Herring Sanitation Septic Service

2011-10-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Everything in life changes constantly especially when it comes to this magical thing called the internet. So the folks at Herring Sanitation thought it must be time for a new modern web site. This means our kids were nagging us to get more modern. Months of design and thought went into this and we are finally up and running thanks to Trista Polo at AllThatInternet.net. Trista made it easy and fun. OK! Not too easy and OK! sometimes it wasn’t so much fun but it’s done.

Taking pictures for the site that would not turn someone’s stomach was an art but we managed. Our team of pumpers and installers really got into that project. For example an overfull Grease Trap pictured here.

Now the challenge is to make sure we keep up with all the new options we have. Jim and I are in our 60's now and we pride ourselves in keeping current with all the newest latest equipment but now the internet is something harder. But we have a secret. We hire at least one young college age girl in our office and it’s amazing how that one person can make a difference cutting through all the problems with cell phones and the internet. It’s almost like having your grandkids play with your TV Remote.

Well, everyone at Herring Sanitation is pleased and proud of their new web site and we hope that it’s as customer friendly as we planned.

What SEPTIC TANK?

2011-09-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

At the end of every work day all of the Herring workers come back in the office to clock out and are usually quite and tired. This day they were all energized and excited.

Herring has been in business for 38 years and this is the first time we went to replace a tank and could not find one piece of it left. Many times we find tanks that have the lids rotted off and this rot usually extend down to the baffles. At that point we recommend replacing the Septic Tank and maybe upgrading to meet the current Board of Health codes.

The Septic Tank that all the men were amazed at was originally installed in 1967. That was as old as the installer, Jason Herring. Jason is in much better shape, thank goodness. Everyone was amazed that the hole in the ground where the tank SHOULD have been did not cave in on itself. We think that this installation is the oldest tank we have come in contact with that was still in use. Actually we never did come in contact with even one piece of the tank and they told stories of how they search for it. So as we replaced the tank, you can imagine that we did not have to charge a disposal fee for the old tank. Literally there was nothing left.

Another silly question

2011-09-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

As a septic company we get lots of really strange calls but this morning in came one that left us all laughing. The call was from a realtor who is anxious to finalize the sale on a house. We had previously preformed a septic inspection on this property and we failed the septic system. When we opened up the septic tank and it was almost empty. This means that the waste is obviously leaking out and a septic tank is supposed to be a sealed unit. A septic tank has an operational level which to the untrained eye always looks full. Even an untrained eye saw that this tank was way below the operational level.

Well, the realtor wanted to know if we could replace the septic tank without bringing our equipment into the yard. Could we please stay on the road? The caller was dead serious.

You can't make this stuff up.

Jimmy Herring is a very patient man and tried very hard to explain the process to him. Herring Sanitation has to dig a hole in excess of 6 foot deep to accommodate a 1000 gallon tank. A cement tank is brought in by a large cement truck that has to reach over the hole in order to set the septic tank. How would you do this from the road when a septic system is usually in the middle of the yard?

Herring's good but not that good. This photo shows Herring Sanitation pumping from the street. We carry 100 feet of hose on each of our trucks but even that is not always possible given elevation levels.

Irene causes all kinds of Septic Problems

2011-08-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Herring Sanitation's office has been taking calls since Sunday about sewages pumps that can't keep up with the high water table. Of course this is due to the visit of Hurricane Irene. Jim and Jason are trying to coach people into trying to do their best to be patient and conserve water usage. When that's not possible we go out and check the pumps and possibly reset the floats. We explain how the water is currently flowing through their yard. The amount of water that the sewage pumps have to try to deal with can burn these costly pumps out quickly. With the yards flooded and the septic working at full capacity there is no place to pump the water to.

In some cases we are able to help pump off the ground water to a different location in the home owner’s yard with pumps that we supply. Yards are flooded and septic systems are under water. We try not to pump the Septic Tanks out with our pump trucks as this would cost the homeowners too much money. We could keep pumping for hours and easily pump 3000 gallons out of a 1000 gallon septic tank. Once the water is in our trucks it's considered septic not ground water and has to be dumped at an approved (expensive) dumping facility. As a family business, we try not to spend anybodies money differently than they would spend their own.

In these conditions, the calls that come in are not only about pump up systems. Herring Sanitation has had a few calls from people with collapsed tanks. The water pressure got too much on the outside of the tank and down they went leaving a surprising hole in the yard. We quickly secure the area and file all necessary paper work with the Board of Health and schedule their replacement tank. So we will be busy for the next week or so taking care of all these emergencies.

Hurricane Preparation

2011-08-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Irene is scheduled to hit the Hudson Valley Sunday and Herring Sanitation is taking all kinds of calls from people trying to ready their septic system. So we started with a busy day and now it's crazy busy. All our customers seem to be energized and happy which makes our pumpers and office staff pleased.

Our support teams are out filling up our trucks with fuel and stocking up on supplies. This should be a big storm and we want to be ready to handle whatever comes our way.

We’ve checked all our pumps so we’ll be ready to handle all those calls that come when basements start to flood and people can’t rely on electricity to keep them dry. We are hoping that we are over prepared.

Tragic accident

2011-08-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

2 men were found dead in Devils Tower KOA septic tank. This is 10 miles outside of Hulett, Wyoming.

The owner of the Septic tank service age 60 and the owner of the Camp Ground age 49 both died and were found in the septic tank.

Jim Herring of Herring Sanitation always warns people that if the tank is old and you have your doubts, do not stand over it. He has pulled lawn tractors, dogs and even a deer out of septic tanks.

This is a tragic accident and our hearts go out to the families involved as well as the rescue workers.

Amazing Roots in Field Pipes

2011-08-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Just the other day Jim and Jason Herring were on a job together and found this interesting pipe.

YES!

The pipe to the left is full of roots. It should look like the pipe to the right. The customer was wondering why his septic fields were not leaching any more.

Can you imagine why?

All of us were amazed at how full these pipes were.

What we usually find are fine roots or roots the size of your finger. This for sure was different.

Don't worry we fixed their problem by moving his system to a different location on his property where there are no trees. He was lucky to have a large yard.

Jim and Jason were sure to save this pipe for show and tell.

Day after a Hoilday

2011-07-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

We're back in the office after a holiday weekend and it's busy busy busy. Pumpers are out doing their thing Dumping and Pumping. Installers are trying to finish up what they started last week only to find out that the estimators have gotten more work that of course has to be started immediately. Lines to snake. Trucks to fix. Of course the most important thing as far as our staff goes is the payroll has to be processed. We'll all be glad when this day is over.