By John Nelson
Where is my septic tank?
John the Plumber
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If you've lived in your home for an extended period of time, you may not know where your tank is located. Even if you purchased recently and there was an inspection done you might not have been given a map or you've lost it. Many homeowners think that the county has records as to where their tank is located but this is not true. Yes, the tank location is usually noted on the building plans but many times builders will end up putting it in a different location. If you don't know where your tank is, you want to find out now, before an emergency situation arises or before you do any planting or building.
"I would estimate that at least half of all homeowners don't know where their tank is located," John Nelson of John the Plumber tells us. "This can lead to costly issues down the road." Why is it so important to know where the tank is? "The number one reason for wanting to know where your tank is located is so that you don't build or plant something on top of it which obstructs access to the tank," John explains. "On a weekly basis we discover that someone has planted a tree or built a fountain or poured a sidewalk over one or both of the access lids. This causes a huge headache and extra costs for the homeowner."
So what does a homeowner do if they don't know where their tank is located? "They call us!" John laughs. "Seriously though, we have a couple of techniques to locate the tank that does not require destroying the yard. We can use a water probe or a sensor system where we flush or drop a sensor into the clean out. The sensor flows into the tank and emits a signal that we find using a hand held receiver. Once we pick up the signal, we use a probe to determine the edges of the tank. We then take measurements and draw up a map for future reference."
To make future repairs and service easier and less costly for the homeowner, John recommends installing risers and lids over the access holes of the tank. "Septic risers are now required by Kern County on all new construction homes but we can add them on existing properties as well. Cost will depend upon how deep the tank is buried. Once that work is done, you will never have to dig up your yard again for septic pumping, which saves you money. It also has the potential to add resale value to your home."
John is also willing to check records for past maps of your property. "When we purchased Roemer's Septic, we acquired all of their records," he explains. "We have almost a thousand maps in our office. Give us a call at (661) 823-8031 and we'll be happy to look up your address and provide you a map of your system at no charge, if we have it in our files."
To reach John the Plumber call (661) 823-8031. You can also check out their website at http://www.JohnthePlumberCA.com or their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/JohnThePlumber.CalCityPlumbing/.
