Question RE: Cistern Water Source and Electric Heat (Cincinnati: broker, houses)

[kelcolo]

We will be relocating to the Cincinnati area soon and are now searching for a home to buy. We prefer 2+ acres of private/wooded property. Many that come up on the MLS with this amount of land list "Cistern" as the water supply (as opposed to Public or Well). Where we are coming from, which is prone to drought, a person would never rely on cistern as the only source of water. You would probably have to pay a service to bring water into your tanks because they would always be dry. I would appreciate if someone could provide me with more information on this subject as it appears it may be common for the area?

In addition, many of the homes have Electric / or Electric Heat Pump for the heat source. Again, where I am moving from, heating your home with Electric is quite a bit more expensive than Natural Gas or Propane. Any comparisons for the Cincinnati area would be most helpful.

The cistern and electric heat show up on newer homes as well as older homes that I am finding.

Thanks so much for your input and advice!

[kelcolo]

It looks like the readers of this forum must not have first hand experience with these? Any idea where I can find out more info?

[Ohiogirl81]

If you're out in the rural areas, natural gas is hard to come by. Most people use propane.

Don't know about cisterns; most people I know that have them use them only in the late summer months when their wells are prone to going dry.

[The Don]

I once owned a house with a cistern... we had to hire a water hauler to fill it up regularly. Not particularly convenient and somewhat expensive.

As far as electric heat, using a resistive heat source is expensive and not very effective. I would think about oil heat and/or wood stoves.

Heat pumps are a different story but their efficiency decreases considerably as the ambient temperature decreases.

What about geo-thermal heat? They are somewhat expensive to install, but if you plan to live there long enough, it should be worth the additional expense, if just for the comfort.

[YoMikey617]

Both gas and oil are going to be expensive right now, so if you buy a house with electric heat I wouldn't worry too much about it. I would bet that the homes you're looking into are electric because there simply is no gas service (as with the water service).

Perhaps a good option would be to buy with electric heat, and then install those wall unit propane heaters. You could switch back and forth as utility rates fluctuate or use both with propane lowering your electric bill. A friend of mine had brand new wall unit propane heaters in his early c. 1700's New England farmhouse, and the propane heaters saved him thousands in gas bills with the gas furnace only kicking on and off periodically.

I have yet to meet anyone in Ohio who is in love with their heat-pump. I know people with 10-20 year old furnaces who are replacing them with new ones because the new ones are that much more efficient. If you check with the utilities websites, you can sometimes find special deals for installing the new Energy Star models and using the contractors referred by the utilities (< could be a great deal or a conflict of interest; i would check consumer reports for furnace data).

Well water will be hit-or-miss. Some people have no problems to speak of, while others have perpetual issues.

I would get a broker who knows the reputation of the houses. Homes with bad wells have a tendency to be well known among local brokers. If nothing is known, the worst that can happen is you make your offer contingent on the home inspection which includes the well, furnace, etc.

[franke01]

We don't have many wells around here so if you aren't on city water you're going to have a cistern. A lot of the water that fills cisterns is obtained from the roof although in the "dry season" you'll need to have water hauled in. Very common in rural areas.

If I were building today I think I'd go geothermal but that can add 10K plus to the cost of the home. I have propane (I'm in a rural area) and it went from $1.99 a gallon in 2006 to $2.52 a gallon in 2007. Fortunately I burn a lot of wood so I've managed to keep the cost down.

All things considered - and if you can't go geothermal - I think I'd get the most efficient Heat Pump arrangement I could find. I think this woud be the most cost efficient source that you could find currently.

[djmdesign]

water isnt the cost its sewer charges they are 2/3 the bill...
thats all waste all water going out and trash pickup
small 3 bedroom average water bill 375 and up to 450..
and watch what area.. forest park 45240 zipcode have a lot of homes with in ground pipes and no crawlspace so pipes freeze quick and easy.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Originally Posted by djmdesign

water isnt the cost its sewer charges they are 2/3 the bill...
thats all waste all water going out and trash pickup
small 3 bedroom average water bill 375 and up to 450..
and watch what area.. forest park 45240 zipcode have a lot of homes with in ground pipes and no crawlspace so pipes freeze quick and easy.

The OP was obviously talking about houses that are NOT on city water/sewer -- back in MAY 2008.

[GearHeadDave]

Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012

The OP was obviously talking about houses that are NOT on city water/sewer -- back in MAY 2008.

Sure it's an old thread but quite a few people may be interested in this topic.

I know WAY too much about cisterns and I can assure you I would never, ever own another house that relies only on cistern water. Having to have water trucked to your residence when it goes dry, maintaining the cistern, maintaining the filters, maintaining and replacing the water pump, cleaning the vault, leaks in the cistern walls, the story goes on and on. The only advantage is that rain water (when you have it) is very good water. Low mineral content.

In rural areas around Cincinnati, it hasn't changed so much since 2008. Still a lot of houses with cisterns.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Originally Posted by GearHeadDave

Sure it's an old thread but quite a few people may be interested in this topic.

I know WAY too much about cisterns and I can assure you I would never, ever own another house that relies only on cistern water. Having to have water trucked to your residence when it goes dry, maintaining the cistern, maintaining the filters, maintaining and replacing the water pump, cleaning the vault, leaks in the cistern walls, the story goes on and on. The only advantage is that rain water (when you have it) is very good water. Low mineral content.

In rural areas around Cincinnati, it hasn't changed so much since 2008. Still a lot of houses with cisterns.

You are absolutely right that some people might find the original topic of interest -- except that the new poster who chimed in after SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS didn't even WRITE anything about cisterns -- he was moaning about the high cost of city water/sewer. Not even related to the OP.