OUR SERVICE AREA

Our main service area covers:

  • The Fraser Valley - Surrey, Langley, Maple Ridge, Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Agassiz, Hope and the Fraser Canyon
  • Sea-to-Sky Corridor - Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton
Septic expert service area

Archive for the ‘Fraser Valley’ Category

Maintenance of your Septic System

Posted on: July 18th, 2016 by James
With your septic system it’s important to keep a good maintenance schedule. This can prevent your septic system from becoming sluggish and not functioning properly. Remember good maintenance can prevent you from having to deal with large costly repairs down the road.

Here are a couple of maintenance tasks that we perform and why they are important for your system!


  • Visual and odour examination. This is performed on all components of your system, you need to know that everything is working correctly. Not just one area.
  • Removal and cleaning of effluent filter.  There need to be cleaned regularly to prevent backups in your home.
  • Cleaning and replacing of air filters in lift station or compressors. Air compressor filters need to be replaced at least once a year.
  • Test sewage pumps, floats and perform a load test. This helps you to know the expectancy of your pump and allows you to budget for a replacement.
  • Determine whether tanks or other components need pumping. This is where you can save a lot of money as if you leave pumping too late you can risk damage to your drain field. Which can be an extremely expensive mistake.
  • Visual inspection of drain field or pressure bed.
  • Check alarm and panel function, this allows us to see if there has been any trouble since our last week. It is surprising how many alarm controls have been switched to “silent” when we arrive.


All of these maintenance tasks are things we do daily, so get in touch with us and let us help you to keep your system in top shape!

Budgeting for your Septic System

Posted on: June 21st, 2016 by James

Whether you are rebuilding or building from scratch it’s important to keep a budget in mind for your septic field. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that the larger the house and smaller the lot, the higher the cost. The opposite can also be true: the smaller the house and larger the lot, the lower the price. 
 
 
Septic Expert typically has four price ranges. The first being for a simple type one system, these systems do not require a pump of any kind. Even though they are the lowest in price, they tend to be the most difficult to design and can range anywhere from $8,000 to $14,000. After homes reach a certain size there are regulations in place that prevent us from installing them, on a large lot they usually are not an option.




A single pump system is in the second price category and these can range anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000. The need for an effluent pump cause an immediate jump in the price as there will now be a second tank needed. Single pump system are typically more time consuming to install as they require a completely different piping network.


The next price range is for sand mounds. In the Fraser Valley these are the most typical systems as the majority of lots are built without the flood plain or in poor soil. These systems can range from anywhere between $15,000 to $30,000, depending on the size of lot and home.



The last price category is for large homes built on small lots, properties with steep slopes, difficult access, multiple creek or any other tough obstacles. Septic Expert can build systems for almost any kind of property but they can be challenging or expensive, sometimes both! Septic systems in this price category will range typically from anywhere between $20,000 to $35,000. If you would like to read some more information on the types of systems you can find that here.




In cases of emergencies Septic Expert does offer financing to help with the sometimes large costs of fixing your septic field. Financing can range anywhere from $200 to $250 a month, with no penalty or interest. However these figures are only loose estimates and your payments will vary depending on the size and complexity of your system. More information on how financing works can be found here. 


As you can see the price of your septic system will vary greatly depending on a number of different factors. The best thing to do to budget for your septic system is to let us put together a quote for you! This will allow you to understand exactly what the costs will be and will allow us to explain to you exactly what you are paying for. Every septic system is unique, just as every customer is unique and we want to find the best solution for you. 
 
A more detailed post about septic system pricing can also be found here.

Fraser Valley Septic Systems

Posted on: January 15th, 2015 by James

The Fraser Valley of British Columbia has topography that makes it very challenging to design and install a septic system.

One thing many rural properties have in common is a lack of municipal lot line services. You can usually be assured that your new property will be able to tie into the hydro grid, and that a road of some type will be provided to your driveway, but tap water and sewage disposal is often considered to be the responsibility of the individual property owner. This raises some interesting design criteria, as you are being asked to draw your drinking water up from the reserves below your property, while also disposing of your waste in to the same reserves. Clearly great care must be taken to ensure that the waste water draining down does not contaminate the drinking water coming up. 

This is one reason why, when shopping for quotes for a new septic system the prices can vary so widely. It can be simple and cheap to install a septic system that disposes  of the waste water. But a septic system planner or designer must gives equal weight to the treatment of the waste water and thus the protection of groundwater resources.  A contractor’s failure to consider waste water treatment in the interest of landing the job is an ethical breach. If you receive a quote for a new system that seems to be unusually low, it may be a good idea to ask the contractor what the plan was to mitigate contamination concerns. After all, it will be you and your family drinking the well water for years after the septic contractor has been paid and moved on.  Read More