FAQ

Many homeowners believe they do not have to pump their septic tanks because they aren’t having any problems. When you wait for a problem to occur it is likely to cost you more than if you would’ve just had it pumped on a regular basis. Think of your septic system as a garbage can, when it gets full, you empty it. Same goes for a septic tank, they get full and they need to be emptied.

How does a septic system work?

All of the water that comes out of your house goes directly into your septic tank. Washing machine, dishwasher, bathrooms, showers, anything that goes down a drain goes into your septic tank. A septic tank is designed to hold water long enough for all the grease and fats to float to the top, and any solids to settle down at the bottom, forming sludge. This sludge does not just disappear. After so many years it begins to build up. If you continue to let it build up and ignore your septic it will either back-up into your house, causing a very unsightly mess which can cost a lot to clean up, or solids will begin to flow out into your drain field eventually ruining it. A pumping costs on average about $300.00, a new drain field costs anywhere from $5,000-$10,000 ! That is equal to about 33 pumps which is more than you would ever need. So no matter what your Grandpa told you about septic systems you DO need to pump them.

How often should my tank be pumped?

Depending on how many people live in the house, and how big your tank is you should probably have your tank pumped every 3 years. If you have 5 people in your house and only have a 1200-gallon tank you may want to do it more often, say every 2 years. If there is just one of you then you may be able to go about 5 years. An easy way to tell if you need your tank pumped is by having risers installed to allow for easy access for an inspection. All you would have to do is pop the top and see if the solids and paper materials have built up, if they have, give us a call.

What can I flush down my toilet?

Despite what the package may say, some things just shouldn’t be flushed. Baby wipes, baby diapers, grown up wipes, tampons, tampon applicators, dental floss, q-tips, cigarette butts, grease, toys, none of these things should go into your septic tank. Baby wipes and tampons have ruined more drain fields than we can count. We know manufacturers say they are flushable, but they do not break down like organic material. Tampons swell to 10x their size, and easily clog pipes and drain fields. These things were meant to go into the garbage can, please put them there.

Do I even have a septic tank?

If you live in the country or outside the city limits most likely you have a septic tank. If you don’t get a monthly sewer bill from the city, most likely you have a septic tank. If you just don’t know, call us, we will come to the house and either find the septic tank or find that you are on city sewer. If you are just buying a house, please ask for a septic inspection. This way you know what you have or what you don’t have.

Risers

What is a riser and why do I need it?

riser

Most septic tanks are buried anywhere from 1-5 feet deep. To save you money and time a riser should be installed on your septic tank. What this does is bring the lid to your septic tank to ground level so that it can be easily inspected, or looked at to diagnose a problem you may be having. Have you ever had your toilet back up, plunging did not work, and you couldn’t find your tank to see if it was full. If you have a riser you will easily be able to pop the top and see if the tank is full and in need of pumping, or if you need to call a roto-rooter service to snake your lines. This can also save you money on costly find and dig charges. Many customers swear their tank is right here, when in actuality it was 15 feet in the other direction, the more time we spend looking and digging the more money it will cost you. Riser material comes in 2-different sizes 18″ and 24″, along with a variety of lids that can be installed

18” material is $25.00 a foot
24”material is $25.00 a foot
Cement lid is $25.00
A green plastic Fralo lid is $80.00
Sometimes a tank adapter is needed to make a round lid fit a square hole.
Tank adapter is $75.00
This one time charge for a riser can save you lots of money in the long run. Please feel free to call for more information.

What our Clients are Saying

Tom is awesome and did great work and is very informative ! He even was very helpful later to us even after the time of his service and helped us with info about our water iron buster filter that went bad and got stuck in regen cycle when we were frantic that it filled our septic tank was full again after a month because of back up from drain in basement to our house From faulty transformer on our iron filter.

~ Steve Ra

I would highly recommend choosing Walt Steuer Pumping! Excellent service, very dependable, honest and high integrity! Tom is a great guy!

~ Alex Mitchell

Great service and truly cares about the customer. The honesty and customer oriented focus starting with our first phone call to the service call was a great relief as a first time homeowner. Wouldn't call anyone else for future needs.

~ Tyler Bartosh

First let me say, if everyone ran their business like Tom does, there would be A LOT more successful businesses in the world! Tom is courteous, honest and extremely knowledgeable. He came out and pumped our tank and fixed a backup issue when he said he would and was very reasonable. He knows his business and is very personable. He will address all of your concerns and talk to you like a human being and believe it or not, he takes ALL calls! So you will be dealing directly with the owner of the company. He understands the importance of "word of mouth" and goes above and beyond any service expected.

~ Scott Bendickson

This guy was great! After assuming that my septic was full to the brim and needed pumping, he came out and gave me an education on how the system works and that I DID NOT need it pumped and probably wouldn't for a few years. I was so relieved- for many reasons: first that his company responded to my call before the others and second- it didn't cost me $450 (like the other guy who was entirely too anxious to do). Thanks Walt Steuer pumping, you forever have my business and my recommendation.

~ Stacy F

Tom was on time and prepared for most anything. He honestly explained and educated me as to how my system works. He told me although my tank looked full to me and needed pumping that it did not need pumping as that is the was it's supposed to look. He also offered me a plan to maintain my system and help avoid problems and/or prolong it's life. Refreshing honesty, customer focused and priced fairly.

~ David Bayse

Honest and Hardworking! Great Price and courteous of my time! Tom called me prior to meeting me at my location so that I wouldn't be waiting around for him and worked quickly so that I could make it back to work on a tight schedule! I definitely Recommend Highly!

~ Isaac Knorr

Called on Friday as my lines were backing up in the house ... I expected to discover a huge problem when he arrived, and he could have told me that anyway as I wouldn't have known better. However, he took the time to show me that the filter was clogged and that the tank itself and the lines out to the tank were fine. I appreciate the honesty, and that he took the time to explain to me what was going on, how the system works, and what I should do to keep it running smoothly. Thanks!!!

~ Brian Soloman

Simply AMAZING service. First off I called them on a Saturday morning to check prices. The phone rang several times then went to voicemail. I opted to keep checking other companies and hung up. Literally seconds later the phone rang in my hand. They called me back! I arranged to have them come out and pump the system but only if they thought it needed it. The day arrived and I had to work. After digging around a bit and examining the system they called and said, "Hey you're good for at least another two to three years." I was also shocked at how affordable the inspection was. Can you even bring a truck out for that much I wondered??? Anyway I would recommend this company to anyone. Thank you!

~ Jason & Heather

Fantastic, honest team. Reasonable prices. Quick turn over times. You guys are great. Telling everyone about you.

~ Jason LaVanture

My wife and I are just finishing the paper work for our first home, wanting to know more about septic tanks i call the closest pumping service (Steuer Pumping).
Tom picked up the phone and had so much information about what go's into a septic tank (no pun intended).

I'm very glad i called, i will definitely be using Steuer Pumping in the future.

~ Andrew Dunlop

I recently moved into my house and I had never lived in a house with a septic tank. As a result, I did a lot of reading about septic tank care and asked a lot of people. As I did my research, I felt as though I was receiving a lot of conflicting information. As a result, I decided to have my septic tank pumped to make sure everything was OK.

I called Walter Steuer, as well as several other companies. I decided to go with Steuer because they were very polite and willing to answer any questions that I had.

Upon arrival at my home, Tom began to get set up in order to pump my tank. After about 10 minutes...

~ A Google User