Pennsylvania’s Frank Parker Concentrates On Point-Of-Sale Septic Inspections

When homeowners in Pennsylvania require a point-of-sale inspection or need to solve a vexing onsite system performance issue, they call Frank Parker

Pennsylvania’s Frank Parker Concentrates On Point-Of-Sale Septic Inspections
During a point-of-sale inspection, Parker pauses to take notes about a concern he found while looking at the plumbing lines in the basement.

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Frank Parker once wore all the hats of a contractor serving the onsite wastewater industry. But when it came time to pursue the part of the business that got him up and excited every morning, Parker honed his focus to one important service: point-of-sale inspections.

He made the decision 14 years ago. “I didn’t really want to focus on installation, didn’t want to focus on pumping, and I was not interested in system maintenance. But what I did like were the Indiana Jones aspects of exploring every site I go to.”

So Parker took many years of experience working all aspects of the onsite industry and in businesses large and small – and decided to work alone. Today his business, Parker Wastewater Consulting Inc., investigates systems for customers in and around Philadelphia. When he’s not on the job with inspections, he’s involved in training installers through the Pennsylvania Septage Management Association, and he’s presented seminars at the Pumper & Cleaner Expo (now the Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show, or WWETT).

GETTING AN ONSITE EDUCATION

In 1981, and with no experience or family background in the wastewater industry, Parker went to work for a family-owned onsite installer business. He performed a wide range of tasks – service work, operating equipment, designing systems, pricing, inspecting, sales and customer service. Doing everything gave him wonderful insights into the business and knowledge that nothing can replicate. Then life changed.

The family-owned company was sold to a large corporation in 1998. Rather than continue with the larger company, he went in the opposite direction. From 1998 to 2000 he was a partner in a small startup with a lifelong friend. The company offered some municipal plant operation, inspections of onsite systems, consulting and onsite system installation. Then in 2000, Parker transitioned into the smallest possible small business: a staff of one, himself, unless you count the dog that keeps him company in the office.

Like the fictional film archaeologist Indiana Jones, Parker sometimes finds himself looking into history. For example there was the Wharton Sinkler estate near Philadelphia. This is the family whose name is attached to the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and when the university decided to sell part of the property, Parker was asked to inspect the wastewater systems in several buildings.

He found a system that used no mechanical pumps. Wastewater from the barn and some apartments was collected in a septic tank and from there flowed by gravity into a siphon chamber. The siphon moved water to a distribution box and 11 clay tile trenches that comprised the drainfield. The trenches varied in length from 50 to 120 feet, and vanes in the distribution box were arranged to direct more water into the longest trenches.

“Here was an engineer who was ahead of his time. That system was installed near the beginning of the last century, but the technologies it used exceed what we have today, and it’s still working,” Parker says.

Even though he has been in the industry for decades, Parker still can find systems like this that show him something new. Add the opportunity to talk to the occasional celebrity and meet people from all over the world, and he has a job that is endlessly interesting.

GOOD LOCATION FOR THIS NICHE

That was part of the motivation and part of the reason for his success. Another part is the area where Parker lives. He is about 30 miles west of Philadelphia in an area that is heavily settled yet has not developed extensive municipal sewers. There are pockets of sewered land, but there are also urbanized areas with homeowners who do not want a municipal service if they have the option of onsite systems. There are environmentally sensitive areas with shallow soils or nearby creeks. There are also a large number of wealthy landowners who raise horses.

“I’ve been in stables that are nicer than my house and have a dedicated septic system that rivals any household system,” he says.

Parker works in Philadelphia several times a month. He will go 30 miles north to Pottstown once a month and south to the Maryland border once or twice a month. If he were pumping or doing installations, his service area would be limited by hauling distances, and he would hope one division of the company could find business for another.

Because his business consists of him and a light truck, driving an hour and a quarter for a job is not a big deal, and his larger territory allows for a larger base of potential clients. If one area is slow, others will compensate. The economic recession of a few years ago illustrates the value of this strategy.

“I would say that it generally slowed things a bit, but for me personally, I kept going reasonably steady,” Parker says. Property sales decreased, but there were foreclosures and real estate transfers to compensate.

HE HAS RESPECT

Another advantage he has is not being involved at all in fixing or replacing wastewater systems. Clients can be emotional about the subject, Parker says. They understand a roof problem or a faulty furnace, but they cannot handle news about a bad septic system. When a real estate agent approaches a seller with a report saying the wastewater system needs replacement or major work, the seller’s initial reaction is that the contractor is trying to generate work for himself, Parker says. Because Parker doesn’t do that work, his reports carry more credibility.

