Water/Sewer bill costs?

[bigdog]

Planning to make the transition from condo owner to home owner.

In the home search stage now.
That said, new home may have septic and drilled well, or may be on town services, or a combination of the two ?

Family consists of only my wife and myself, so usage of water and sewer would be minimal.

Can folks give me an idea of costs for each?

Thanks !

[brk-lnt]

Wouldn't it be exactly the same as your current bills at your condo?

It's not like a house uses more water than a condo, it's all about the people inside.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

Wouldn't it be exactly the same as your current bills at your condo?

It's not like a house uses more water than a condo, it's all about the people inside.

I read his question as what are the costs between having a public water supply and public sewer vs having a private well and private septic system. Or it could be a combination of systems.

My thought: with public water, you are normally responsible for the water pipe from the street connection to the house. Some places you are only responsible from the water meter to the street connection, regardless if the meter is inside or outside the house. Sewerage similarly can run from the house to the street connection is the homeowner's responsibility.

Sewer is often tied in with water usage, but can be billed separately.

With a well and septic, you are responsible for the whole system(s). Well pump issues, pipe issues from the well head to the house, water quality, etc.. Septic, responsible for the whole system. Routine pump outs, failed tanks, failed leach fields, pipe problems...

Big Dog, I would check with your realtor as to the costs of water and or sewerage in the community where you are looking. Compare that to your current costs at your condo. Pump out on my 1500 gal tank, every 5 years, was $350 two years ago.

[bigdog]

Forgot to indicate current condo water/sewer services.

Condo association has drilled wells to deliver water to all units.
Sewer is on town connection.

Since the water is coming from our own drilled wells, there is no cost per say...
Maintenance of wells, pumps, etc. is built into the annual Association budget.

Sewer costs is billed against the entire condo complex, not to individual unit owners. The town sewer cost is build into the monthly condo fees.
All this said, it would be very difficult to determine monthly costs per unit.

Will contact my local town for an estimated costs per service.

Thanks everyone for your feedback, greatly appreciated !

[codeman671]

I have a rental home in Somersworth, NH. An average monthly city water/sewer bill for 2-3 people is in the $30-40 range.

[Descant]

I have both, in different locations.
Many towns have "soil based zoning" i.e. you have to have a certain size lot to support a septic system, or you can't put a house there unless there is sewer. Sewer doesn't appear in rural areas as it costs too much to run the lines. Depending on the type of house and lot size you want, sewer vs. septic may not be a choice. Some towns don't have sewer or public water.
Operating costs are similar. You pay a monthly or quarterly fee for water and sewer. You pay monthly for electricity to run your well pump. Septic needs to be pumped every once in awhile.
If you have to replace a septic system/leach field, it can cost $15,000, but this is a frequent negotiating item in the purchase process. DES rule of thumb is that a leach field life expectancy is 15 years. Bigger system and smaller household can extend this substantially. My system is 38 years old, built for 4 bedrooms, but actual full use was only for about 10 years, then all the young folks moved.

If you lose power and have city water, you still have water and can flush the toilets. You may not have hot water. On a well, you lose power, you lose water until your generator kicks in. I'd be more inclined to worry about power losses. Ask the power company for the most reliable answer. I'm a big fan of standby (automatic, not portable) generators.

[joey2665]

The big difference will be if you are watering your lawn in season. As stated above consumption from condo to home will not differ much if they are being occupied by the same people but watering will make a huge difference.

[Pineedles]

Originally Posted by joey2665

The big difference will be if you are watering your lawn in season. As stated above consumption from condo to home will not differ much if they are being occupied by the same people but watering will make a huge difference.

As upthesaukee said, sewer tied to water consumption in some towns. But our town recently allowed for the installation of a separate meter tied to irrigation system. This allows us to deduct the water used on the lawn from overall water usage and thereby reducing the sewer bill.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by Pineedles

As upthesaukee said, sewer tied to water consumption in some towns. But our town recently allowed for the installation of a separate meter tied to irrigation system. This allows us to deduct the water used on the lawn from overall water usage and thereby reducing the sewer bill.

This is exactly what I have at my commercial property.

[wifi]

Sounds like a sewer meter is ripe to be invented

[BroadHopper]

I have properties in Hooksett and Plymouth as well as Laconia. Plymouth rates are nearly triple of Laconia's Rate. Hooksett is in the middle. Not sure why the disparities.

[wifi]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

I have properties in Hooksett and Plymouth as well as Laconia. Plymouth rates are nearly triple of Laconia's Rate. Hooksett is in the middle. Not sure why the disparities.

Does Plymouth send its produce to Franklin, or does it have a local plant ?

[Irish mist]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

I have properties in Hooksett and Plymouth as well as Laconia. Plymouth rates are nearly triple of Laconia's Rate. Hooksett is in the middle. Not sure why the disparities.

Plymouth has much of the property around downtown owned by the college....no property taxes coming from that source.

[Descant]

Originally Posted by Irish mist

Plymouth has much of the property around downtown owned by the college....no property taxes coming from that source.

I didn't see the town budget posted on the Plymouth town website, but I believe the various state colleges make payments "in lieu of taxes" to the various towns. The Durham budget (2015) lists half a dozen lines of revenue from UNH totalling just shy of $2,000,000. To the original thread, sewer & water fees may, in some places, be billed on the tax bill, but they are a separate fee for the specific service, not really a tax.