Septic System Repairs Phoenix
Septic backups can be the first sign that there is an issue within the septic system that needs to be repaired. Other times, you may not know you even have an issue until you have an ADEQ Septic Inspection or regular maintenance pumping and a licensed inspector discovers missing baffles, roots, or broken lids and risers.
We offer on-site estimates for the jobs that need our eyes on the ground and can give pretty awesome advice over the phone if you are looking for a second opinion or have questions about a recent service or discovery.
Whatever the septic issue, Priority Pumping has you covered!
Need a second opinion? Call Priority Pumping
We can help with those tilted or broken inlet baffles and outlet baffles; cracked or broken effluent filters and replacement of orangeburg, cast iron and root-filled sewer lines running to your septic tank or septic disposal field. Root invasion at the baffles, penetration through the tank seal or from the tops of the septic lids is also very common here in the desert.
Priority Pumping can remove those roots and reseal your septic tank to make it water-tight again without having to install an entirely new septic tank. There are also issues that present themselves on the backside of the septic tank including broken or crushed sewer lines, broken distribution or junction boxes and other septic disposal field issues with leach lines or seepage pits.
Septic System Repair Services
Septic Tank Risers
Septic tank risers are attached on new septic tank installations; however, many older style septic tanks do not have them. Septic tank risers bring the access of the septic tank to ground level or just below grade. This alleviates the need to pay for labor costs every time the septic tank needs to have its regular maintenance pumping. It is also a great idea to install septic tank risers prior to doing any extensive landscaping so that when the tank needs to be pumped, we will just have to take off a couple lids versus disrupting your grass, rocks or removal of stone pavers.
When original concrete lids are cracked or broken and need to be replaced many times the only fix is to install risers since many concrete lids are no longer being manufactured. Same situation for the concrete “plugs” over the inspection openings of the septic tank.
Septic Tank Baffles
Baffles are an integral part of the septic tank. The septic baffles help protect the sewer lines coming in to the septic tank and exiting the septic tank to the disposal field by keeping the solid waste out of the sewer lines. One compartment septic tanks will have two baffles – an inlet baffle on the end of the inlet sewer line and outlet baffle on the outlet sewer line to the disposal field. Two compartment septic tanks will also have an interior baffle wall separating the two compartments inside the septic tank.
Older septic tanks came with pre-cast concrete baffles that were attached to the septic tank walls. Over time, they will erode away. These concrete septic tank baffles can be replaced with new plastic baffles. Newer septic tanks can also lose the baffles due to poor installation or improper drain cleaning. Septic technicians providing a maintenance septic tank pumping or ADEQ septic inspection service may find the baffle in the bottom of the septic tank. Septic tank baffles must be attached and in good-working condition for the septic tank to be considered functional.
Septic Tank Effluent Filters
Effluent filters are the filter assemblies that are integrated with the outlet baffle and dramatically help to protect solids from spilling into your disposal field. Most new style tanks come with these filters at installation. Older style tanks can have them installed as an extra step to protecting your disposal field.
Filters can also be a cause of septic tank backups. Although the filters do help protect the disposal field, which is great, they can also be a place for solid wastes to get hung-up and prevent the effluent from leaching to the disposal field. If you find your septic tank backing up and you have an effluent filter in your septic tank, we recommend that you pull it out, spray it off and see if that will correct your leaching issues.
If your septic tank has an effluent filter, we HIGHLY recommend installing risers for access. The cleaning recommendation for your effluent filter is at least annually and many times is the fix for a system that is backing up
Root Removal from Tank and Sewer Lines
Roots in the desert are an amazing thing to see. Since water is so scarce here, roots of trees and bushes will seek out and take up residency any where they can find water and nutrients. What better fertilizer than to root up inside of a septic tank or a septic disposal field! We have seen root travel great lengths to penetrate a septic system. They can break through the seams of older concrete septic tanks, creep in through unsealed baffles and even lift concrete lids to get inside to the water. Roots will infiltrate seepage pits and leach lines and cause so much damage, many times they have to be replaced.
It is very important if your home or business is on a septic system in the Phoenix area, that you know where your tank is and keep all trees and bushes far away from the tank and the field. It’s not a matter of if they will wreck your system, it’s a matter of when!
