Service Southern Maine
Septic Systems
New systems and replacements, from soil test through to final inspection — including the paperwork, which is most of the reason this feels complicated.
Septic is the job people call about in a state of mild dread, usually because a system has failed, a sale is pending, or a lot will not pass without one. It is a process with a defined sequence, and once you can see the sequence it stops being frightening.
How a septic job runs
- Soil test and site evaluation. A licensed site evaluator digs test pits, reads the soil profile, and determines what the ground will accept and where. This decides the system type and, to a large extent, the cost.
- Design. The evaluator produces the system design and the application the town requires.
- Town approval. The local Code Enforcement Officer reviews the application and issues the permit.
- Installation. Tank, distribution, and leach field, built to the approved design.
- Inspection. The system is inspected before it is covered, not after.
What drives the price
Soil is the whole story. Ground that percolates well takes a conventional system. Ground that does not, or a high water table, or ledge too close to the surface, pushes you toward a raised or engineered system that costs considerably more. Nobody can tell you which you have until the test pits are open.
If you are buying a property and the septic is an unknown, get the test done before you close, not after.