With some problems, it’s obvious who to call for help. With a broken car, you call a mechanic. Broken tooth, you call a dentist. Broken heart, you call Ben and Jerry’s. Sometimes though, it’s not that obvious. When you have a problem with something with your septic tank or pipes, who ya gonna call? A plumber or a septic contractor? It depends on the problem.
If your septic tank is obviously overflowing, you need to call a septic contractor — and stat! However, if the problem is in some of the pipes that lead to the septic tank, then you would need to call a plumber. It may be difficult to know which type of problem you are having. One way to check is to locate and open up your clean out. Your clean out is typically a PVC pipe located in between the house and the septic tank.
When you open the clean out, check to see if there is standing water in the bottom. If there is, you most likely have a problem in the septic tank and should call a septic contractor. However, if there isn’t any standing water, there may be a clog in one of the pipes leading out of the house, in which case you would call a plumber. If you able, you can open your septic tank to see how high the water level is. If it’s normal, there is no need to call our septic contractors, as a plumber will more than likely be able to find and fix the problem.
NOTE: Opening up a septic tank is not easy, so make sure you know what you are doing and follow all safety precautions.
One way to ease your mind about who to call is to find a company that is licensed to work as both a plumber and a septic contractor. At Mathis & Sons Septic, we are able to help with any of the problems you may encounter, with both your pipes and your septic tank. When problems arise, and you’re wondering who to call, consider us at Mathis & Sons Septic.