I do my software on the side. Most of my day is devoted to a property management business that I do with my wife. We purchase old Vermont farmhouses and totally rennovate them and then rent them. We just finished our 14th property. Most have septics, all have oil heat and most have fireplaces or stoves.

Vermonst is colder than Ohio and traditionally $1000-1200 was a typical cost of oil for a 2000 square foot home. This is likely to have almost doubled. You can take the uncertainty out of what you pay buy placing an order for the year at a fixed price with your supplier, but this is done in July so you are too late. Things you can and should do to conserve heat: 1) get the furnace cleaned and tuned yearly. This is for safety and can improve the efficiency and the reliability of the system, 2) Shop around for the best price (not pratical for every 200 gal fillup, but you can do it once a year to see who is the most agressive, 3) Reduce air leaks around doors, windows, and in cellar areas, 4) reduce the heat in areas where it is not as important (entrance hall, bedrooms).

Here are some guidelines we give our tenants regarding septic systems:

• Don't deposit coffee grounds, cooking fats, wet-strength towels, disposable diapers, facial tissues(Kleenex, etc), cigarette butts, and other non-decomposable materials into the house sewer. These materials won't decompose, will fill the septic tank, and plug the system.

• Normal amounts of household detergents, bleaches, drain cleaners, and other household chemicals can be used and won't stop the bacterial action in the septic tank. But don't use excessive amounts of any household chemicals. Do not dump cleaning water for latex paint brushes and cans into the house sewer.

• Avoid dumping grease down the drain. It may plug sewer pipes or build up in the septic tank and plug the inlet.

• Use a good quality toilet tissue that breaks up easily when wet. (One way to find out is to put a hand full of toilet tissue in a fruit jar half full of water. Shake the jar and if the tissuebreaks up easily, the product are suitable for the septic tank.) High wet-strength tissues are not suitable. As long as the tissue breaks up easily, color has no effect on the septic tank. Many scented toilet tissues have high wet strength.

• Using too much soap or detergent can cause problems with the septic system. It is difficult to estimate how dirty a load of laundry is, and most people use far more cleaning power than is needed. If there are lots of suds in your laundry tub when the washer discharges, cut back on the amount of detergent for the next similar load. It's generally best not to use inexpensive detergents that may contain excessive amounts of filler or carrier. The best solution is to use a liquid laundry detergent, since they are less likely to have carriers or fillers that may harm the septic system. Many washers also now have settings to reduce the amount of water used for small loads. This can help reduce the burden placed upon the system.

• Starter or septic additives are not needed. Some additives, particularly degreasers, may contain carcinogens (cancer-causing) or suspected carcinogens that will flow into the ground water along with the water from the soil treatment unit.

Septic systems need to be cleaned (pumped, approx $300) periodically. For 5 active people and a washing machine, every 2-3 years as advisable. Make sure that you find out when it was last done and do it now if needed. Septic repairs can be very expensive.

Fireplaces are wonderful, but not good for reducing general heating costs. The problem is that too much warm air is sucked up the chimney. This does not mean you should not enjoy them, but just do not consider it as a solution to the cost of oil. You can improve their heating efficiency by using a glass screen and opening the vent for outside air (if it has one). If you are serious about heating with wood (many do in Vermont), then you should consider installing a good quality wood stove that uses the fireplace flue ($1500+).

Good luck in your new home.

Michael


[This message has been edited by Michael P. Bedesem (edited 09-28-2005).]

Michael ... excellent advice for all homeowners ... As far as the fireplace goes, we live in a good sized (2900 sq ft) raised ranch ... We have a fireplace in the lower family room and in the upstairs living room (used mostly for effect) The downstairs fp has a glass screen and a 'heat-o-later' unit purchased from Sears ... It takes the air from the room, circulates it through pipes that serve as the 'basket' for the wood in the fp and then blows it back out ... When we have that running we can turn off the heat upstairs (we have a 4 zone system...) ...
t.

Bill:

Best of luck in your new home, you'll love it, nothing like home ownership!

Michael thanks for the great tips, amazing what I learn at this forum!

[This message has been edited by Stephenm52 (edited 09-28-2005).]

We had our home inpsection done yesterday. The highlights:

House was built in 1953...

Roof is in excellant condition. Zero signs of any leaks whatsoever...it was built with 2x6's and optimal spacing for additional strength. Should have an estimated 15+ expected life remaining on it at the minimum.

Attic is loaded up with good insulation.

Central Air unit was installed in 1991...everything works well...

Furnace was replaced in 2001!

Water heater (electric) has no date...estimated install somewhere around late 80's early 90's...

Water softener (electric) estimated install date of mid to late 90's...

(both appear in good working order...)

Breaker box has 220 properly wired with large number of additional breaker potentially added. Some wall outlets are only 2 prong which we'll change to 3 prong grounded outlets soon after moving in.

That's the big stuff so far...we're having the county come out and inspect the well water for bacteria and some other contaminants next week.

Regarding the septic system, I'm trying to locate the former owner of the property to learn more about the history of the system. I know from county records the leach fields were relocated in 1999. I'd like to know how often he had it pumped & by whom.

Shutters need replaced across the board, we have almost 40 shutters in all, so this will be an expense for sure. We may do two sides of the house this fall, the rest next spring...

We close on the 7th...everyone is invited over to help move!!!

Thanks to everyone for the info so far. (Michael's post was especially informative!)

Bill in Dayton

Bill,

Congratulations on your new home. I too just moved into a brand new model on Sept 2 after cashing in on my huge equity of my old house. I actually doubled the size.

Anyway, best of luck with your new found freedom and privacy!!!

Regards,
Al