Not because the CITY TELLS YOU TO

(BUT DO IT RIGHT)

You may have noticed the last time you bought a computer, a printer, even a cell phone the one thing they offer you when you are checking out is the extended warrantee.  There is a reason for this, extended warrantees are a multibillion dollar a year business.  In fact often the companies make more money selling the extended warrantee than the sale of the product itself. 

Why?  Because they seldom have to pay out on them.  Why?  Because electronics today are pretty reliable and if they are going to breakdown it will generally happen in the first few months in which case that product is covered under the manufacturers warrantee and will cost that store nothing to fix/replace.  In other words, you paid $100 for something you probably will never use.  In fact some stores have gotten so aggressive at pushing these programs that the attorney generals offices have told them to back off on the hard sell tactics. 

But that doesn’t mean these programs are not worth it.  With certain products they can be worth every penny; like with a laptop computer.  Laptops are subject to a lot of abuse.  They get knocked around, dropped and beat up so breakdowns are not uncommon and the repairs can get very expensive.  For this reason the extended warrantee can be a wise investment. 

But another high abuse item that could benefit from an “insurance program” would be a septic system.  Technically it would not be a warrantee (only a fool would warrantee a septic system because as a contractor you have no control over how the homeowners are going to use/abuse that system).  Rather it would be maintenance/inspection program that would identify problems before they became a failure.  Not only would it save money in the long run it would also be easier on the environment. 

Today many states/counties are starting to require mandatory pumping every 2 or 3 years.  The reason is most homeowners do not do this on their own (usually because no one tells them they should).  Subsequently the system fails and becomes a pollution issue and a health risk.  The fact is, not all tanks need to be pumped every 2 or 3 years, however they should inspected, but to pump them without cause is a huge waste of resources. 

Solids do breakdown in a tank on their own but the home introduces solids at higher rate than they can breakdown.  When those solids build up to the point where they interfere with the settling process is when the tank needs to be pumped.  But the rate at which solids build/breakdown will vary greatly from household to household.  The number of people in the house is the obvious factor, but there are other dynamics that come into play as well. 

Highly processed foods will not breakdown as readily as unrefined foods.  In a household where this is the primary diet solids will build in the tank faster.  Cleaning supplies will also affect the tank.  Homes that use stronger cleaning solutions will have a faster build rate opposed to a home that uses the more environmentally friendly cleaning products.  Water softeners that empty their recharge solution into the septic tank will also have a slower breakdown rate. 

THE DRAWBACKS TO PUMPING A TANK WHEN IT IS NOT NECESSARY

When your pumper pulls 1,000 gallons of effluent out of your tank they have to put it somewhere.  In some areas they can treat (disinfect) the load and do a field application.  This is where they own or lease some property and spray it out on a field where the sunlight makes short order of the contaminates.

However this is not a perfect process and there is the potential for disease transmission and pollution.  Also that field will eventually reach the point where they can no long apply effluent.  This means they will have to buy or lease more land and that means money…money that they will have to recoup by raising their rates.    

If they are unable to do this (legally or because they don’t have access to property) they will have to discharge into a local sewage treatment facility.  But even the treatment plants reach a limit.  In some cases pumpers have been stopped at the gate because the plant has reached its’ daily limit.  Then they either have to wait until the next day or find another plant willing to take the load.  This will also increase the costs of pumping tanks. 

And then you have another problem; People are under the impression that sewage treatment facilities are perfect.  Wrong.  Treatment facilities reduce, they do not eliminate pollution…and when they breakdown down (as they often do) the potential for wide-spread pollution is staggering. 

If you are pumping those tanks because they actually need to be emptied, then fine.  But if 90% of those tanks don’t need to be emptied then it is a waste of resources/money and counter productive.  This is why an inspection program can be much more beneficial for the entire process. 

An inspection program is about the same thing as your annual physical, like the doctor examining you for health problems, the contractor will be assessing the overall condition of the system, look for potential problems and suggest solutions before they turn into catastrophic event. 

·        The first step is a visual inspection of the tank and drainfield area to look for signs of heavy vehicle traffic.

·        They will then open the manhole cover and look at the contents of the tank. They will be looking for bad items like cigarette butts, kotex, tampex, wet-wipes, condoms, etc that will not breakdown in the system.

