A new system is a permit, a soil report and then a machine.
The digging is the short part. What decides whether the system works in year fifteen is the soil evaluation and the sizing that happen before anybody starts an engine.
Why the county is involved before we are
Septic system installation is a permitted activity in North Carolina and it runs through county environmental health, not through us. A soil scientist or an environmental health specialist evaluates the site, decides what the ground can absorb, and that evaluation sets the size and the type of the system. A three bedroom house on tight clay and a three bedroom house on sandy loam do not get the same drain field.
Septic system installation is one of only two services Ray's lists on its own Google profile, alongside sewer repair. It is the heavier end of what this company does and it is the end where the paperwork matters more than the equipment.
If you are building, the permit comes before the foundation in practice, because where the system has to go often decides where the house can sit. If you are replacing a failed system on an existing house, the evaluation is about what is left of the original field and whether a repair area exists.
- County environmental health permit in hand before work starts
- System sized off the soil evaluation, not off the house
- Tank set level on a prepared base
- Field lines run to the layout on the permit
- Site graded back and the spoil dealt with
Replacing a system that has failed
A failed system announces itself in one of three ways: it backs up into the house, it surfaces in the yard, or an inspection catches it before a sale. The first two are obvious. The third is the one that costs people a closing date.
Not every failure needs a whole new system, and this is worth saying plainly because it is the difference between a repair and a five figure job. One customer wrote that another septic company had told them the entire system had to be replaced, that they called Ray's for a second look, and that it was not the case at all: a pipe needed clearing. Ask for the reasoning behind a replacement recommendation before you accept it, from us or from anybody.
When a system genuinely is finished, the honest version is that the ground has stopped accepting water and no amount of pumping changes that. Pumping a failed field buys days, not years, and anybody selling it to you as a fix is selling you a repeat appointment.
What the yard looks like afterwards
This part is worth being straight about. Putting in a tank and a field means an excavator, a lot of red clay on the surface, and a yard that looks rough before it looks finished. It settles and it grows back, but there is a period in between where it does not look like anything you would want photographed.
What you should expect is the site graded back reasonably level, the spoil dealt with rather than left in mounds, and the larger debris taken off rather than pushed into the ground. If something is left in a state you are not happy with, say it while the machine is still on the property, because that is when it costs nothing to fix.
Talk about a new system
Tell us whether this is a new build or a system that has failed.
What 245 homeowners said
Every quote below is a real review, word for word, from our Google profile.
I called Ray's back at 8:50PM Friday night, and not only did they answer they talked to me for 10 minutes and methodically went through what to check. We discovered over the phone that the pump float had fallen off the pole and wasn't activating the pump. He described how to fix it over the phone and saved me a lot of money not having to have an emergency response. Unbelievable customer service, most folks would have charged me the service fee.
Andre came out and he was absolutely amazing. Very kind and honest. The prices they have are great but we would honestly be willing to pay more for the customer service. We were told by another septic tank company that we had to replace our entire system, we called Ray's and that was not the case at all. Just needed a pipe cleared.
We've gotten pump outs from another local company every 7 years for the 26 years since we built our house. This time we contacted Ray's Septic. What a difference. The price was substantially less than several other companies and our usual vendor. Andre was without a doubt one of the most customer service focused people I've ever met. He performed the job, cleaned up the work area and was extremely professional.
We used Ray's to pump our ancient tank from the 1930's. Andre was our technician and he was nothing short of spectacular. Found our septic tank, didn't make a huge mess digging, pumped it efficiently, and gave us great tips for taking care of our tank moving forward. All for a very reasonable price.
They sent the most knowledgeable and polite technician, Andre. After he pumped the tank he explained I still had water dripping into the septic tank due to a faulty flapper in the toilet tank, that you could not hear running from inside. I called my plumber to come out and repair, he said Andre was right, bad flapper.
I asked around for a good priced knowledgeable and honest pumping service, most answers were Ray's. I had my pick of any day. Gabe showed up, very knowledgeable. I had just purchased my house so I didn't know where my tank or lid was, but I had the environmental diagram so Gabe found the lid in no time, pumped my tank, and took time to help me understand more about it.
New septic systems and tank replacement, permitted through the county.
Yes. In North Carolina it goes through county environmental health, and it starts with a soil evaluation of the site. The evaluation decides the size and type of system, so it comes before any quote worth trusting.
The machine work is usually a matter of days. The permitting and the soil evaluation in front of it are the part with the unpredictable timeline, and they are not on our schedule.
Sometimes. One customer was told by another company that their whole system needed replacing when a blocked pipe was the actual problem. Ask what specifically has failed and why replacement is the answer before you agree to it.
Yes, during the work. Installing a tank and field means an excavator and a lot of exposed clay. It gets graded back and it grows in, but expect it to look rough for a while.
Talk to us about where your permit stands when you call. The evaluation and the permit are county processes, and knowing which stage you are at changes what the next step is.
We photograph the work and show you. If septic system installation is not what you actually need, we say so and quote the work that is.
Tell us what the house is doing.
Septic or well. Give us the address and the symptom and we will come back to you.