sch.40 PVC and glue a cap on one end. On the other end have them glue a female thread adapter and put a screw in cleanout cap on that.

    AS your build progresses ask each sub contractor to give you a final copy of their work print with their layout and field notes on it.

    Roll all the prints together and put them in the PVC tube for safekeeping. When the house is done you can use some pipe hanger straps to secure that tube on the wall or ceiling in your utility room or near the main electrical service panel.

    It may not seem like much now, but the plumbers, electricians, HVAC duct installers all design their own layouts and no two houses are the same. Once everything is secured behind the sheetrock it is very difficult to be sure how or where pipes and wires run, but if you have the original prints available it makes maintenance or future rehabs much easier to deal with.

  • weedmeister
    11 years ago

    The 2nd part of that is to TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES of the pipes, HVAC, electrical, gas lines, etc BEFORE they are buried behind concrete, dirt or drywall.

    Hopefully you've already had your well checked by an independent lab.

    It's been suggested that since septic drain fields have a life span of XX years, it is not a bad idea if you have the room to prepare two of them now while construction is underway. Then at some future date you could switch from one to the other, giving the first a 'rest'.

    There is also this thing about grey water (washer, dishwasher, shower/tub) and not routing it to the septic. Some people save this grey water for irrigation purposes.

    There is a lot of discussion concerning garbage disposals and septic systems, mostly negative. That is, they are not recommended. They put undigested solids into your tank which can require additional pump-outs.

  • newhome4us
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks everyone.... I Love this site!

  • plbr
    11 years ago

    i dont know how big your house is but you should consider a hot water recirculation system if your water heater is far from your last fixture, say over 50 feet. have your plumber start at the heater and run the hot water pipe to the first area requiring hot water, say the kitchen, then to the second area, say the guest bath, then to the third area, say the master, then to the farthest fixture, then head back to the heater with a 1/2" line. you could pick up a fixture or two on the way back to the heater. the entire loop should be insulated. connect the return line to a recirculating pump, i prefer a grundfos up-10-16/b5/atlc model which has a sensor to turn the pump on when the returning water temperature falls and also a timer. it is often on ebay for less than $300.00. pipe from the pump back into the cold water feed at the heater making sure a check valve is installed on the cold water line so the returning hot water is forced into the heater through the cold line. you will have instant hot water at all areas which is a major asset and you will not be wasting water waiting on the hot water to reach remote fixtures. wasted water goes into the septic and shortens the life of the drainfield and also saves on water treatment if on a well system or water/sewer bills if on a public system. pump uses same energy as a light bulb. good luck.

  • kisu
    11 years ago

    take = tank