PROMPT SEPTIC TANK REPAIR
FOR LILLINGTON, CLAYTON, SANFORD, BENSON, NC & BEYOND

Gurgling drains, slow drains, bubbling toilets, and plumbing backups are common early signs. Rotten egg odors, standing water over the tank or drain lines, and a septic alarm that keeps going off are also red flags. Unusually green grass above one or more of the drain field lines usually accompanies other symptoms or malfunctions, but does not necessarily indicate an issue. If the drain field appears greener than it typically does, or you notice wastewater in the drain field area, a complete evaluation of your septic system is the next step.

Several different problems can cause the same symptoms, so the source has to be identified before anything is replaced. If wastewater is backing up or surfacing, limit water use and keep people and pets away from the area until the system is evaluated.

Drain fields malfunction when the soil can no longer absorb wastewater. Common causes include excessive solids flowing out of the septic tank from lack of pumping or a damaged outlet tee, too much storm water entering the system, exceeding the amount of water usage for the system design, tree roots, and heavy vehicles driving over the lines. Wastewater surfacing in the drain field area can be harmful to the environment, public health, and public safety.

Not every malfunctioning drain field needs a full replacement. Some repairs are considered general maintenance, such as jetting drain field lines, replacing a distribution box, attempting to remove roots from an impacted drain field line, or repairing or replacing damaged sections of a drain field line.

Sometimes general maintenance is not enough to address a malfunctioning drain field. Depending on the soil and the lot, the fix can range from replacing or relocating drain lines to enlarging the field. These repairs require a county permit. Anytime the system design is changing, a permit is required.

A septic alarm signals a high wastewater level in the pump tank. It usually means the pump has stopped working, the control floats have malfunctioned, or the control panel itself has stopped working. Until it is fixed, reduce water use so that wastewater does not back up into your home or surface in your yard.

The typical minimum emergency storage capacity is 24 hours. This minimum capacity can vary depending on facility type, classifications of bodies of surface waters that may be impacted, and the availability of a manual or automatic back-up power source.

When your alarm sounds, silence the audible horn. The beacon on top of the panel will still be on even after the horn is silenced. The beacon indicates that the effluent level inside the pump tank is still in High-Level without having to hear the alarm constantly. Silencing the alarm does not fix the problem, so the system should be serviced right away.

Pump, control panel, and alarm float replacements fall into the maintenance category, so they do not require a permit for repair or replacement, and you do not have to wait for any final approval from the county or authorized agent.

Concrete distribution boxes and outlet tees corrode over time from hydrogen sulfide gas reacting with the water to form sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid corrodes the concrete components of your septic system, above the operating effluent levels. A corroded outlet tee can allow solids to reach the drain field, which damages your drain field lines. A corroded distribution box causes unequal distribution of effluent, thus overloading portions of your drain field. Identifying these forms of deterioration early helps protect the drain field and improve the life span of your septic system.

The only way to know the condition of these components is to dig them up during an inspection. Concrete septic tanks are also exposed to hydrogen sulfide gases and are not immune to corrosion. Septic tank lids are often buried, so in order to inspect a septic tank, the lids have to be excavated as well.

If each side of the septic tank has an access riser, then no excavation is needed to inspect the condition of the septic tank. Septic tank risers bring access to the surface of the ground or above the surface of the ground. Risers may be square concrete, round concrete, or round and made of plastic. To perform a complete inspection of a septic tank, it must be pumped out with a vacuum truck first.

The inspection report will identify what components are malfunctioning as well as their general physical condition. Repairs to pumps, floats, control panels, distribution boxes, and risers are considered general maintenance and do not require a permit prior to completion of the repair. Tank replacements, drain line replacement, and drain field expansion or relocation do require a permit to perform the work, and the applicant for the permit must be the homeowner, not the contractor.

Stephen Holland holds the highest level installer certification in NC, is a NC licensed Septic Inspector, and is also a NC licensed Private Compliance Inspector. Any malfunctions found during a septic inspection can be repaired by Holland Septic Services.