Here is a picture of a house, clean out pipe, and a small garden shed.  This homeowner used our competitor to pump this tank for over 15 years.  It was pumped out 4 times.  He has receipts for it.  Now the homeowner wants to sell the house and needs me to certify the septic system.  The other septic company is not certified to sign off on real-estate purchase septic inspections.

Here’s where things get bad.  The garden shed was installed when the house was brand new.  Homeowner has hired for septic pumpings 4 times since new.  Homeowner states that the septic company was able to “hook up” their hoses to the little black pipe at the house and inspect and pump the tank from there.

Septic tank under shed, competitor claimed to have pumped 4 times from clean out pipe at house

Note: that little black pipe is called a “clean out.”  It is just a sanitary tee and the septic tank is 10 feet directly away from the house.  There is no physical way to pump the septic tank from cleanout.  It cannot be done.  Plus you cannot inspect the septic tank from there.  Physically impossible.

Now that he is trying to sell the home, I have to have him remove the shed.  At this moment he is livid.  He cannot believe he was taken for such a ride like that.  He has tried to go after that company, but they had no bond or insurance.   Nothing at all to go after.  Never take the phonebook’s words.  We, the company, can pay to put anything in there.  Licensed/bonded/insured.  It is unfortunate that the homeowner still has to look up these things.  Try Washington State Department of Licensing to check to see if the company really is.  My Insurance agent is Kathy Landers with State Farm Insurance, and proof of insurance is available upon request from me or her office at 360-892-5363.  You can find our us at the Secretary of State website as well.

Now this homeowner is going to have to remove the shed, and chances are it will need pumped for it hasn’t been pumped for over 15 years.  It will be full.  Guaranteed.  A septic tank is merely a garbage can and will get full.  And hopefully nothing is broken inside.

Now one may ask, why would a company do such a thing?  Why would a company just pump air?  Here’s the reason.  If the septic tank is documented at the county that it is a 1250 gallon septic tank, then charge for 1250 gallons.  It’s all profit.  There is no charge to discharge 1250 gallons of air.  Now 1250 gallons of waste water is going to cost us about $300.00 to discharge.  If we don’t pump anything, than that $300.00 get’s added to all profit.  A very dishonest and crooked way to conduct business.  It will catch up with them.  Trust me.