If your home is not attached to a municipal sewer plant, then you likely have a septic system to handle your homes wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal. Septic systems lay underground and through filters slowly disperse the newly clean water back into the soil. Septic systems come in many different price ranges due to various external factors such as soil, tank material, tank size, and installation. These reasons make estimating the price difficult so let’s lay out some ways you can get a close guess on the price.

 

Anaerobic System

The anaerobic system is a reasonably simple system that consists of a pipe leading from the house to the tank, and a branched pipe leading from the tank into the drain field. These systems depend on anaerobic bacteria to break down waste in the tank. Anaerobic systems are typically much cheaper to install than the more complex aerobic system. They will typically cost between $2,000 and $5,000 to install.

 

 

Aerobic System

The aerobic system is a wastewater system that depends upon aerobic bacteria to break down waste in the tank. Because oxygen is not naturally present in a septic tank, this system requires an air pump to aerate the tank and promote the breakdown of waste. It will need more than one tank to complete the water treatment process. Aerobic systems are much more complicated than anaerobic systems and can cost between $10,000 and $20,000 to install.

 

Tank Size Guide

To get more specific on what rates you could get depending on the size we created a graph to support you.

 

 

 

 

Preparation

Unfortunately, the costs don’t end there. To prepare for the tank you’re going to have to prepare the ground. It’s going to take a considerable amount of groundwork to install a septic tank so be sure to add in that potential cost. The price range can be $1,200 to $4,500, but septic tank installers will wrap these costs into the total price of installation and therefore may offer the excavation at a lower rate.

Permits

Depending on how intricate the project is you may need a permit to start construction. Building permits usually come in the range of $400 to $2,500. For a septic tank, a standard permit price should be around $1,000 or less. You can find out if you require to get a building permit by speaking to a local contractor.