·        They will also look for low bacterial activity indicating an over-use of chemicals.  

·        They will then check to make sure there are no obvious problems such cracks in the tank, concrete getting weak and baffles are intact.

·        They will then use a tool called a sludge judge to measure the level of solids in the tank.

At this point they will have enough information to write a report and if your are home discuss it with you.  If you are not these they can fill it out, mail it to you and call to go over any problems they found. 

This report could go as follows:

“We found a few cigarette butts in the tank.”

“Cigarette butts? Neither of us smoke.  Hummm, maybe little Timmy has taken up a new habit.  We will talk to him about this.”

“We also found a few condoms.”

“I guess smoking isn’t the only sport Timmy has taken up.” 

“We also found the bacterial activity is a little on the slow side.  What kind of cleaning supplies are you using?”

“Well we started using those automatic toilet bowl cleaners.  Could that be it?”

“Definitely.  You will need to stop using those.  The once or twice a week cleansers are fine but not the ones that operate with every flush.” 

“Other than those few things the system looks fine.  The solids level is fairly low so it does not need to be pumped.  We will see you next year.”  

Now the contractor gives you a copy for your records and keeps one for his files.  The reason he needs a copy is for his own protection.  Let’s say every year he keeps warning you about these negative things but you don’t correct them and the system fails.  Now you go after him saying he didn’t do his job.  However he produces your reports and points out that you have been warned several times to make changes but you have not listened.  They now have proof that the failure is your fault, not theirs.

The big advantages to this type of program are:

·        It is cheaper for you.  If you do not need your tank pumped you don’t have to pay to pump it. 

·        It is cheaper for the contractor as well.  Inspections can be done from a pick-up truck, not their pump truck (these large rigs burn a lot of fuel and require a lot of expensive maintenance.  Nor is it fun pushing 50,000 pounds of Detroit steel down narrow neighborhood streets).   

·        They are quick.  In the service industry time is money.  If they have set the system up properly they can do these inspections in 10 to 15 minutes and move on to the next inspection.

·        It saves the environment because they are not dumping thousands of gallons of sewage needlessly. 

·        But the big thing is, you are proactively protecting your system by catching problems before they become a failure.  It’s far cheaper to prevent a system from failing than it is to fix/replace one.  Like grandma used to say, an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.      

Of course there are a few requirements.  First the system needs to be code compliant.  There is no sense trying to maintain a system that is essentially illegal.  The contractor also needs easy access and that means a secured riser/manhole cover.  One of the reasons the contractor is willing to do this at a reduced cost is because he can do them fast.  If he has to spend 30 minutes digging up the access cover it no longer is cost effective for him.  And to avoid that unsightly tank cover there are decorative rocks that can be placed over the access points. 

The tank will also need an effluent filter installed.  These are course-screen filters that take the place of the exit baffle and keep the larger solids in the tank for them to spot and warn you about.  Without it the cigarette butts, kotex, tampex, etc. can get flushed out of the tank to the drainfield (where it will cause a failure) and he won’t know to warn you about these things. 

They should also require a washing machine filter in the house.  Washing machines discharge a tremendous amount of tiny material fibers that will pass right through an effluent filter and plug the drainfield.  This type of damage will not be seen by the contractor until the system starts to fail.  And when a system fails on his watch the homeowner is going to look for someone to blame, namely him.  Were I the contractor offering the maintenance program I would not accept anyone that refused to use one.

The cost of this program is going to vary depending on the local labor and pumping rates, but it should be 25% to 50% of the cost to pump the tank.  Even if it were $200 a year it would be well worth it because if you weigh that against the cost of a new system (and the cost of what you would be paying a year for city sewer) it gets really cheap. 

The hard part is going to be finding a contractor willing to do this.  Not that they wouldn’t want to, it is just a new concept for them.  I speak at certification classes and trade shows around the country and have been suggesting this program for a few years now.  But if they haven’t heard about it this yet it would be well worth your time to suggest it to them.

Note-Some utility companies are starting to offer this service but there is a downside to signing on with them…when enough people sign on with them they put the independents out of business (as has already happened in some parts of the country).  When that happens there is no more competition and competition is what keeps pricing fair and service high…so think about it if your garbage, electric or gas company makes you the offer.

Click your back button to return to the previous page

Click your back button to return to the previous page