Septic System Repair
Slow drains, wet spots over the field, odors and backups, fixed by restoring the drain field inside the tank you already own instead of replacing it.
Learn More
Nearly nine in ten Davidson County residents live outside Lexington's city limits. NC State Extension says nearly half of North Carolina homes have a septic system. On a High Rock Lake cove or a back road near Welcome, a clogged drain field looks the same. Drains slow down and toilets gurgle, while the ground over the lines stays soggy or starts to smell.
Septic Samurai is based in Statesville, about 34 miles west, and handles septic system repair across Lexington and Davidson County. When a slimy layer called biomat clogs the field, biological drain field restoration works on it from your existing tank. We add risers and effluent filters where a tank needs them, then keep the system on a maintenance plan. Call or text (336) 624-7314 for a free on-site evaluation of the tank and the field.
Tell us about the job. We will get right back to you.
High Rock Lake is the Yadkin River reservoir shared by Davie, Davidson and Rowan counties. On the Davidson County side, it reaches inland along arms formed by Flat Swamp, Abbotts, Buddle and Swearing creeks. North and South Potts creeks form two more. In all, the lake covers about 15,180 acres with roughly 360 miles of shoreline.
Lexington sits about 11 miles northeast of High Rock Lake. Southmont, south of the city on NC 8, sits on the lake's northern shore. A recent Census estimate puts about 1,500 people there. High Rock Dam, which formed the lake, was completed in 1927.
A drain field on a lake lot has the same job as any other. It has to soak the liquid leaving the tank, called effluent, into the soil. Our septic aeration system goes inside the tank you already own. The only digging is a shallow trench for the air line, after a utility locate through NC 811.
NC DEQ lists High Rock Lake as impaired for chlorophyll a, turbidity and pH. The lake has been on North Carolina's 303(d) list of impaired waters since 2004. DEQ says it is currently drafting new state requirements to cut the nutrients behind the lake's algal blooms.
The EPA says household wastewater carries disease causing bacteria and viruses, plus high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. A septic system that is well maintained and working properly removes most of those pollutants. When a failing system releases them into the ground, the EPA says they eventually reach streams and lakes.
The High Rock Lake Steering Committee took up septic loading in its report to the state. For existing development, it recommended septic system education, outreach, inspection, maintenance and repair. That is a recommendation, not an adopted rule.
We start with a diagnostic septic system inspection to find out why a system is failing. Then we keep it on a septic system maintenance plan with scheduled visits. Real estate or point-of-sale septic inspections are a different job, and in North Carolina they need a state-certified inspector. We do not do them.
Lexington is the Davidson County seat, and septic permits run through the county's On-Site Water Protection program. That Environmental Health program enforces the state septic rules and evaluates soil and site conditions on each proposed building lot. It also investigates malfunction complaints, and Septic Repair is one of the county's online permit applications.
NC State Extension lists what makes a site unsuitable for a conventional septic system. Its list is rock close to the surface, very sticky clays, layers that restrict water moving down, and shallow groundwater. The Davidson County Soil and Water Conservation District provides soils information for the entire county. That includes soil suitability for septic fields, and its office keeps soils maps open to the public.
The layer that clogs a drain field is called biomat, a black, slimy build-up around the lines. NC State Extension says it forms in the upper 1 to 6 inches of soil just below the trench bottom. Our in-tank unit feeds air to natural bacteria, and the effluent carries them out to digest that biomat. As it breaks down, the soil absorbs water again and the field comes back into service.
Our work is a retrofit inside the existing tank, so nothing is replaced or expanded. The drain field is not dug up. We tell you before work starts if the Davidson County health department needs to be involved.
A tank with no riser stays buried, so every service call starts with digging down to the lids. Septic tank risers bring that access up to ground level under a lid. After that, the tank can be opened for service without digging every time.
Most older tanks never had an effluent filter, because there was no riser access to service one. NC State Extension notes that septic systems installed since 1999 include an effluent filter in the tank. We fit an effluent filter on the tank outlet to keep undigested solids out of the drain field. We clean it on every service visit.
Year one of service visits comes with every install, at about 30 days, 6 months and 1 year. After year one, the plan is two visits a year. Once the system is stable, it drops to one visit a year with an annual bacteria treatment. Each visit checks the unit and air pump, cleans the filter, inspects the tank and field, and adds bacteria.
Most installs are finished in a day. Every unit we install has a high-water alarm. Septic Samurai is a North Carolina certified septic installer. If our inspection shows the tank or the field needs replacing, we refer that work out.
Communities and areas we serve around Lexington: Southmont, Tyro, Welcome, Midway, Linwood, Churchland, Arcadia, Holly Grove, Yadkin College, Denton, Wallburg, Abbotts Creek.
Lexington ZIP codes served: 27292, 27293, 27294, 27295.
Free estimates throughout Davidson County and the surrounding area.
(336) 624-7314 Slow drains, wet spots over the field, odors and backups, fixed by restoring the drain field inside the tank you already own instead of replacing it.
Learn More
Septic Samurai restores failing septic drain fields biologically, with a unit that goes inside the tank you already own. The field stays in the ground and most installs are finished in a day.
Learn More
A compact aeration and bacteria unit installs inside your existing septic tank. Air plus living bacteria digest the solids that would otherwise clog your drain field.
Learn More
We install septic tank risers that bring the tank access up to ground level. Cracked or buried lids get replaced with a riser lid that fastens down.
Learn More
An effluent filter screens solids out of the water leaving your septic tank, so they never reach the drain field. We install filters on existing tanks and clean them on every service visit.
Learn More
Septic Samurai services septic systems on a set schedule around Statesville and the lakes. Each visit checks the tank and pump, cleans the effluent filter, inspects the drain field and adds bacteria.
Learn More
We inspect septic tanks and drain fields to find out why a system backs up, drains slowly or stays wet. The on-site evaluation is free, and you get a plain reading of what we found.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Lexington. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Call or text (336) 624-7314, or send the form and we will get back to you. Tell us what the system is doing and we will set up a free evaluation.
Tell us about the job. We will get right back to you.