Is sewage in the house dangerous?

Sewage can carry bacteria and viruses. Keep people and pets away, wear gloves if you must touch anything, and clean affected areas thoroughly after the problem is fixed. Large spills may call for a professional cleanup company.

Why did my system back up after heavy rain?

Saturated soil can stop a drain field from absorbing water, and surface water can seep into tanks and lids. The system may recover as the ground dries, but repeated problems after rain point to a drain field or drainage issue that should be inspected.

Should I call a plumber or a septic company?

If only one fixture is slow, a plumber may clear the clog. If several drains are slow or backing up, or there is an alarm or odor near the tank, call a septic company.

Does fixing a septic emergency need a permit?

Pumping and small repairs usually do not. Larger repairs and drain field or tank replacement often do. Check with the Shelby County health department, or ask the septic company to handle permits for you.

Septic Backup or Alarm in Helena? Get Help Fast

When a septic system fails suddenly, homeowners in Helena need two things: to keep the problem from spreading and to get a qualified crew on site. Most emergencies trace back to a full tank, a clogged line or a failed pump.

A local company that works across Shelby County can find the cause, pump the tank if needed and get your plumbing working again.

What to do right now

Stop using water. That means no laundry, dishwasher, showers or flushing until the problem is found, because every gallon has to go somewhere. If sewage has come up into the house, keep children and pets away, avoid touching it without gloves and open windows for ventilation. If your system has a pump and an alarm, do not keep silencing and ignoring it. Note what you see, when it started and anything that changed recently, then call a septic company.

Common causes of septic emergencies

A tank that is overdue for pumping is the most common cause. Other frequent culprits include a clogged line between the house and the tank or a blocked outlet baffle or filter. A failed pump or a drain field that can no longer absorb water can also cause a sudden backup. Heavy rain can make a struggling drain field fail suddenly. Tree roots, crushed pipes and items like wipes or grease also cause blockages.

If your septic alarm is going off

An alarm on a pump chamber or aerobic unit usually means the water level is too high. Many alarms have a silence button; press it, then cut back on water use. Check that the pump's breaker has not tripped. If the alarm comes back on after a few hours, the pump, float switch or control panel may have failed and needs service. Do not open the pump chamber yourself, since it contains wastewater and electrical equipment.

How an emergency call usually goes

The crew will ask what happened, then find and open the tank. If it is full, pumping it gives the house room to drain again. With the tank empty they can see whether the inlet is blocked, whether a baffle failed, or whether water is flowing back from the drain field, which points to a bigger repair.

Preventing the next emergency

Most emergencies are preventable. Pump the tank on a regular schedule, have the effluent filter cleaned, and keep grease, wipes and chemicals out of the drains. Spread laundry across the week rather than doing many loads in one day. Keep vehicles and heavy equipment off the tank and drain field, and direct roof and yard drainage away from them. If you have a pump system, test the alarm now and then.

Choosing help in an emergency

Even in a hurry, a few questions are worth asking. Is the company licensed where you live and insured? Will they explain the cause before recommending major work? Do they handle repairs and replacements, or only pumping? the Shelby County health department can confirm whether a permit is needed for repairs in Helena.

A septic backup in Shelby County

If a backup happens in Shelby County, the first priority is keeping sewage out of living space and away from people. After that, a pumper can relieve the tank and find the cause. If the drain field turns out to be failing, the Shelby County health department may need to be involved in the repair.

Local conditions behind septic emergencies in Helena

Most mapped soils near Helena are rated very limited for septic absorption, so a drain field that is already working hard can back up quickly when something else goes wrong. About 54 inches of precipitation a year means saturated ground is common, and backups often follow long stretches of rain.

Local conditions in Helena that affect emergency septic service

Among the mapped soils within about two miles of central Helena, the USDA soil survey rates 76% as very limited for septic absorption fields, 24% as somewhat limited and 0% as not limited. The most common drainage class is well drained. Soils like these often call for careful system design, such as a larger drain field, a mound or another engineered system, and a site evaluation before any new installation or replacement.

Helena averages about 54 inches of precipitation a year, and February is usually the wettest month. January is the coldest month at about 42°F on average, so freezing is rarely the main concern here. Heavy rain and saturated ground are the bigger factors for drain fields.

Sources: USDA NRCS Soil Survey (SSURGO), Soil Data Access; NASA POWER long-term climatology. Soil ratings describe mapped soil types near the city center and do not replace a site evaluation of your property.

What the soil around Helena means for emergency septic service

By drainage class, the USDA soil survey maps the land around Helena as 86% well drained, 9% somewhat poorly drained, 6% somewhat excessively drained. Backups and wet spots are most common after heavy rain, so it helps to know where your tank lid and cleanout are before you need them.

Source: USDA NRCS Soil Survey (SSURGO), Soil Data Access

Septic companies near Helena

These are the septic companies in our directory closest to Helena, with straight-line distance. Call any of them directly, or send one request and we will pass it to the best match.

C R Management LLC, Helena, AL, 2.3 mi
Carter Septic Tank Service, Maylene, AL, 5.0 mi
White Systems Inc, Bessemer, AL, 10.9 mi
2 Men & Some Stuff, Mccalla, AL, 13.7 mi
Squirrel's Septic Tank Service LLC, Chelsea, AL, 17.2 mi
Crimson Septic & Construction LLC, Wilsonville, AL, 19.4 mi

Emergency Septic Service in nearby towns

We also cover emergency septic service in these towns near Helena:

Alabaster, 5.8 mi
Hoover, 7.8 mi
Bessemer, 8.1 mi
Pelham, 8.3 mi
Indian Springs Village, 9.3 mi
Lipscomb, 10.2 mi

About Helena, AL

Helena is in Shelby County, Alabama. About 22,117 people live there, across 22.1 square miles of land (about 1,001 per square mile).

Emergency Septic Service questions in Helena

Is sewage in the house dangerous?: Sewage can carry bacteria and viruses. Keep people and pets away, wear gloves if you must touch anything, and clean affected areas thoroughly after the problem is fixed. Large spills may call for a professional cleanup company.
Why did my system back up after heavy rain?: Saturated soil can stop a drain field from absorbing water, and surface water can seep into tanks and lids. The system may recover as the ground dries, but repeated problems after rain point to a drain field or drainage issue that should be inspected.
Should I call a plumber or a septic company?: If only one fixture is slow, a plumber may clear the clog. If several drains are slow or backing up, or there is an alarm or odor near the tank, call a septic company.
Does fixing a septic emergency need a permit?: Pumping and small repairs usually do not. Larger repairs and drain field or tank replacement often do. Check with the Shelby County health department, or ask the septic company to handle permits for you.