AFFORDABLE SEPTIC TANK INSTALLATION IN Midland, MI

What Is the Process for Septic Tank Installation in Midland?

Installing a septic tank isn’t as straightforward as you may think. It starts with rigorous evaluation and planning. First, we’ve got to get expert soil tests at the site of the project. The design and structure of your septic system both depend on and heavily affect the surrounding soil. Not only will your drain field be filtering and processing waste liquids back into the soil, but your septic tank and plumbing also need to withstand the pressure from the soil they’re buried in without shifting over time.

Once we’ve got results for soil analysis, planning and engineering a system that suits the ecosystem on your property can begin. Septic tank design is delicate work, and nearly every aspect of your system will need to be planned out before they’re submitted for permits from The County of Midland.

Once plans and permits are finalized, the excavation can begin. The process from here on out can differ depending on what type of septic tank is right for your property, but for most septic systems we’ll have to excavate a hole for a tank to be installed in or dig around an existing take to be replaced, all while being careful not to disrupt existing plumbing that carries waste away from your home or sends wastewater to be dispersed in your drain field.

If this is a new installation and not a replacement, then we’ll have to dig trenches for the plumbing. This can get pretty extensive, as drain fields are typically fed by multiple parallel lines of perforated pipe to ensure wastewater is spread out across your drain field.

Once all the digging is done, we’re finally to the actual installation. Dropping in your new septic tank and all the necessary plumbing are pretty heavy-duty jobs, and it will take some time and a lot of work, even with the help of heavy machinery. Once everything is in place, we’ll have to double-check all our measurements and slopes. Especially for conventional, gravity-fed septic systems, it’s incredibly important to identify any problems before finalizing connections. The slightest change in slope could potentially slow or even stop the drainage in your septic system, which could potentially lead to overflows and sewage backups.

Once we’ve verified that everything is just like it was designed to be, we’ll make all the connections between your septic tank and the plumbing of your house and drain field. As for your drain field, we’ll often need to haul in the gravel after we make all the necessary plumbing connections. Adding gravel to your drain field ensures that water can drain more effectively, as the mixed grain sizes of gravel leave lots of room for water to pass through and distribute evenly throughout the soil.

How Does Permitting Work for Installing Septic Tanks in Midland?

Here in Midland, we’ll need to get septic installation permits from the Midland County Department of Public Health before any installation steps can be taken on a septic system. Before your application can be submitted, we’ll need to have a detailed site plan ready for the county to approve. Before we even get to a site plan though, we’ll need Midland County Environmental Health Services to perform a soil analysis.

The requirements for your septic design to be granted a permit will differ depending on a couple of factors. The number of bedrooms within the home, the drainage qualities of the soil on your property are usually the primary indicators of what size of septic tank you’ll need and how big your absorption field will need to be.

The Midland County Department of Public Health has conveniently listed its guidelines for septic system design. Until a soil analysis has been performed, though, it can be difficult to determine exactly where your home falls under their regulations.

How Much Does Septic Tank Installation Usually Cost in Midland?

While it is about in line with the national average in this part of Michigan, several factors can drastically affect the cost of a septic installation. Depending on these few variables, the price could range from as low as $1,500 up to nearly $20,000 for some installations. Most jobs in the area total around $6,500.

Home Size

Under the guidelines for the Midland County Health Department, the size of tank you need for your septic system will get bigger based on the number of bedrooms you have. A bigger tank means more planning, more materials cost, and more labor to get your installation done right. This can be one of the biggest factors in the cost of any septic tank installation we do.

Permits and Fees

Your budget for a septic tank installation will also have to include fees and permits for Midland County and the State of Michigan. Fees will differ based on whether you are replacing a tank, installing a new tank for a new septic system, or making simple repairs. This won’t add up to a huge portion of the costs, but it can still affect how much you’ll spend on an installation.

Soil and Land

How a septic system is designed depends a lot on the specific composition of your soil and the topography of your property. If we can’t create a sustainable gravity system with a reliable downwards flow, then a conventional gravity-fed septic system will be hard to install. In this case, we’ll have to look at alternative designs or pumps to create flow, both of which could add to your costs.

The composition of your soil will affect how large your drain field will have to be. For soils with finer particles, like loams rich in sand or clay, we’ll need to disperse wastewater over a wider area, which means a larger design and more work.

What Type of Septic Tank Is Best for Residents in Midland?

There are quite a few types of septic systems available. The principles of these systems tend to be mostly the same but vary in how exactly water is treated within the tank or dispersed throughout the drain field, though there are also some more innovative alternatives to conventional septic tanks. Which system to go with largely depends on your home’s unique circumstances, but it’s always better to keep your home infrastructure as simple as possible to prevent repairs and problems down the line.

There are no laws or regulations here in Michigan that stipulate any specific material of septic tank to install, but usually, concrete septic tanks are the best when possible. Concrete is incredibly durable long-term, and can easily last over half a century if all goes as planned with your septic system. Concrete can also stand up best to the shifting clay soils common throughout Midland. Steel corrodes much more quickly and won’t last as long, and plastic septic tanks can easily be damaged from shifting soil or even a vehicle driving over the surface.

How Often Do Homeowners in Midland Need to Have Their Septic Tank Inspected?

The best policy is to have a septic tank inspected and cleaned by our team at least every 3 years.

Your septic tank doesn’t just run on its own without monitoring or maintenance. Your septic system processes large amounts of waste, which then sits in your septic tank as natural bacteria begin to break it down. Heavier waste solids settle on the bottom of your tank with the wastewater that is separated from it above. As the solids at the bottom of the tank break down over time, more water is removed and floats above. Solid waste metabolized by bacteria produces an oily scum that is lighter than the wastewater, and so floats to the top.

The key to these systems is both that the water flowing to your drain field and the water bringing waste into the tank from your home both enter in the middle section, where water is. This guarantees that no backup happens with solids into your home and that no sludge or scum find their way into the soils of your drain field where they may cause diseases and adverse environmental effects.

Over time, scum can build up around your plumbing and disrupt the balance that your septic system depends on. This is why regular inspections and cleaning by our experts are necessary to ensure that your system is functioning as intended. An inspection and cleaning is a lot more affordable than costly repairs or replacements, so take care of your septic tank on a regular, fixed schedule.

Are There Any Rebates Available for Septic Tank Services in Midland?

There aren’t any rebates available here in Midland for septic tank services, but there are several programs where you may find help funding major replacements or other costly septic repairs and services. Most of the buildings here in Michigan that have septic systems are in older homes or more rural areas on the outskirts of the city, so there may be programs other than those we can enumerate here if your home is in a particularly economically downturned area of the city, or is particularly old.

If the USDA considers your home a rural area, they typically have several programs that may be able to help pay for or acquire funding for septic improvements. Thankfully, Midland falls under the 50,000 person population threshold that the USDA uses to distinguish rural from urban areas, so most folks here in Midland should qualify for USDA assistance with septic replacements, just as we do with USDA mortgage loans and other programs.

The EPA maintains a list of federal programs available to help with septic issues, and the Mid-Michigan Health Department District has gathered a list of resources available to residents here in Michigan as well.