What brings most people to call

Most calls start with one of three things. Here is what each usually means, and what helps to say when you ring.

Two green septic access lids and a white cleanout pipe in a sloped lawn — Access lids and a cleanout in a lawn. The tank sits just below.

Drains are slow or gurgling

When every drain in the house is slow, the tank is often full. One slow sink is usually a plumbing clog, not the septic.

Tell us: which drains, how long, and when the tank was last pumped.

An open trench in pale sandy soil with drain field pipe laid in the bottom — Drain field line going into a trench of sandy soil.

The yard is soggy or smells

A wet patch or extra-green grass over the drain field can mean water is not soaking away. Keep kids, pets and vehicles off it.

Tell us: where the wet spot is, and whether it follows rain or laundry day.

A white wooden farmhouse with a deep front porch under pine trees — The Malcolm Blue farmhouse in Aberdeen, a Sandhills landmark.

You're buying a house on septic

A septic inspection before closing tells you what you are taking on. Many buyers book one alongside the home inspection.

Tell us: the address, the closing date, and who should get the results.

Pumping keeps the drain field alive

Solids settle in the tank. If they build up too far, they wash out into the drain field and clog the soil. Replacing a field costs far more than a pump-out.

Three septic tank risers standing in freshly graded sand and gravel at the edge of woods — Risers bring the tank openings up to the surface, so the lids can be found and opened without digging.

Inside a concrete septic tank, showing the baffle openings and stained walls — Inside a tank: the wall openings let liquid move on while solids stay behind.

Looking down into a round tank opening with an orange outlet fitting — An outlet opening, seen from the lid.

How often

EPA guidance for a typical household is a pump-out every three to five years. A bigger family, a garbage disposal or a small tank shortens that.

If you don't know when it was last done, that is a good reason to call.

A green vacuum tanker truck discharging through a hose at a treatment yard — A vacuum truck emptying its load. Stock photo, not one of our trucks.

Find your lid before we come

Knowing where the lid is saves time on the day. These are the kinds of lids to look for.

A round green plastic septic lid set flush in a lawn — Green plastic riser lid, flush with the grass.

Three round concrete lids in a row in a grassy bank — Concrete lids in a line over a two-part tank.

A single round concrete lid with a steel lifting handle in grass — Concrete lid with a lifting loop.

Two square concrete tank covers at ground level — Square concrete covers, common on older tanks.

Start at the house. Find where the sewer pipe leaves the foundation, then walk straight out. Tanks are often 10 to 25 feet away.

Check the paperwork. The county health department may hold a permit drawing for your system. Closing papers sometimes include one.

Mark it. If you find it, put a flag or a stake by it. Clear pine straw and anything parked on top.

Repairs when something has failed

Lids crack, pipes break and lines get crushed by trucks or tree roots. Call and describe what you see. If it needs digging, we will say so before we start.

A backhoe bucket over a muddy trench beside a building, with exposed pipe — Digging down to a damaged line.

An excavator and dump truck working on a trench in front of a white house — Bigger repairs can mean a machine in the front yard.

Sandhills ground drains fast

Deep sand soaks water up quickly. That helps a drain field, but it also means a failing system can reach groundwater sooner. On rural lots with wells, that matters.