Septic system questions, answered straight

It depends on the type of system, the soil and the number of bedrooms. Conventional systems are the least expensive; aerobic spray and drip systems cost more because of the treatment unit, pump and electrical. As a rule of thumb for North Texas, a conventional gravity system runs about $6,300–$10,000 installed, an aerobic spray system $10,000–$15,000, aerobic drip $12,000–$18,000, and a low-pressure dosing system $8,000–$12,000 — soil, bedroom count and lot decide where yours lands. Every job gets a free site visit and a written estimate before anything is dug, and the number on paper is the number.

The soil decides most of it. Sandy loam that drains well can usually take a conventional system with a gravel or chamber drain field. Tight Blackland clay — most of Collin, Dallas, Ellis and east Denton counties — doesn't drain, so those lots need an aerobic treatment unit with spray heads or drip lines. Lot size and bedroom count matter too. A licensed site and soil evaluation tells you which one will pass; ours is free with the estimate.

Yes. Texas requires a permit from the local authorized agent — usually the county's environmental health or development office — for every new or replacement on-site sewage facility, and the system must be designed and installed by licensed people and inspected before it's covered. We hold the installer, site and soil evaluator and state inspector licenses, and we file the permit and schedule the inspection as part of the job.

Once the permit is approved, most new systems are installed in one to three days, and the county inspects before the system is covered. The permit itself can take one to three weeks depending on the county. If you're building, tell us your builder's schedule early and we'll get the permit moving so the system is in before the house needs it.

Systems are sized by bedroom count, not bathroom count, because bedrooms predict how many people live in the house. Adding a bedroom to a house on an existing system usually means the system has to be upgraded and re-permitted — call us before you frame the addition.

Yes. When a drain field has quit or an old tank is done, we design and install a new system that meets today's county rules, usually on the same lot and working around the house you already live in. If a repair will honestly buy you a few more years, we'll say so and let you decide.

An aerobic system uses an air pump to treat wastewater to a much cleaner level, then disperses it through spray heads or drip lines. Texas requires aerobic systems to be maintained — inspected every four months in most counties — and some counties require a maintenance contract. We'll tell you exactly what your county expects before you choose one.

Yes — every system we install carries a 2-year warranty, and we're still here after that. Three generations and fifty-plus years in Wise County; we're not going anywhere.

Slow drains and gurgling in the house, sewage smell in the yard, wet or unusually green spots over the drain field, or water backing up after heavy rain. If you're seeing any of those, call before it becomes an emergency — sometimes it's a pump or a line, sometimes it's the field.

Yes. Roy is a licensed site and soil evaluator, so the evaluation, the design and the install are one crew — no waiting on a third party to come out first.