Septic System Installation in Mishawaka, IN

Our Step-by-Step Installation Process

1. Soil report. A soil scientist describes the soil layers and the depth to the seasonal high water table, and takes the three borings St. Joseph County asks for at the site of the new system. Every design starts from that report.

2. Design review against the county specs. The county issues minimum design specifications from the soil report. We check them against your lot before anything is drawn, which is where a tree gets saved or an unnecessary dig gets avoided.

3. Plan submission. The engineering drawings go to the St. Joseph County Health Department complete the first time, and the construction permit follows the review. With no revisions, review and the site inspection typically take 1 to 2 weeks.

4. Pump-out of the old tank. On a replacement, the old tank is pumped out days ahead of the dig so the soil dries out and nothing contaminates the site.

5. Excavation and construction. Indiana 811 marks the utilities, then the crew excavates, sets the tank level with its effluent filter and risers, and lays out the absorption field to the approved plan. The work is timed to keep your plumbing downtime short.

6. Inspection, backfill and restoration. The county inspects the system before it is covered. After the sign-off we backfill carefully, so nothing shifts, and power-rake the ground smooth so your lawn is ready for seeding.

Why Homeowners Choose ASAP Poop Co.

Optimized Designs That Save Thousands: Small oversight errors on county specs can unnecessarily inflate your project cost. ASAP Poop Co. audits health department specifications to identify design alternatives, like shifting absorption beds to preserve existing trees or avoiding unnecessary excavation.

Flawless Plan Submissions: A single missing dimension on an engineering plan can delay health department approval by weeks. Our team gets the drawing right the first time so your project stays on schedule.

Minimized Household Downtime: Replacing an existing system? We pump out your old tank days prior to dry out the soil and prevent contamination. During active construction, we coordinate work to keep your plumbing downtime as brief as possible.

Careful Backfilling and Site Restoration: Heavy equipment can easily misalign pipes if handled carelessly. After our final county inspection sign-off, ASAP Poop Co. backfills with extreme precision and power-rakes the area smooth so your lawn is ready for final seeding and grass establishment.

Septic system installation permits in St. Joseph County and Elkhart County

Indiana's rule for home septic systems, 410 IAC 6-8.3, requires a construction permit before a new system goes in. Replacements and repairs need one too. In St. Joseph County, the permit comes from the St. Joseph County Department of Health. In Elkhart County, it comes from the Elkhart County Health Department.

The permit starts with a soil report. A soil scientist describes the soil layers and the depth to the seasonal high water table. St. Joseph County asks for three soil borings where the new system will go. The county then issues minimum design specifications, and the installer's design has to meet them.

In St. Joseph County, inspectors check the work before it is covered. The system goes into use once the final inspection passes. After that, it needs routine septic tank pumping like any septic system.

Which type of septic system does your lot need?

Indiana's rule matches the system type to the soil report and the home's bedroom count. A gravity system lets the liquid from the tank run downhill to the drain field trenches. Flood dosed and pressure distribution systems use a pump to send it out in doses. An elevated sand mound raises the drain field on a bed of sand above the natural ground.

Soils change a lot across Michiana. Around Granger, federal NRCS soil maps show sandy outwash, and seepage is the drain field limit they name most. Where medium sand lies within 24 inches of the trench bottom, the rule requires pressure distribution.

South Elkhart County has the opposite problem. Near Nappanee and Wakarusa, the maps show Crosier loam and other soils formed in glacial till. There, the water table can rise to within about a foot of the surface. Lots like these can need a subsurface drain to lower it, and some call for an elevated sand mound.

Septic tank installation and northern Indiana weather

Every install starts with a locate request to Indiana 811, at least two full working days before the dig. Then the excavation opens the ground for the tank and the drain field. The new tank sits level, with an effluent filter and risers that reach the surface, as the rule requires.

Weather sets the calendar here. Indiana's rule bars drain field work when the soil at trench depth is too wet. Soil that rolls into a thread one-eighth inch thick without crumbling is too wet. Mound site work also stops when the ground is frozen.

The rule's frost table lists 60 inches for both St. Joseph County and Elkhart County. A pump line to the field has to drain between doses or run below that depth. The rule also warns against driving machines over the field area, since packed soil can get a site rejected.