Not maintaining a system is a leading cause of premature failure
Tank Pump-Outs and Maintenance in Sooke
Sooke Septic pumps septic tanks and services effluent filters in Sooke, East Sooke, Otter Point and Metchosin. A single-family pump-out runs $400 to $750, and we clean or replace the filter while we are in there. If your lids are buried, we find them first.
A single-family tank pump-out runs $400 to $750. Cleaning or replacing the effluent filter runs $150 to $300, and a scheduled maintenance visit runs $200 to $450. Fitting a tank lid or a riser runs $350 to $800, and locating and uncovering a buried tank runs $150 to $400.
What does a pump-out visit cover?
We pump the tank out, clean or replace the effluent filter, and check the lids and the risers. Where a lid is buried we locate and uncover the tank first, and we can fit a riser so the next visit is easier.
How often do solids need pumping?
The Capital Regional District says solids usually need pumping every 3-5 years. We work to the maintenance plan the Authorized Person wrote for your system, and to what we find in the tank when we open it.
What is your maintenance plan?
A system built under the Sewerage System Regulation comes with a maintenance plan prepared by the Authorized Person who designed it. If your system is older and has no plan, you can hire an authorized maintenance provider to write one.
Do septic tank additives help?
Septic tank additives are not recommended as there have been no proven benefits to their use. In some cases septic tank additives can actually harm your sewerage system. Your maintenance plan and a pump-out on schedule are what keep the system working.
What can go over the system?
Grass, kept clear of larger roots. Keep vegetables and food crops off the system. Keep underground lawn sprinkler lines off the distribution field too: water lines must be kept at least three meters from the sewage distribution field.
How a pump-out visit goes
- 1
You send the form or call us — tell us the address and roughly when the tank was last pumped.
- 2
We find the lids — if a lid is buried we locate and uncover it before anything else.
- 3
We pump the tank — and we clean or replace the effluent filter while the lid is off.
- 4
We tell you what we saw — the condition of the tank, the filter and the lids, and anything worth watching.
What is different about your area?
Outside the District of Sooke's Sewer Specified Area you are on septic, and the sewer itself reaches the town centre and the neighbourhoods around it. Everything past that boundary has a tank in the ground. We bring the truck to Sooke, East Sooke, Otter Point and Metchosin.
What does a typical job look like?
- The problem
- You have just bought a place in Metchosin and nobody can tell you when the tank was last pumped.
- What makes it harder
- The lids are under sod and no maintenance plan came with the paperwork.
- What we do
- We locate and uncover the lids, pump the tank, clean the effluent filter, and tell you what condition the tank is in.
People also ask
What does a pump-out cost?
$400 to $750 for a single-family tank, and $150 to $300 to clean or replace the effluent filter.
Can you find a buried tank?
Yes. Finding one and digging the lid out is $150 to $400, and we do it before we pump.
Do additives cut down on pumping?
No. Additives have no proven benefit, and in some cases they can actually harm your sewerage system.
Can I park on the drain field?
No. The District of Sooke asks owners to protect the drainfield — no parking, compacting, or heavy planting.
Related: septic repairsseptic inspectionsseptic price rangesMetchosinSooke
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