Septic Tank Pumping & Inspection – Our Complete Process
At All Septic & Sewer, we are passionate about people and problem-solving. We’ve been in the business for 20 years and are grateful for the relationships we have built with customers by providing exceptional service that keeps their septic systems well-maintained and troubleshoots major issues before they happen.
Regular maintenance on your septic system is not the first thing that people are excited to spend money on, but they are just as important to stay on top of as changing the oil on your car. Waiting will only lead to serious issues and expensive repairs.
So, whether you have driven 3,000 to 5,000 miles or it has been 3-5 years since you’ve had your septic system pumped, it is time for a maintenance service. Providing value to our customers is something we thrive on, so we want you to know what to expect when you call All Septic & Sewer.
All Septic & Sewer Starts By Assessing, Listening, And Learning
When you call, the first thing we do is assess the situation by listening and learning. We start by asking a few questions, giving you an initial quote, scheduling a service date and doing our homework.
How long has it been since you had your septic tank pumped?
This helps us assess the sludge levels in your tank. The longer it has been since your tank was pumped, the higher the sludge levels and the longer it will take to pump. Depending on the amount of water used, size of your tank, number of people in your home, or the type of business you operate, your septic tank should be pumped every 3-5 years.
Too often, people think “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, but this can get you into trouble. The problem is once sludge fills your tank it is pushed into the pump chamber, distribution box or drain field slowly causing much larger issues like sewage backups in your home, elevated nitrate levels in well water, and damage to your lawn.
Is your septic system on risers?
Septic systems on risers allow septic tank openings to be accessed without having to dig or locate tank openings and thus reduce time and labor costs.
Quoting a price and scheduling a time to come service your septic tank.
After getting some of the basics, we can estimate the cost of pumping your tank and completing inspections and additional work based on any problems you are experiencing. Our quotes won’t change for the jobs we discuss, but your system may require additional work after we have gotten in and conducted a thorough inspection. If that’s the case, we will discuss the issue with you, give you a quote on the additional work and get your approval before we start doing anything.
Then, we give you our first available appointment and work with your schedule to get on-site as soon as possible. We value your time and communicate with customers to make sure they have as accurate of an estimated arrival time (ETA) for our trucks as possible. We give you a 2-3 hour window when you can expect our pump truck and we will call you on the day of service when we are leaving our last job to give you a specific ETA.
Doing our homework with the health department so you don’t have to.
After we hang up with a customer, we contact the local county health department (King, Pierce, or Thurston County) to retrieve any septic system drawings that are on file and check the Online RME that lists recent and past service on the system. This allows us to trouble possible issues, reduce labor time, and save you money.
Getting To The Bottom Of Your Tank And Septic System Problems
Arriving at your home
We will call you the morning of your scheduled service to confirm your appointment and give you any updates we have on the pump truck’s schedule. The technician will call you again when they are leaving the job site scheduled before your appointment to give you a more specific ETA. We strive to keep our customers informed the best we can.
Once the driver arrives, he will find the most appropriate place to park the pump truck, making sure to keep all wheels on solid roads and never parking on grass or dirt surfaces.
Depending on the day and size of the job, there will be 1-2 technicians to service your system. Our technician will check in with you to discuss the work being done and answer any questions or, if no one is there, the technician will start to locate the property’s septic tank or tanks.
Getting Set Up and Inspecting the Septic Tanks
Once the tanks are located and ready to be opened, hoses are run from the truck to the tank. Our crews are trained to carefully run hoses so no plants, flowers, or other landscaping is damaged.
Next, we open up all of the lids to the septic tank and check liquid levels. This gives us an initial understanding of how your septic system is functioning.
Low Liquid Levels – If liquid levels are low, it could be an indication that the tank is damaged or cracked and wastewater is flowing out of the tank and into the groundwater. This can be caused by a tree root infiltrating the tank, other damage, or long-term wear and tear.
Damage to your tank that is allowing sewage to flow into the neighboring ground is particularly dangerous for properties that rely on wells as it can cause elevated nitrate levels in drinking water.
High Liquid Levels – If liquid levels are high, there may be a blockage in the sewer lines prohibiting wastewater from exiting the tank or a problem with drain field pipes. High levels are especially concerning because they often result in a sewage back up or overflow into nearby groundwater.
If the technician finds abnormal levels in the tank, he will want to discuss further system inspections and repairs with you.
Pumping Your Tank Clean And Inspecting It From Top To Bottom
Next, the technician will start pumping the main compartments so all corners and walls are washed down and sludge is properly cleared from the floor of the tank. It is important to pump from the main compartments and not the small inlet and outlet openings so the sludge removal and cleaning are completed thoroughly.
Once the tank is pumped and cleaned, we inspect every aspect of your system, checking the baffles, clean the filters and look for any cracks, breaks, or other damage to your septic tank.
After your septic system is fully serviced, we:
- Close the lids
- Fill the dirt over the tank (unless the tank is on risers)
- Clear all the hoses using the pump truck to ensure no residuals leak out
- Load the hoses on the truck
- Write up the service paperwork
- Review the work we did with the customer and answer any questions
- Request approval and collect payment
Explaining The Service Visit And Earning The Customer’s Trust
After servicing your septic system, we spend time reviewing the work we did down to explaining how many gallons we pumped out of your tank, any additional maintenance or repairs that were completed (with the prior consent of the customer), and identifying any broken or missing components we found. Our billing is itemized so that we can review every part of the service visit with the customer.
At the end of the day, the technician returns to our office, completes the paperwork on your septic system maintenance, and files a mandatory report with the health department identifying work that was completed and a summary of the results of the inspection. We always discuss repairs that are needed with the customer and do everything we can to earn your satisfaction prior to filing paperwork. with the health department.
We are always happy to answer customers’ questions at any point in the process. We find that customers who are more knowledgeable about their systems tend to take better care of them and in turn, have far fewer issues, and end up spending less on repairs, and gain a much longer life cycle on all its components.
All Septic & Sewer Is An Industry Leader In SEPTIC – Skilled, Efficient, Professional, Thorough, Innovative, & Customer-Focused
All Septic & Sewer are recognized industry leaders in King, Pierce and Thurston Counties. We are licensed and bonded professionals who put our 20 years of experience to work every day to help customers maintain their septic systems and quality of life. We are available for emergency repairs, but remember the need for immediate service can be avoided with regular maintenance every 3-5 years. All Septic & Sewer provides installation, repair, replacement, and decommissioning services for all types of systems.
Contact us today to schedule a septic system inspection, tank pumping, and/or repair service. Follow us on Facebook for special offers and tips on keeping your septic system running efficiently.
