Winston-Salem, NC Septic Services
When a property is tied to a septic system and not the municipal sewer, the onus is on regular upkeep for sound plumbing. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Triad has the professional service Winston-Salem homeowners need, be it for an inspection or a complete repair.
You will know when a septic system wants some attention. Foul odors, a backup of sewage, drains that are sluggish or ground that is too soft over the drain field are all indicators. We can have these matters in hand before they become a problem for your property.
Pumping and Tank Maintenance
It is in the tank that wastewater is put to work. The liquid makes its way to the drain field for the soil to take care of, and you will find solids settling into sludge at the bottom with any lighter matter on top. Eventually the solids must be taken out. Forsyth County’s recommendation is to have an inspection and pumping done at three to five year intervals, but then again, depending on the size of the household and how much water is used, you can be a bit more flexible with that.
Regular pumping is good preventive maintenance; it prevents the drain field from clogging and failing. It also allows us to check for a leak in the riser or any other component that may need work. The county does not require a permit for a straight pump-out. While we don’t offer pumping services, we partner with several businesses in the area that can help!
Service Calls
Septic problems are not ones that go away on their own. If there is a gurgling in the drain, a toilet backing up or water in the yard, it is time to call. An inspection from one of our men will tell us if we are looking at a full tank, a blockage or another kind of plumbing issue. Forsyth County considers a system in trouble if liquid waste is within three inches of grade or gets into the groundwater, or if you find you have to pump it monthly just to keep it in line.
The Drain Field and Piedmont Soil
With a conventional system, the soil handles the final dispersal. As North Carolina State Extension points out, the clayey, less permeable soil we have here calls for more drain-field area than you would need with sand. Add in rock, very sticky clay or shallow groundwater and it can be complicated. That is why Forsyth County insists on a site and soil evaluation for new builds; Environmental Health will review the topography and space before giving the okay.
Then you have the weather. A hard rain will saturate the soil so it cannot accept any more wastewater. Our advice to homeowners is to keep roof runoff and heavy machinery well clear of the septic area.
Regulations and Repairs in Forsyth County
Do not let a malfunction go unattended. The Environmental Health division is on top of onsite systems and will look into complaints. In the event of a failure, the owner must apply for authorization to do repairs and a specialist will come out to prescribe the right course of action. The county does not perform the work, but any contractor you engage has to be registered with the Department of Public Health.
If you are planning home improvements such as an addition, pool or deck, the county will want a Health Department Release prior to issuing a building permit. Adding bedrooms might warrant another evaluation given the link between capacity and room count.
Commercial and Residential
Our services extend to commercial accounts not covered by the municipality. Take a restaurant, for instance; they have their own requirements such as the need to have grease traps cleaned. In the end, you are better off tending to that sort of maintenance today and saving money, rather than having to deal with a drain-field failure down the road.
Our service area is the Triad, from Greensboro and High Point to Kernersville and Winston-Salem. You will see private septic and municipal side by side in some neighborhoods in this mix of city and rural. There is much to be enjoyed outdoors here, from the patios in our long spring and fall to the history at Old Salem. But on the rainy days that turn the Piedmont green, it is a good opportunity to give your drainage a once-over.
For some dependable assistance with an odor or a tank due for pumping, contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Triad.
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