Shelars Designs and Installs Complete New Septic Systems in the Greater Jackson County Area:

Shelars is a licensed, bonded, and insured septic system installation company. We have the heavy equipment it takes to dig large drain fields and dry well pits.   There are several things you should know about the process of installing a new septic system:

 1 You can only install a system that is approved by your local Health Department. We do not know what the health department is going to approve for your property prior to your phone call to us.  Your local Health Officer will require you to do a perk test of the soil on your property to determine what type of system will work for your property.  

 2 What is involved with getting a perk test and a septic permit?  A perk test is required to determine if a site is suitable for installing a new or replacement on-site sewage waste treatment system. In order to do a perk test the health officer for your county will require you to have a backhoe available to dig a hole in your proposed drain field area up to six feet deep. We have a backhoe for such a use if you do not have one available. The purpose of this dig is to determine the type of soil and its drainage characteristics, water table depth, and suitable placement of the drain field such that it meets all setback requirements from any wells and from your property lines. You are required to have three feet of ground clearance between the bottom of the drain field and the water table or high season water level. If you do not have the proper clearance, your health officer may require you to build a mounded or elevated system. An elevated or mounded system typically requires a submerged pump that pumps your septic effluents to the top of your mound where they can perk down through the soil.   The soil interacts with the effluents to break the down and filter out the impurities.   If you did not have at least three feet of soil to allow this natural break down to occur, then your system could contaminate your well or the local ground water.   If you are close to a stream or lake you may be required to get additional approval from the DEQ for your system. Scheduling a perk test involves setting up a time when you will have a backhoe on premise and can meet with the health officer to conduct the test.   It is recommended that the property owner be present when the test occurs in case any changes are necessary.

 3 Why Use a licensed Contractor?  When you install a new septic system it is a big investment. Regretfully, if it is not installed properly, you can end up having to dig it up and re-do the entire system. Shelars has been in business since 1950 and has installed thousands of new septic systems, so we know how to build all types of drain fields, drywells, and elevated systems. It is the simple things like knowing what types of submerged pumps hold up best and or knowing the right type of stone to use in a system that ends up saving you time, money, and aggravation in the long run.   Another significant reason to use a licensed, bonded, and insured company to install your new septic systems is because it will make your home more saleable.   One of the key disclosures in selling your home revolves around having working plumbing which requires a working drain field and or a hook up to a municipal sewer system.   It is a great selling point to have a receipt from a licensed contractor and a septic permit from your local health department as proof that you have a modern and efficient septic system installed prior to the sale of your property.

 4 How much will it cost to build a new septic system?  New system construction is based on the number of square feet of your drain field and the size of your septic tank.   We do not give general estimates of cost without knowing what your local health officer is going to allow you to build.   We have found over the years that people rush into wanting to know the price of a system before they even know what type of system and overall size of drain field that can be approved for their property.   As a fully licensed septic system installation company we do not feel it is fair to quote a price to someone until we know the type and size of system that is approved by your local health officer.   Your local health officer will determine the size of drain field that you need based on a variety of factors.   The factors that most people do not take into account are such things as how many bedrooms and bathrooms are present at your property.   One single element such as this leads to a determination of how many people could potentially occupy your current property configuration.   Once the potential occupancy rate is obtained, your local health officer will factor that into the potential load that may be placed on your septic system.   That load will determine the minimum drain field square footage requirement that must be built in order to safely operate a septic system at your location.   Other factors such as soil type and its drainage or perk rate characteristics determines the sizing of your drain field.  Shelars will assist you in applying for a septic permit and arrange to have a backhoe present for your perk test as part of our overall fee structure for new septic system installation.

 5 How long does it take to build a new septic system?  You should allow a few days from start to finish for our crew. There are a number of things that must be done in order your job to progress on schedule.   First, we need a few good days of weather.   Next, we must get approval from Miss Dig to dig up your new drain field.   They will mark key gas, cable or other lines that must be avoided. Having an approval from MissDig ensures that you are clear from all Utilities for both your perk test dig and your full system excavation work.   To read more a click this link to Miss Dig or call them at 811 or  800-482-7171 at least 3 or more days prior to attempting any excavationg work on your property. Having the peace of mind that you selected a safe area to dig and install your new septic system is well work the time it takes to make a phone call.

 6 Yard access requirements:   In order to install a drain field, we will need to be able to drive a backhoe, mini excavator and a 10 yard dump truck into the area approved for your drain field. If your property is fenced in and does not have any convenient way of getting such equipment into your construction zone, you need to discuss that issue with us prior to receiving your bid.   Shelars has a great deal of experience in dealing with a wide variety of customers from all walks of life.   We understand that your yard is important to you and we do our best to ensure its quick recovery through raking the excavated soil after your new system is installed.   It is our attention to such details that has kept us in business since 1950! So, do call Shelars at (517) 764-1650 when it is time to install a new septic system.

 7 What size of septic tank do I need?  Building codes in Jackson County require that owners install a 1500 gallon or larger septic tank in order to receive a permit. This size of tank has two lids and two 750 gallon compartments.   Each compartment assists in the breakdown of septic effluents.   If your home was built before 1990, the code generally designated 1000 gallon tanks. The 1000 gallon tanks or less typically only have one lid.

8 Why are drain fields so expensive?  Building a new drain field involves digging up a large area in your yard. If you can imagine a digging a hole as large as big swimming pool several feet deep, and brining in 4 or 5 dump trucks full of stone to fill the hole and finally laying drain pipe in a precise manner that meets with code you can begin to understand why it costs a lot build a new drain field.   Now add more stone on top of the perforated drain lines plus a layer of insulation material to prevent freezing, fill in another foot or more of dirt on top of that and rake it all out and you have a better appreciation for the time involved.   It may take one person all summer long to dig such an area by hand and if that person did not get the details and the right materials, their system might fail prematurely. When you add up the cost of the stone and materials, backhoe and or dump truck rental, your own time and effort required to build a new system it becomes evident why you are better off to hire a company that specializes in drain field construction. Shelars has been building new septic systems since 1950 and many of those systems are still in operation. The typical life expectancy of a drain field is around 20 years if the owners pump their septic tank on a regular basis.   Failure to pump your septic tank every 3 to 4 years can result in premature failure of a brand new system.

9 Do you offer free estimates on new drain fields?  Yes, provided that you live in the greater Jackson, Michigan area.   We do not do any construction outside of Southern Michigan.

10 Why Use Shelars?  Shelars has an excellent reputation and has been building new septic systems in Jackson County since 1950. In that time we have built thousands of new drain fields.   We understand what works best for a wide variety of soil conditions here in Jackson County.   So, call us at 517-764-1650 and get the peace of mind of knowing that whatever system we install will be right for your property and will last for years to come. A new drain field built by a reputable company like Shelars will only add value to your homestead.