# Septic System Work Across the Denver Metro

Denver Sewer and Water handles the excavation-scale side of septic: tanks, lids, baffles, the line running from the building to the tank, the outlet to the drainfield, and the digging that any of those repairs require. We scope and locate before we quote, because a septic complaint can come from four different places and only one of them is the tank.

- Tank, lid, baffle, and outlet repair.
- Building sewer to tank line diagnosis.
- Locating on properties with no as-built drawing.
- Full installation and replacement with excavation.
- Serving unsewered parcels across the Denver metro.

## What Does a Failing Septic System Actually Look Like?

Septic problems announce themselves indoors first. Fixtures on the lowest level slow down, then back up, and the pattern repeats no matter how many times the line is cleared. Outside, the ground over the tank or the field turns soft, holds water after everything else has dried, or grows noticeably greener grass in one band.

The reason those signs matter is that they point in different directions. A slow-only symptom with dry ground usually sits in the line between the building and the tank. Wet ground with a full tank usually sits downstream at the outlet or in the field. Getting that call right is the difference between a repair and an unnecessary system replacement.

- Repeated backups at the lowest fixtures in the building.
- Standing water or spongy ground over the tank or drainfield.
- Sewage odor outdoors near the tank lid or field.
- Gurgling from floor drains when a washing machine discharges.
- Grass over one strip of the yard growing faster than the rest.
- A tank that fills again within days of being pumped.
- No record of where the tank or field actually sits.

## How We Separate a Line Problem From a Tank Problem

We start at the building and work outward. A camera run down the building sewer tells us whether the line to the tank is holding water, root bound, bellied, or clear. If the line is clear, the problem is downstream and we open the tank lid.

At the tank we look at liquid level, baffle condition, and the outlet. A liquid level above the outlet invert means the effluent is not leaving, which points at the outlet or the field rather than the tank. That single observation prevents most of the wasted digging we get called in to correct.

Where nobody knows where the tank sits, locating comes first. We trace the line out of the building and probe from there instead of guessing at a lid location and cutting up a yard to find it.

- Whether the building sewer to the tank is clear or obstructed.
- Tank liquid level relative to the outlet invert.
- Baffle and tee condition at inlet and outlet.
- Lid, riser, and tank structural condition.
- Whether effluent is leaving the tank at all.
- Tank and line position on the parcel, marked on the surface.

## How a Septic Call Runs From First Contact to Backfill

1. **Take the symptom history** We ask what is backing up, how often, whether the ground is wet, and when the tank was last pumped. That narrows the search area before anyone arrives.
2. **Locate and open access** We locate the line and the tank, then expose the lid. On parcels with no as-built we trace from the building rather than probing at random.
3. **Inspect and read the levels** Camera on the line, eyes on the tank, liquid level checked against the outlet. This is where the failing component gets identified.
4. **Repair, replace, or refer** We quote the work that the findings justify. If the honest answer is a pump-out and nothing more, we say so and hand it to our sister company.

## What Drives the Cost of Septic Work

We do not publish septic pricing, because the same complaint can resolve as a lid replacement or as a full system installation depending on what the inspection finds. Anyone quoting a septic repair sight unseen is quoting a guess.

The cost drivers are consistent even when the numbers are not: depth of the tank, access for equipment, whether the drainfield is involved, the amount of surface that has to be opened and restored, and county health department requirements for the parcel.

We inspect, then quote the scope in writing. Call (720) 935-6221 to get on the schedule.

## Frequently asked questions

**How do I know whether my tank or my drainfield is the problem?**

Liquid level in the tank answers it. If the level sits at or below the outlet invert, effluent is leaving normally and the tank is doing its job. If it sits above the invert, the effluent is not getting out, which points at the outlet baffle or at a saturated drainfield rather than at the tank itself.

**Do you pump septic tanks?**

Routine pumping goes to our sister company, Affordable Septic Pumping. We handle the work that requires excavation, repair, or replacement. If your tank needs pumping as part of a repair we are doing, that gets coordinated as one visit.

**Are you Denver Water?**

No. Denver Sewer and Water is a private, family owned and operated company. We are not Denver Water or the City and County of Denver. Septic systems are privately owned, and we are the contractor a property owner hires to work on one.

**Can you find my tank if I have no records?**

Yes. We trace the sewer line out of the building and follow it to the tank, then probe to confirm the lid position before any digging starts. Locating first is much cheaper than exploratory excavation.

**Is there such a thing as a septic emergency?**

Yes. Sewage surfacing in the yard, an exposed or failing tank lid, and a backup that has reached living space are all same-day problems. An unstable lid in particular is a safety issue, not a maintenance item.

## Septic Services We Provide

- [Septic System Repair](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/septic-systems/septic-system-repair) Targeted repair of tanks, baffles, lids, and the lines running in and out.
- [Septic Locating and Troubleshooting](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/septic-systems/septic-system-locating-trouble-shooting) Finding the tank, the field, and the actual failure point on parcels with no records.
- [Septic Video Inspection](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/septic-systems/septic-system-video-inspection) Camera diagnosis of the building sewer and the line running to the tank.
- [Septic Installation and Replacement](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/septic-systems/septic-system-installation-replacement) Full system replacement when the existing tank or field cannot be brought back.
- [Septic Excavation](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/septic-systems/septic-system-excavation) The digging side: tank exposure, line access, and surface restoration.
- [Emergency Septic Repair](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/septic-systems/emergency-septic-system-repair) Same-day response for surfacing sewage, failed lids, and active backups.
- [Septic Line Cleaning and Jetting](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/septic-systems/septic-line-cleaning-hydro-jetting) Clearing the run between the building and the tank when it is the restriction.
- [Septic Tank Pumping](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/septic-systems/septic-tank-pumping) How pumping fits into a repair, and when it is all a system needs.

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Denver Sewer and Water is a privately owned, licensed and insured plumbing contractor. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Denver Water, the municipal water utility, or any government entity. To pay a municipal water bill or reach the public utility, visit denverwater.org.

Source: https://www.denversewerandwater.com/septic-systems/denver-co