Our Services
Existing Systems: Inspection, Maintenance and Repair
Owners of an existing septic system need an inspection, routine maintenance and, now and then, a repair. PRWS arranges the service work with local service companies, requests the Island Health records, reads the results and tells you what they mean. Where a fix needs a professional design, Jordan Huscroft, P.Geo., designs it, files it with Island Health and certifies it.
You should not have to work out which company to call when a system alarms, surfaces or comes up in a home sale. Send me the address and what is happening. I arrange the tank and field inspection or the service call with a local company, request the health-authority records, and explain the results in plain terms. If the system needs more than routine service, I design the repair or replacement and see it through to certification.
For buyers of a house with an existing system, owners with a problem, and owners due for routine maintenance, anywhere from Nanaimo to Bamfield.
Buying a house with a system
Before you remove subjects, send me the address or PID. I request the Island Health records, arrange a tank and field inspection with a local service company, and tell you what the results mean for your purchase: whether the system matches the house, how old it is, and what a replacement on that lot would realistically involve.
Backing up, alarming or surfacing
A backup, a pump alarm or wet ground over the field can mean anything from a blocked filter to a failed field. I arrange the service visit to find the cause. If the field or tank needs replacing, I design the repair to current standards and file it with Island Health.
Routine maintenance
Tanks need pumping before solids reach the field, and Type 2 and Type 3 systems need servicing to their maintenance plan. I arrange pump-outs and servicing with local companies so it happens on schedule.
Who does what
I review the records, interpret the results, and design and certify repairs and replacements. Pump-outs, tank and field inspections, and repairs are carried out by local service companies I work with regularly. You deal with one office throughout.
Frequently asked questions
Do you do septic inspections for home sales?
I arrange them. A local service company inspects the tank and field; I request the Island Health records, read the inspection results against what was filed, and tell you what it means for your purchase. Send the address or PID before you remove subjects.
My system is failing. Do I need a whole new system?
Not always. Sometimes the cause is a pump, a filter or a broken pipe, and a service visit fixes it. If the dispersal field itself has failed, a replacement has to be designed to current standards and filed with Island Health, which is the residential design service.
What does it cost?
The service visit is quoted by the company doing it before it is booked. My review of the records and results is quoted per property, and a repair that needs a new design is priced like a residential design.
Who do I call first?
Call or email PRWS with the address and what is happening. I'll arrange the right company and follow it through, so you are not left choosing between service firms.
Related reading: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 Septic Treatment Explained for Island Homeowners
Something wrong with your system, or buying a house with one?
Send the address or PID and what is happening. I'll arrange the inspection or service and tell you what the results mean.