Videos Profile

The nearly 40-year-old onsite system is one of the largest in the area and sees heavy seasonal use

James Butler, a licensed septic inspector and installer with WNC Independent Labs in Weaverville, North Carolina, posted an example of a homeowner who hadn’t had their septic tank pumped in over 25 years.The sludge in the tank was so thick, additional water was added to help get it liquefied enough to be able to pump into the company truck’s tank. A hose ran city water to the tank, and an additional 2,000 gallons of water were added by WNC trucks over three trips and six hours. To help draw the sludge out of the system, two air compressors were used to inject air into the line, adding additional force to the truck’s own pump, which usually pumps at 250 gallons per minute. The video goes on to explain that the homeowner had been told his septic system didn’t need any maintenance, which, as this video shows, was a very expensive lesson to learn.

Marut and Sons Excavating gives a behind the scenes look at a large septic installation at an elementary school

SCS Systems fills a unique niche in the Michigan onsite market. The company, owned by Mike Stephens and his father Larry Stephens, deals primarily with the maintenance of single-family and community wastewater systems. In the video, Mike and his team are doing routine annual inspections of a 29-lot community system, one of 31 SCS Systems operates and maintains. They also check over the AdvanTex control panels by Orenco, connecting to a tablet with Bluetooth to ensure everything is working as it should. Check out a full profile on SCS Systems here.

When a company installs 100 systems a year and has plans to grow and add services, you know the owner’s workdays are busy. In this video, Rick Maguire, owner of Maguire Backhoe in Virden, Illinois, takes us along on three projects his employees are tackling on a typical day.Check out a full profile on Maguire Backhoe here.

Nick Herrara, owner of NH Construction in Paradise, California, tried to break into the restaurant business and leave septic work behind him. It just didn’t take, however, and he sold off his restaurant to refocus on wastewater systems.Herrara discusses a big project installing an Orenco AdvanTex AX-Max modular, fully plumbed treatment plant to serve a 58-house subdivision in Chico, California. Chico is located in a high-nitrate area and needs to treat effluent in order to achieve much lower levels before discharging.Hear more about that job, along with his favorite equipment and other work Herrara does in Paradise, probably the largest community to be wholly served by septic systems, not a sewer system.Check out a full profile on NH Construction.Learn more about the Orenco AdvanTex AX-Max.

Janette & Sons Excavating has experience installing a wide variety of systems, from conventional to raised mounds systems. In this video, owner Dave Janette talks about a recent residential install that got a little bit complicated due to space constraints. The previous system had been in place since the 1960s and had failed. Janette & Sons couldn’t get large concrete tanks into the small backyard, but needed to replace most of the system to get it into compliance with current health codes. Listen in as Janette discusses the project and more about his business.Check out a full profile on Janette & Sons Excavating & Septic Service.

In the Arizona desert, Hornick Contracting has made a name and a niche by focusing on a substance more valuable than the gold still hunted by prospectors: water. Now moving into control of a new generation, Hornick’s has survived and thrived through hard work and adapting to fit changing times and customer needs. Nor will that adaptation stop if company manager Tim Bottorff has his way.Much of the company’s business is driven by Arizona’s geology. When housing was booming, most of Hornick Contracting’s installs were traditional septic systems. Now ATUs dominate because many building sites are located high on hills or mountains where good soil is nonexistent.Read the full profile

Tune in as Joe Garner of English Sewage Disposal discusses two of the company’s recent septic system replacements. After failed real estate inspections, the company took on the task of completely replacing the systems.For the first job, English Sewage removed the old system and replaced it with an ATU. This allowed for a smaller drainfield. The crew had to work from the house outward to find the proper elevation for the drainfield in the front yard.Garner also talks about a second job, replacing a chamber system that was failing due to a biomat formation that left the system unable to drain properly. The crew prepared the site with a John Deere excavator, then removed close to 6,000 gallons of standing water in the chambers and tank with a vacuum truck. The old chambers were removed, and a soil test would determine whether the system needed to be reconstructed from the bottom up.Check out a full profile on English Sewage Disposal.

Watch as Brendan Cory shows the latest installation he and Kevin Wilkie have collaborated to complete. Both sole proprietors, they often send each other work and are able to focus on their individual strengths. The job featured in the video is at a horse farm in Rhode Island, where there is a near-surface seasonal high water table and bottomless sand filters are required.Read more about Cory's company in the November 2014 issue of Onsite Installer.

Watch this septic detective investigate a vacant home for a new homebuyer, and check for a possible crushed pipe under the driveway.“My goal is to protect my clients,” says Frank Parker, owner of Pennsylvania’s Parker Consulting.“The job’s not really glamorous, but I can’t say it’s boring.”Parker trusts his inspection camera and other equipment to check the condition of drainfield lines and the physical components of the septic system during point-of-sale inspections.Want to learn more? Check out a full story on Parker Consulting here.

See how a can-do attitude and maintaining flexibility to provide value-added customer service have sustained Ward Brothers LLC, through many economic ups and downs. Family company owners Nick and Nathan Ward oversee an experienced, cross-trained crew that has installed septic systems around Greensboro, N.C., for 40 years.For the most part, Ward Brothers installs traditional septic systems … but don’t make the mistake of thinking they ignore advanced technology. Quite the contrary; the old-line contractor is always willing to try new things. If it’s in the ground they’ll maintain it, and that includes systems that use drip irrigation and LPP. They also do commercial systems.North Carolina is blessed with good soil structure, which means customers can often rely on the tried and true. That makes for predictably well-functioning septic systems in most cases.“We see a few engineered systems. In our area of North Carolina we have a lot of good soils,” Nick Ward says. “We have so much good soil that unless people have a lake lot, which is harder to find and obviously environmentally sensitive, it’s easier and cheaper for buyers to find a piece of property that can accept a conventional septic system.”Read the full story.