Septic tank service and maintenance

Every three to five years for most households, and the Jefferson County Department of Health recommends regular inspection and cleaning on roughly a five year cycle. Household size moves the number more than anything else. After one visit we set your real interval from measured sludge and scum depth, not a sticker on the tank lid.

Solids carry over into the drain field and begin sealing the soil pores. The field fails slowly, then suddenly, and drain field replacement in this area is a five figure job that also requires a new permit and site evaluation through the county health department. Routine service is the cheap end of that equation, permanently.

If your lids are buried, yes. Many older systems in Jefferson and Shelby County were installed with lids a foot or more below grade. Risers bring access to the surface and pay for themselves within a service visit or two by eliminating excavation every time the tank is opened.

Onsite sewage systems in Alabama are permitted through the county health departments under Alabama Department of Public Health rules: Jefferson County at 205-933-9110, Shelby County at 205-685-4178, and St. Clair County at 205-338-3357. Installers are licensed by the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board. We work under those rules on every job and pull the county record for your system when one exists.

Locating and opening the tank, measuring the sludge and scum layers, checking the inlet and outlet baffles and the effluent filter, checking liquid levels for evidence of field backflow, and photographs of what we found. You leave with a written note of the tank's condition and a straight answer on what it needs and when.