Septic Risers, Lids & Clean-Outs

Many septic tanks in our area were installed with their lids a few inches to a few feet under the ground. Every pumping or inspection starts with finding the lids and digging down to them – which takes time, costs money and tears up the yard. A riser fixes that for good.

A riser is a sturdy plastic or concrete collar that extends the tank opening up to ground level, closed with a secure lid. From then on, the tank can be opened by undoing a few screws. Alabama Septic Tank Services installs risers, replaces broken lids and adds clean-outs for homes in Bessemer, McCalla, Hueytown, Hoover, Brookwood and Tuscaloosa.

• Faster, cheaper pumping – no digging and no searching for the lids.
• Easier inspections – especially when you sell the house.
• Better maintenance – easy access to the effluent filter and baffles.
• Less damage to the yard and the landscaping.
• Safety – a secured lid instead of an old, crumbling concrete cover.

One customer who inherited a house had us replace four small old lids with two new plastic manholes on extenders: “now they are at ground level and any future service can be done by undoing a few screws.”

Old concrete lids crack and crumble, and some tanks were left with lids that were never meant to be walked on. A broken lid lets water and soil into the tank, lets roots in and – worst of all – can give way under a person or a child. Replacing it is a simple job, and often it is the right moment to add a riser at the same time.

A clean-out is an access point on the sewer line between the house and the tank. Without one, a clog in that line means digging. We add clean-outs – from a small capped pipe to a 24-inch clean-out portal on the tank – usually during a pumping or a repair. One customer whose tank had not been inspected in over 30 years had us dig it up, clean it out and install a 24-inch clean-out portal all in one day.

1. We locate and uncover the tank and pump it (a riser is best installed on an empty tank).
2. We fit the riser to the tank opening and seal it, adding extensions until it reaches ground level.
3. We set a secure lid, backfill around the riser and leave the yard clean.

See recent riser jobs in Our Work and book with your next pumping.