Septic Service
Septic is where a lot of plumbers stop. We do not. A septic system is a tank and a drain field, and problems in one usually show up as symptoms of the other.
Sewer and Septic Service
When to call
What usually brings people to this
Cast iron scales from the inside until the opening is half what it was, and roots find the joints. It is the most common thing we cut out of the ground.
These are the symptoms that usually prompt the call. Any one of them is worth a conversation, and most of them get cheaper to deal with the earlier they are looked at.
Slow drains throughout the building at once
Sewage odor in the yard
Standing water or lush green growth over the drain field
Backups when the washing machine or several fixtures run
It has been more than five years since the last pumping
Problems underground stay invisible until they are not, and by then they have usually been going on for a long time.
How we work it
We document what the camera sees so you are not taking our word for the condition of something buried in your yard.
Find out what the system actually is
Tank size, location, age and configuration. A surprising number of owners have never been told.
Inspect the tank and the field
Levels in the tank tell us whether the problem is the tank, the outlet or the field beyond it.
Pump, repair or rebuild
Pumping solves a full tank. It does not solve a failed drain field, and we will not pretend otherwise.
Tell you what it needs going forward
Pumping intervals depend on household size and use, and you should know yours.
Worth knowingWhat septic service actually involves
Pricing a job properly means an actual assessment, not a number given over the phone by someone who has not seen the problem.
A surprising number of property owners on septic have never been told what they have. Tank size, location, age, whether there is a distribution box, where the field runs. That information determines everything about how the system should be used and maintained, and it is usually recoverable from county records or by locating the components directly. If you are on septic and do not know these things, finding out is worth doing before something goes wrong rather than after.
We would rather carry more equipment than we need on a given day than tell a customer we have to come back with the right tool.
We work a wide area because the customers spread out over forty-four years, and people keep calling the number they know. If you are outside the usual radius, call and ask. We cover more ground than most shops our size.
We document what the camera sees so you are not taking our word for the condition of something buried in your yard.
Keeping it from happening again
Problems underground stay invisible until they are not, and by then they have usually been going on for a long time.
Check the pressure at a hose bib occasionally. Above about eighty psi you are shortening the life of every fixture, valve and appliance in the building, and a regulator is a cheap fix.
Wipes should not go down any drain, whether the packet says flushable or not. They do not break down, and they are behind a large share of the main line blockages we clear.
If you have had a line cleared more than once, ask for a camera inspection rather than a third clearing. Repeated blockages nearly always have a physical cause worth finding.
Exercise your shutoff valves once a year. A quarter turn and back keeps them from seizing, and a main shutoff that will not turn during an emergency is a much more expensive problem than one that gets used occasionally.
Who you are calling
Same-day service is normal here rather than a premium add-on, and after-hours calls get answered by someone who can dispatch a truck.
The person who answers the phone here has a stake in how your job goes. That is the practical difference between a family company and a franchise with a call center.
We hold plumbing, sanitation and general engineering contractor licensing, which is what allows one shop to take a job from the fixture in the bathroom all the way out to the leach field.
We quote the work before we start it, in plain language, and nothing begins until you say go.
Big Mike's · Yucaipa, California
Questions we get about septic service
If yours is not here, call and ask. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
How often does a tank need pumping?
Every three to five years for most households, more often for heavier use. Household size and water habits drive it more than tank size does.
What are the signs of a failing drain field?
Standing water or unusually green grass over the field, sewage odor outdoors, and backups that return shortly after the tank is pumped.
Can I use drain chemicals with septic?
Avoid them. They kill the bacteria the tank depends on to work at all, and they will not fix a mechanical problem.
What should never go down a septic system?
Wipes of any kind including the flushable ones, grease, paint, and anything that does not break down. They fill the tank and clog the field.
Does a real person answer when I call?
Yes. The line is answered live around the clock, so you are talking to somebody who can send a truck, not leaving a message for the morning.
Can you look at more than one problem while you are here?
Yes, and it is usually worth doing. A second issue looked at during a visit you are already paying for costs far less than a separate call.
Do you guarantee your work?
We stand behind what we do. If something we repaired is not right, call us and we will come back and deal with it.
Can you handle septic as well as plumbing?
Yes, and it is a big part of what we do. We are licensed for sanitation systems, so tanks, leach lines and the plumbing that feeds them are all one contractor.
How this fits the rest of the system
The tank and the drain field fail differently and need completely different work, but from inside the house they look identical. Both produce slow drains and backups. The distinction matters enormously because pumping a tank is routine maintenance while rebuilding a field is major excavation. Establishing which one you are dealing with is the first real step on any septic call.
Before we come out
Note whether the problem affects one fixture or several. That single fact separates a local repair from a main line issue.
We serve a wide territory deliberately. A plumbing emergency does not care about service-area boundaries, and neither do we when somebody needs help.
Related work and where we do it
Other septic and underground work
- Septic Tank Pumping
Routine pump-outs and full tanks.
- Septic Inspection
Camera and condition inspections of the system.
- Septic Tank Repair
Baffles, lids, risers and cracked tanks.
- Septic Tank Installation
New tanks and full system installs.
- Leach Lines
Failing and saturated drain fields.
- Grease Traps
Commercial kitchen grease interceptors.
Call the shop. A person picks up.
Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you what it takes to fix it. Plain language, no sales pitch, and the number before we start.
Yucaipa, California · Serving San Bernardino, Riverside and eastern Los Angeles counties · Open 24 hours