The Last Piece Of The Puzzle...Maintenance!
As a responsible homeowner you complete routine maintenance on many fixtures in your home. Just like cleaning gutters or having your furnace cleaned your OSS needs special care to keep it working well and extend the life of your system.
The State of Washington Board of Health mandated, through Washington Administrative Code 246-272-15501, each county administer a program of on-going maintenance of all OSS in their jurisdiction. This regulation created new responsibilities for those of us who own an OSS. The monitoring program was created in the interest of protecting public health. A failing OSS can expose us all to disease causing pathogens and viruses. Keeping your OSS healthy also protects our environment. Failed systems can easily contaminate surrounding wells, groundwater, lakes, rivers and other water features in the area.
Completing the regular inspections will also help protect your underground investment as correcting small items is much less expensive that repairing or replacing a failed system (which can cost more than $20,000-yikes!).
Because each county is a bit different their requirements are a bit different as well. King County code specifies intervals for inspections based on system type.
| Inspections | Gravity System | Public Domain Technology - Pressure Distribution, Sandfilter, Mound etc. | Proprietary Technology - ATU, Drip Irrigation, Glendon Biofilters etc. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Inspection | 6 months | 6 months | 45 days |
| Regular Inspection Frequency | Every 3 Years | Annually | Every 6 Months |
| Who May Perform The Inspection | Owner or Licensed Maintainer or Licensed OSS Pumper | Licensed Maintainer | Licensed Maintainer |
As your contracted service provider we will notify you when it is time for your scheduled inspection and file the report with King County on your behalf. Should any warning signs be found we can advise you on the best course of action to make corrections before the situation worsens.
Other counties have different timelines and filing requirements; please call so we may help you with your specific needs.