Septic Service in Chapel Hill, NC
Chapel Hill homes outside the OWASA sewer area sit on shallow soil and rock. We pump, repair and install on lots like that.
Celebrating 30 Years of Service; Est. 1996
Chapel Hill homes outside the sewer
Most of Chapel Hill is on OWASA sewer. The homes that are not sit outside the OWASA service area, mostly on wooded lots in the county around town. They run on septic, and the ground does not make it easy. We are based next door in Durham, and Bobby Davis Jr. has been in the trade for 50 years.
This is the Carolina Slate Belt. The soil is shallow and rock sits close to the surface, so a drainfield has little ground to work with. Trees add their own trouble. Roots find the joints in older pipes and the distribution box, and a field under big oaks or sweetgums takes years of that.
Septic service in Chapel Hill, NC: pumping on a wooded lot
For septic tank pumping in Chapel Hill we find the lid, dig it out if there is no riser, pump every compartment and clean the effluent filter if the tank has one. On a wooded lot we look for roots at the outlet and in the lines while the tank is empty.
Orange County Environmental Health handles permits here, and a drainfield or tank repair needs one from them. The county’s permit record for your address shows what is already on the lot.
On a wooded lot, the digging it takes to reach the lid moves the price as much as tank size does, and so does the time since the last pump-out.
When to call for drain field repair in Chapel Hill, NC
Shallow lots show trouble early. Call if you see any of these.
- Slow drains, with gurgling when another fixture runs
- Soft ground or a sewage smell over the field
- Repeat clogs on a lot with big trees
- Sewage backing up into the house
- Water that stands over the field for days after rain
Sewage backing up is an emergency. Dial (919) 481-6929, day or night, and ask for emergency septic service, available 24/7. Senior, veteran, multi-tank and neighborhood discounts are all available here. We also do septic service in Durham and septic repair in Apex, and we work across Orange County and Chatham County.
Septic installation in Chapel Hill, NC
Shallow soil, rock, roots and little room make drainfield repair and installation hard here. We are an NC Level IV installer, the highest grade.
A new system here starts with Orange County Environmental Health: a site and soil evaluation, then an improvement permit and construction authorization that set what kind of system the lot can take and where it goes. On shallow slate soil with rock close to the surface, that can mean a design other than a standard trench, and the county decides it. We install what the permit calls for. Give us the address and we pull the permit record first.
Septic on a Chapel Hill lot: common questions
What Chapel Hill homeowners ask us.
Is my Chapel Hill house on septic or OWASA sewer?
Most of Chapel Hill is on OWASA sewer. The homes that are not sit outside the OWASA service area, mostly on wooded lots in the county around town. If your OWASA bill carries no sewer charge and there is a lid in your yard, you are on septic.
Tree roots keep clogging my lines. Can you fix that?
Yes. Root blockage removal is part of our work. Willows, sweetgums, maples and oaks near the lines find the joints in older pipes and the distribution box. We clear the roots, and if the pipe or the box is damaged, we repair or replace it.
Can a drainfield be repaired on a rocky lot?
Often, but it depends on the lot. Shallow soil and rock limit where lines can go, and a repair needs a permit from Orange County Environmental Health. We look at the lot and tell you what is possible.
What does a new septic system involve here?
Before any digging, Orange County Environmental Health has to issue the improvement permit and construction authorization. Give us the address and we tell you what the county will ask for.
How often should I pump on a wooded lot?
Plan on a pump-out every three to five years for a 1,000 gallon tank. A garbage disposal or a big household pulls it sooner. Shallow soil leaves a drainfield little margin, so do not stretch it.
Septic work on a Chapel Hill lot? Call us
Emergency service is available 24/7. For a pump-out or a drainfield on a wooded lot, call during office hours, Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 5 PM, or request service online.