Hello there septic system owners. This blog post is about trees and what they do to your septic system. But in this case it’s just the septic tank that stopped working. They can do all sorts of damage. This client has been warned for many years. 10 years ago roots had started infiltrating the seams of the septic tank. At that time the client was told it would be a good idea to cut the trees down by the septic…
Here’s another story for the “I cannot make this stuff up file.” Let’s talk fees for a second. Our “Service Call Fee” is $125.00. That fee get’s our truck on site and starts working for emergencies. But then we go by the hour plus parts until we are done. There are other guys out there that’ll do a $75.00 service call. We lose some work to this problem over the phone. One needs to understand the difference….
This septic emergency was because of lack of maintenance. This client was under the impression that you never need to pump the septic system, unless it’s giving you trouble. He adds septic tank additives every months. It’s never giving him a problem before. Unfortunately, over 8 years, it completely packed with solids. All a septic tank does is separate liquids from solids and allow liquids to enter the drainfield. If the septic tank get’s too full, it will allow solids…
Here is an example of what a video of a septic inspection for a real estate transaction where a video is required. This buyer called us to inspect this system and didn’t know where the components were, and this house was Bank Owned. This inspection cost this buyer $135.00, “Cowlitz County” rate. No additional charges to find the tank, nor dig it out. Although, this lid was super duper heavy, and I required the homeowner’s assistance to get that lid…
This link is the best video, by far, I have seen for homeowner self inspection. Just in case you are one of those that want to share in the joy in septic work. If you have 25 minutes, please watch this video. If you don’t wish to participate in your self inspection, at least you will see what we are looking at when inspecting your system. Now this is filmed for those needing explanations at nearly every step. But this…
This is a super rare photo of me during a septic pumpout. The machine I’m running is called the crust buster and stirs up the tank so we can guarantee we clean the tank well. This picture was taken by my customer. He was a pleasure to work for and it’s rare to see someone want to take a picture and then share it. This picture was taken in the camas, washougal area just outside of vancouver.
Be cautious about plumbers attempting septic repairs. Always check qualifications. Your local health department will have a list of those trained to diagnose and repair septic systems. This plumber in this testimonial was not certified. And wrote up an estimate of nearly $5,000.00 for repairs. Proof of this can be found on my facebook page. www.facebook.com/firstcallseptic The homeowner lives in Colorado, and the distance is daunting to when it comes up to these types of problems. To read the entire…
Dear Ronnie, You were awsome today. Your willingness to respond on a holiday weekend was a life saver. We really appreciate your patience, politeness and understanding. The fact that you took the time to explain in detail to multiple people the workings of septic systems was cool. Your knowledge of not only your job but state and federal regulations shows your dedication to your work. I especially liked how you looked up county records and knew more about this…
Dog rescued from a sinkhole caused by an old septic tank, cesspool, or cistern. Here is just another example of getting these aging systems checked out from time-to-time. And this was done by the weight of a dog. It’s not even worth thinking about if the grandkids came over for a visit. Thank God no one got hurt, Thanks for reading, Ronnie
This homeowner decided that he wanted to install an RV dump. Now you have to be careful with RV wastewater. There are two things wrong with RV wastewater. 1. The septic system was designed to take wastewater at small doses. Not 250 gallons at a time. It really stirs up the tank and causes the sludge layer to become stirred up and carried out to the drainfield. 2. The little packets that you have to put in the toilet to…