Roots are one of the septic issues that may be undetectable while living in your home and is only discovered during a maintenance pumping service or during an ADEQ Septic Inspection. Roots must be dealt with at the first sign as they can quickly multiply and cause issues. If roots are present in an inspection service, the tank will be considered not functional, even if you think it is, because the presence of roots tells us that the tank is no longer watertight and the source of the roots will need to be located, removed and resealed.
Do you have roots inside of your septic tank or leach field? Priority Pumping can help. We have trained technicians that can actually enter the septic tank and remove all those pesky roots, reseal the area and prevent future roots from entering the tank.
Broken Septic Tank Lids
It’s unfortunate, but it does happen. The concrete septic tank lids can crack and break and will need to be replaced. Many ask, “why can’t we just bury them back up?” Well, because we love and care about you as our customer and these little suckers pose a HUGE SAFETY RISK!
Concrete septic tank lids and “plugs” as they are often referred to, are the original lids that are put into the septic tank upon manufacturing. These lids have handles on them and are cone shaped to snuggle right into the septic tank. This allows the tank to be properly sealed off, yet still provide access for pumping and maintenance. When septic tanks are not pumped on a proper maintenance schedule, the lids are not opened up and can start to deteriorate from the gases trapped inside. This can make lids fragile and can break easily when we pull them out. The same situation holds true for coffin lid septic tanks. These are the tanks where the actual lid opening is the front quarter panel of the septic tank top. These lids are extremely prone to breakage when they have not been removed or the tank has not been serviced properly. Sometimes there are tanks that were poured in place with no access point! We can cut into those tanks and add a septic tank riser so that you can properly service your septic tank.
When concrete lids break, we cannot replace with another concrete lid. They are no longer manufactured. We will have to replace the lid with a septic tank riser and poly lid. If this should happen with your service you will be alerted right away as we will NEVER cover up a broken lid. There have been several reported incidences where pets, children and even grown adults have fallen into septic tank due to faulty lids, many of those stories ended tragically with a death. This is something that must be taken seriously and all lids should be inspected during each service or on an annual basis if risers are already present.
Distribution and Junction Box Repair
First of all… what is a distribution (d-box) or sometimes referred to as a junction box? A distribution box is a concrete or plastic box used to receive septic effluent water from the septic tank where it is then distributed to the network of chambers, leach lines or seepage pits which form your disposal or leach field.
The d-box is connected to the septic tank via a crossover sewer. See the diagram in the photos below to better understand how this system fits together. Think of it this way: The house has a main sewer line that connects all branch lines and takes all waste into the septic tank via the inlet sewer line. The septic tank has an operating level. Once that level of water is achieved the tank appears to be full. That is the way it should be. Once the tank is filled with water, whenever a flush from the toilet comes into the tank, the same amount of water will exit the septic tank via the outlet baffle and into the crossover line to the distribution box. The box receives the water and evenly distributes it to the disposal field. Although at first sight, the tank looks to be full and in need of a pump but that is exactly how it is designed to
The d-box is an integral part of the septic system as it is the hub that connects the septic tank to the disposal field. If you have one seepage pit or one leach line, you will not have a d-box. They are only used to connect a series of lines, chambers or pits. The boxes evenly distribute the effluent so that the disposal field receives equal amounts of effluent to prolong the life of the disposal field.
Older septic systems or septic systems in high-traffic areas can have some d-box issues. Roots may also infiltrate the d-box and prevent the effluent from escaping to the disposal field. Good new though! Distribution boxes are easy to fix most of the time and may be the reason your system is not leaching properly. If your system is failing to leach, the distribution box should always be checked before identifying complete field failure.
Hot tip – just in case you’re wondering… What the heck is effluent? Effluent is the water that leaves the back of the septic tank to the disposal field. Effluent is the semi-treated water that exits the tank.
Sewer Line Repairs and Replacement
Sewer lines can present all kinds of different issues. Common causes of sewer line failure include crushed or broken pipes, weak connections at joints, root infiltration, collapsed or deteriorated orangeburg pipe or badly corroded cast iron. All of these sewer lines issues can contribute to sewer back up issues inside of your home. Continue on to our Sewer Line Repair and Replacement page for a full overview on the cause and remediation for each of these serious sewer issues.
