Septic System Installation in Matthews, NC
A new septic system is a long-term investment. Getting it right means a proper site evaluation, a design that fits your property and a permit approved before any digging starts.
Septic companies that work across Mecklenburg County can guide you through each step and handle much of the paperwork.
The steps of a new septic installation
Expect five stages: site and soil evaluation, system design, permit approval, construction, and inspection before the trenches are covered. Weather and permit review times affect the schedule more than the digging itself, which often takes only a few days once everything is approved.
Choosing the right system
The best system is the one your soil and lot can support. Good, deep soil often allows a conventional system. Clay, high groundwater or shallow bedrock may call for a mound, pressure distribution or an aerobic unit. Each has different costs and maintenance needs, so ask your installer to explain them.
The permit process for a new system
Installing or replacing a septic system almost always needs approval from the Mecklenburg County health department or the state agency that oversees septic systems. The usual steps are a soil evaluation, a stamped design, plan review and one or more inspections during construction. Starting without a permit can mean digging it all up again.
What you are paying for in a new system
A new system quote covers the soil evaluation and design, permits, the tank, pipe and field materials, excavation and backfill, and the final inspection. Ask whether site restoration such as grading and seeding is included, and whether the quote assumes a conventional system or an engineered one.
The first years with a new system
Keep the design drawing and the final inspection report somewhere safe. Pump on the schedule your installer recommends, use water steadily rather than all at once, and keep vehicles and new structures off the tank and field. Let grass establish over the field before heavy use of the yard.
Questions to ask an installer
Ask who performs the soil evaluation and design, whether they handle permits, what system types they recommend and why, and how long the project will take. Ask about warranty terms and what maintenance the system will need.
Scheduling a septic installation
Start early if you are building or replacing a failing system. Book the soil evaluation first, since everything else depends on it. Ask your installer how long permits are currently taking with the Mecklenburg County health department, and plan for weather, especially if the work falls in winter or a rainy season.
Questions that prevent problems later
Before work begins in Matthews, ask where the tank and field will sit relative to your well, your neighbors and any planned projects. Ask how deep the components will be, how the yard will be restored and what records you will receive when the job is done. Clear answers now save digging up the yard later to find out.
Replacing an old system in Matthews
When a system near Matthews fails, replacement often means a new drain field in a fresh part of the yard. The old tank may be pumped, crushed and filled, or reused if it is sound. Mecklenburg County usually requires a permit and a final inspection. Ask for the as-built drawing once the work is done.
What Matthews's soil means for a new system
The USDA soil survey rates most mapped soils near Matthews as very limited for septic absorption fields. New systems here often need a mound, pressure distribution or another engineered design, which your soil test will confirm. With about 45 inches of precipitation a year, designers here account for high water tables and runoff when sizing and placing a system.
Local conditions in Matthews that affect septic installation
Among the mapped soils within about two miles of central Matthews, the USDA soil survey rates 65% as very limited for septic absorption fields, 35% 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.
Matthews averages about 45 inches of precipitation a year, and July is usually the wettest month. January is the coldest month at about 40°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 Matthews means for septic installation
By drainage class, the USDA soil survey maps the land around Matthews as 80% well drained, 12% moderately well drained, 8% somewhat poorly drained. Most of the soil here drains reasonably well, so a conventional trench field is often possible where the lot allows, but the soil test still decides.
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Survey (SSURGO), Soil Data Access
Septic companies near Matthews
These are the septic companies in our directory closest to Matthews, with straight-line distance. Call any of them directly, or send one request and we will pass it to the best match.
- W T Norwood Inc, Waxhaw, NC, 15.9 mi
- Catawba Nation Sanitation, Rock Hill, SC, 17.5 mi
- Palmetto Alternative Septic, Rock Hill, SC, 20.8 mi
- DLC Septic Systems, Catawba, SC, 23.0 mi
- Hudson Septic Tank Cleaning, Rock Hill, SC, 24.4 mi
- Tucker Gerald C, Kannapolis, NC, 25.2 mi
Septic Installation in nearby towns
We also cover septic installation in these towns near Matthews:
- Stallings, 2.9 mi
- Indian Trail, 4.8 mi
- Hemby Bridge, 4.9 mi
- Lake Park, 4.9 mi
- Mint Hill, 5.1 mi
- Weddington, 6.9 mi
About Matthews, NC
Matthews is in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. About 30,934 people live there, across 17.1 square miles of land (about 1,807 per square mile).
Septic Installation questions in Matthews
- Can I install a septic system myself?
- Most areas require licensed designers or installers and inspections. Check with the Mecklenburg County health department before planning any work yourself.
- How big does my septic tank need to be?
- Tank size is usually based on the number of bedrooms and local code. Your designer will size the tank and field for your home.
- Do I need a soil test for a new septic system?
- Yes, in nearly all cases. The soil evaluation decides what type of system and how large a field your lot can support.
- Is SepticTank.com the installer?
- No. SepticTank.com connects you with an independent local septic company that serves Matthews. That company designs, installs and prices the system.