When fishing on Birch Lake, during the summers before we bought a lot there last December, I occasionally would hear machinery laboring all day as someone cleared land to build a cabin or remodel a house. It annoyed me on two levels: The noise disturbed my peace and quiet, and it told me someone else was pursuing a dream not available to me. On Tuesday, June 1, the noise was coming from my lot on Birch Lake, in Wisconsin’s Northwoods.

I observed (and occasionally played go-fer) as a team of professionals spent much of the day installing a conventional septic system. It was a show of professionalism and teamwork that in a few hours did more for my appreciation of the onsite industry than six-plus years of editing this magazine. Things look very different when all of a sudden you’re the customer and you’re being well served.

In Breaking Ground columns in the July, September and October issues of Onsite Installer, I'll describe the challenge of fitting a conventional septic system on a 100-foot-wide, heavily wooded lot with a steep slope down to the water. The system actually went into the ground last Tuesday, June 1.

The columns don’t bother to explain in detail how the trenches were dug, the chambers laid, the tank set, the piping connected, the excavations backfilled. Readers know how that goes. I do describe what a great experience it was to observe the whole process up close. The idea of putting an entire system in the ground in about six hours may not impress you, but it definitely impressed me, especially given the obstacles these guys had to work around.

I hope you enjoy the stories about my experience. It has certainly raised my level of appreciation and respect for the onsite profession.

Ted Rulseh

Editor, Onsite Installer