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.

Will pumping the tank fix a backup?

Often it gets the house draining again, but it may not fix the cause. If the drain field or a pump has failed, the tank will refill and the problem will return, so ask for a diagnosis along with the pumping.

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 Hancock County health department, or ask the septic company to handle permits for you.

Emergency Septic Service in Franklin, ME

Septic emergencies usually show up as a backup in the lowest drain, a sewage smell that will not go away or a high water alarm. Each of these means wastewater has nowhere to go, and it will only get worse with more water use.

Use the form or call to reach a local septic company working in Franklin. Tell them what you are seeing so they can bring the right equipment on the first trip.

First steps in a septic emergency

Turn off or stop using every source of water you can: no showers, laundry, dishwasher or flushing. Keep children and pets away from any sewage, indoors or out, and do not try to open the tank yourself. If an alarm is sounding, silence it and leave the breaker on unless it keeps tripping.

Why septic systems back up

Wastewater backs up when it cannot move forward. That can happen at the pipe leaving the house, inside the tank, at the outlet filter or out in the drain field. A single slow drain usually points to a clog near that fixture. Every drain slowing at once points to the tank or beyond. The technician's job is to find which part stopped flowing and fix that, not just empty the tank.

When the septic alarm sounds

A high water alarm means water in the pump tank or aerobic unit has risen above normal. Press the silence button, cut back on water and check whether the breaker for the pump has tripped. If the alarm comes back on or the breaker trips again, call for service, because the pump may have failed.

How an emergency visit usually goes

The first priority is to get wastewater moving so you can use your plumbing again, which often means pumping the tank or clearing a line. Next the technician looks for the underlying cause. Some fixes happen on the spot, like replacing a float or cleaning a filter. Others, like replacing a drain field, need a follow-up visit, permits and a written estimate.

Avoiding another septic emergency

Regular pumping, an effluent filter cleaned at each visit, and care about what goes down the drains prevent most emergencies. Fix leaking toilets and faucets, keep roof water away from the tank and field, and know where your tank lid is so a crew can reach it quickly if something does go wrong.

Questions to ask when you call

Ask how soon a crew can arrive and whether there is an extra charge for after-hours service. Ask whether they can pump and diagnose on the same trip. Confirm they work on your type of system, especially if you have a pump, aerobic unit or mound. After the visit, ask for a written summary of what failed, what was done and what still needs attention.

While you wait for help in Franklin

If sewage is backing up in a Franklin home, stop using water right away. Do not run the washer, dishwasher or showers. Keep children and pets away from any wet area in the yard. Open windows for air if there is an odor indoors, and have the tank lid location ready for the crew.

Local conditions behind septic emergencies in Franklin

Most mapped soils near Franklin 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 49 inches of precipitation a year means saturated ground is common, and backups often follow long stretches of rain. About 4 months below freezing each year also bring the risk of frozen lines, especially in shallow pipes or homes left empty.

Local conditions in Franklin that affect emergency septic service

Among the mapped soils within about two miles of central Franklin, the USDA soil survey rates 95% as very limited for septic absorption fields, 5% as somewhat limited and 0% as not limited. The most common drainage class is moderately 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.

Franklin averages about 49 inches of precipitation a year, and October is usually the wettest month. Average temperatures stay below freezing for about 4 months a year, with January averaging 24°F, so tank lids and shallow lines benefit from a layer of snow or mulch rather than being cleared bare.

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 Franklin means for emergency septic service

By drainage class, the USDA soil survey maps the land around Franklin as 22% moderately well drained, 16% well drained, 15% somewhat excessively drained, 15% excessively drained, 12% very poorly drained, 11% poorly drained, 9% somewhat poorly drained. Backups and wet spots are most common after heavy rain, and with 32% of the soil poorly drained the ground here can stay saturated for days, 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 Franklin

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

Haslam's Septic Service, Lamoine, ME, 9.0 mi
Action Septic Service LLC, Trenton, ME, 10.9 mi
Stool Bus, Brewer, ME, 28.4 mi
Look Septic & Pumping, Whitneyville, ME, 36.6 mi
Moore's Septic Inc, Swanville, ME, 37.3 mi
Burns Septic Systems, Hudson, ME, 41.4 mi

Emergency Septic Service in nearby towns

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

Hancock, 5.6 mi
Sullivan, 6.4 mi
Lamoine, 8.4 mi
Ellsworth, 11.7 mi
Trenton, 11.8 mi
Bar Harbor, 14.1 mi

About Franklin, ME

Franklin is in Hancock County, Maine. About 1,607 people live there, across 36.5 square miles of land (about 44 per square mile).

Emergency Septic Service questions in Franklin

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.
Will pumping the tank fix a backup?: Often it gets the house draining again, but it may not fix the cause. If the drain field or a pump has failed, the tank will refill and the problem will return, so ask for a diagnosis along with the pumping.
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 Hancock County health department, or ask the septic company to handle permits for you.