AFFORDABLE SEPTIC TANK INSTALLATION IN Hackettstown, NJ

What Is the Process for Septic Tank Installation in Hackettstown?

The process for installing a septic tank here in Hackettstown begins just like it does anywhere else, with diligent research to understand everything about your land that we can. We’ll need soil analysis and a land survey to understand and design your particular property’s perfect tank and system.

Once we’ve got a plan and everything ready to go, we’ll get permits taken care of and begin excavation to install your new tank. We’ll get the tank and the plumbing set in place, careful that every detail is consistent with the original plan. After everything is done, we’ll inspect your whole system to ensure that it runs perfectly. Problems can be a lot easier to deal with before your tank is buried, obviously, so we’ll diligently test your new tank to ensure your septic will run efficiently for years into the future.

How Does Permitting Work For Installing Septic Tanks in Hackettstown?

To get a permit to install a septic tank here in Hackettstown, you’ll have to apply through Warren County Health Services. Before even applying, some work has to be done to plan your system and understand your property.

An engineer will first have to survey your property to determine the topographic and geological challenges it may present to your septic system and analyze your wastewater production level. We’ll then have to get a percolation test or soil analysis. This test will tell us important things about the drainage characteristics of your soil and how well wastewater will drain through the earth in your drain field.

Once we have that information, we can start engineering and planning how your tank installation should go. We’ll have to submit all of our research along with a detailed plan with our application. The cost of an application to install a septic tank in Warren County is $200.

Once we’ve obtained a permit, we can begin working on your tank installation. Other than diligently following the plan put forth on the application, there is one last stipulation of a septic permit: once the county grants it, you must allow their inspectors to verify we did the job correctly before use.

How Much Does Septic Tank Installation Usually Cost in Hackettstown?

Septic tank installations are generally pretty affordable in this area of New Jersey and can even be pretty significantly below the national average. Most homeowners in the area pay between $2,000 and $11,000, with an average total of around $5,750. There are a few different factors that could potentially heavily influence the cost of septic services for you, though.

Type of Septic System

The vast majority of septic systems in New Jersey are conventional gravity flow systems. These systems encourage waste to flow naturally from your house into your septic tank. Once wastewater separates from solids, the wastewater flows out to your drain field under the gradual push of gravity as well. Suppose the topography of your land prevents the gentle slope necessary for a gravity-fed system or poses some other challenges for a conventional septic system. In that case, your septic system may be another type of system that may be more labor-intensive or costly to install a new tank into.

New Construction or Replacement

Whether we’re installing a septic tank for new construction or replacing a tank in an existing septic system may also have a strong influence on the cost of your specific installation. A few different factors could intuitively seem like replacements would be more affordable installations. That’s not always the case, and both replacements and new septic tank installations pose their unique challenges.

For septic tank replacement in an already existing septic system, we may have more resources at our disposal regarding the existing infrastructure and plumbing from the last tank. Still, we frequently find ourselves running into problems using existing parts of an old septic system for a new septic tank installation. If you’re replacing a septic tank, the chances are that there’s already a problem with your septic system. If your septic tank is aging, then it’s likely that much of your plumbing is aging as well. Pipes don’t last forever, and your in-ground plumbing could cause as many problems as it solves for your new tank installation. If your old tank is structurally compromised, removing the damaged tank requires considerable effort and protection against hazardous material. We may find severe problems in the rest of your septic system that don’t become apparent until we’re ready to install the new tank.

New installations, however, can go less than smoothly due to their own set of frequent challenges. During the construction of a new septic system, there’s just a lot more to do than a simple tank replacement. Septic systems have to be engineered to function perfectly with the unique features of your land and your wastewater production. This means that new septic systems will require soil tests, land surveys, and extensive planning to ensure that your system functions just as intended for your home well into the future. New septic construction also involves a lot more excavation and plumbing, as we’ll have to create a drain field for your septic system and install the plumbing that connects your home to your tank and your tank to that drain field. While we may not run into as many unexpected problems during new septic installations as we do in replacements, new septic installation jobs leave us with a lot of work on our plate. All of that extra time and planning can add up to higher costs of your installation.