Because of these factors and business practices, Parker does about 350 inspections annually, estimated conservatively. “If you take out this winter’s snow – and I still worked through it, and it was not pleasant – usually I will do between 1.75 and 2.25 inspections per day on most days.” Times can vary greatly. On one job this year he spent 45 minutes just unbolting covers and finding access points on a complex irrigation system.

Some competitors charge a low price and claim they do five or six inspections per day.

“I have to wonder how comprehensive an inspection like that can be. It’s important to know what’s happening in a house, what kinds of fixtures they have, for example whether they have whirlpools or ice machines, and what suspicious things there are. Maybe the water meter is still turning even though no one is using water, which indicates a leak,” Parker says.

CUSTOMER EDUCATION

When you take the time to look thoroughly, and the client sees that you took the time, it gives you more credibility than the guy who walks into a yard, sticks a probe in the ground and leaves. “I try to be somebody they can interact with rather than just some septic guy who just showed up and left,” Parker says.

The best inspections happen when the seller or buyer are present. Parker likes to sit down first and provide basic education on how wastewater systems work and how their lives can be prolonged. Then he does a complete walk-through in the building and outside. When he’s done, it’s easier for the client to understand his findings and recommendations because of the education given at the start of the inspection.

“People ask me about the wisdom of doing inspections everywhere. They understand it’s important to look at a 20-year-old system, but I find just as many issues with newer systems as older systems. They’re just different kinds of issues,” he says. For example, there was the contractor who decided to put in his own drip irrigation system. Afterward he had constant infiltration in his septic tank, more during a rain, but couldn’t figure out the source.

Parker ran a camera inside the wastewater pipe, which came out of the house and passed under the dripfield on its way to the treatment tank. The camera showed that when the contractor put in the dripfield his vibrating chisel plow cut several neat slits in the wastewater pipe.

INSPECTION STEP BY STEP

A good inspection begins before you even go to the property, Parker says. On the phone when a client calls initially, or with forms sent out before the inspection, you gather as much information as possible: how old is the home, how old is the system, has it been repaired, when was it last pumped, how many people live in the home, how many will be living there after the sale, and is there any permit or maintenance information available?

Upon arrival, Parker first takes a walk around the property. As he puts it, he looks at the forest before he becomes lost in the trees. Is the property wet or rocky? Is it well cared for? Are there any hints of settling around manhole covers?

Inside the house, he introduces himself to the owner, explains what he’s doing and looks around. If the owner says the home is occupied, Parker may look in the refrigerator. If he finds just one carton of spoiled milk, the home may not be inhabited. These questions give him an idea of where the wastewater flows originate. In the basement he checks whether there are inappropriate connections to the septic system, for example sump pumps or condensate lines from air conditioners.

He checks plumbing connections and the clothes washing machine. He looks for evidence of wastewater leaking into the basement. Then he heads outside, following the flow of wastewater as it leaves the house. He checks the tank liquid level and whether it maintains a normal level. If a pump doses the drainfield, he checks its operation. He takes thorough notes and uses a checklist to ensure he does not forget a step. This helps him diagram the system and note any problems.

His tools are simple, such as a tank and water meter to test flows, but he also carries a Gator Locator from Radiodetection Inspection Products and a new MyTana inspection camera purchased at the 2014 Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International (now called the Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show, or WWETT). The camera broadcasts a radio signal, and by using a receiver above ground Parker can find exactly where the camera shows a problem. In addition, the camera sends a Wi-Fi signal to his smartphone so he can watch a live image as he pushes the camera through a pipe. And he can upload video to a client from the field via a dedicated YouTube channel and an email link.

A BRIGHT FUTURE

Parker sees evidence that his specialty niche will continue to grow. From what he’s learned at meetings of the National Association of Wastewater Technicians, and from what he’s heard of the Chesapeake Bay watershed plan, the number of regulations will increase, and they will become more uniform among states.

Before he entered the wastewater industry, Parker sold diamonds. He was doing so well that he was in line to have his own store. Then he looked at middle managers, where he would be in a couple of decades. “They were all 40, driving Corvettes and divorced, and I said, ‘This will be my life,’” he recalls. He found he didn’t want to concentrate his career in selling jewels, so instead he found another unlikely career jewel.

A friend from high school suggested he trade his shirt and tie for a pair of jeans and a vacuum truck. The physical work is wearing and you’ll never be rich, but the work isn’t dull, his friend said. Parker made the move, and kept moving, and it’s been a fascinating field of work. By focusing his experience and knowing his market, he fills a niche where competition is low and the future is bright.

MORE INFORMATION

Radiodetection Corporation - 877/247-3797 - www.radiodetection.com

MyTana Mfg. Company, Inc. - 800/328-8170 - www.mytana.com



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