The Geology and Topology of Your Land

One of the most significant indicators of how much your septic tank installation could potentially cost is the unique features of your land. Your septic system not only needs to be engineered to handle all of your waste production in your house but also to distribute wastewater from your septic tank back into your groundwater safely. If your soil test reveals that the soil on your property has inferior drainage characteristics, then it’s likely you’ll need a larger drain field. If your drain field’s soil can’t keep up with drainage from your septic tank and gets overwhelmed with wastewater, it can potentially cause toxic materials to collect on the surface. Your wastewater filtering through the soil in your drain field is the last step in its treatment, and your system needs to be engineered so that it can happen efficiently and readily whenever wastewater is deposited onto your land.

Even the general topography of your land can have a massive effect on a septic tank installation cost. Conventional gravity-fed septic systems require a gradual slope from the home to the septic tank and, in turn, from the septic tank to the drain field. The septic system has to face the opposite direction as to where you’re drinking water comes from to prevent contamination. If the unique topography of your property prevents this from being done efficiently and safely, then we may need to look at alternative septic systems for your home. There are many techniques that septic systems employ to propel wastewater when gravity systems aren’t available, and they can work great. Incorporating additional water flow or pumps requiring electricity into your system could increase the cost of your septic tank installation and potentially raise your monthly utility bills.

What Type Of Septic Tank Is Best for Residents in Hackettstown?

What type of septic tank for you can depend a lot on how you use your tank and what challenges your property could pose to it in the future. First, you need a tank that’s large enough to fit your home. Under New Jersey law, you’ll need at least whichever capacity is higher: 1,000 gallons or 250 gallons per bedroom. The law requires minimums for tank size because the more wastewater your house can potentially produce, the more room you’ll need in the tank to store it and separate wastewater. Not having enough capacity in your tank could mean that solid waste that collects at the bottom of your tank or the oily scum produced as bacteria break down waste that floats at the top of your tank may overflow onto your land or into your home.

Septic tanks come in many materials, but we often find that concrete is the best for most people in Hackettstown. Concrete is as tough against impacts and wears over time as steel, but concrete tanks will still hold strong decades after the steel has corroded and begun to rust. Plastic tanks are another option that is sometimes used and have an extremely long lifespan, but they can also regularly rupture from above-ground impacts or soil movement, the latter of which are common in the clay soil of New Jersey.

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

Under New Jersey law, there is no requirement mandating inspections on a specific schedule. New Jersey does, however, take the stance that septic systems are the responsibility of a homeowner to maintain and inspect regularly, so neglecting routine upkeep and regular inspections could potentially cost you heavily in fines in the event of a significant septic tank failure.

The State of New Jersey recommends that you have your septic system inspected and cleaned by professionals like us at least every three years as the best thing you can do to maintain and increase the lifespan of your septic tank. You don’t precisely notice when your septic tank is slowly developing problems, so regular inspections are often the only defense you have against the unexpected expenses that can come from significant septic tank issues.

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

While there are unfortunately no rebates specifically available here in Hackettstown, there are still some resources available to help with the expense of septic tank repairs, improvements, and replacements around here. Just for general help with repairs, the Warren County Health Department provides a comprehensive guide to maintaining your septic system to prevent major repairs, as well as providing a service through which they can remind you of dates for routine inspections, service, and cleanings.

There are also federal programs available that could A few different factors could help out with septic tank costs here in Hackettstown. As our town is far below the 50,000 person threshold to be considered rural for federal funding, the USDA has programs available to help offset the cost of septic tank improvements in the form of loans and grants. In the interest of better wastewater solutions across the country, the EPA also compiles and updates a list regularly listing all federal sources of financial aid for septic tank-related maintenance.