Home Septic Systems Septic Repair

Septic repair that fixes the actual problem.

Soggy fields, backed-up lines, crushed pipe, tanks and baffles that gave out, cesspools that failed inspection. We find what's wrong, tell you straight whether it's a repair or a replacement, and get it back in the ground right. Fort Ann, Washington County and the Lake George region.

(518) 409-6159 Request a Free Quote

Repair or replace, honestly Permitted where required Free on-site look

A replacement drain line bedded in stone in an open trench

Fixed, not patchedEvery repair to code

What we repair

The five things that usually go wrong.

Most septic failures come down to a short list. We've dug up all of them.

Failed leach fieldWet, smelly ground over the field means it can't absorb anymore. Depending on the design, that's a rebuild, an extension, or a new field in fresh ground.
Broken or crushed sewer lineRoots, settling, a driveway that got driven on before the trench was compacted. We dig it, replace it, pitch it properly and bed it right this time.
Tank problemsSteel tanks rust through. Concrete cracks. Baffles rot off and let solids into the field. We replace tanks and baffles and add risers so the next pump-out is easy.
Distribution boxA tilted or collapsed box sends everything down one trench and drowns it. A small fix that saves a field if it's caught early.
Cesspools & substandard systemsA cesspool is a covered hole with no tank and no field. It will not pass a Park Commission or property-transfer inspection. We replace them with a real system.

Get a Septic Repair Quote (518) 409-6159

Repair or replace?

We'll tell you which one before you spend a dollar.

A repair is worth doing when the rest of the system has life left in it. It's a waste when the field is at the end of the road. Here's how we call it.

Usually a repair

Fix the part, keep the system

A single crushed or root-bound line
A rotted baffle or a bad distribution box
A tank that needs risers or a lid
A field that's young but got flooded by one bad component
Surface water running onto the field that grading can send elsewhere

Usually a replacement

Start over in fresh ground

A field that's been surfacing for seasons, not weeks
A steel tank, or a concrete tank that's cracked
A cesspool, or no real absorption area at all
A system undersized for the bedrooms the house has now
A Park Commission "failed" or "substandard" finding

How a repair goes

From the first phone call to a dry yard.

Small problems get small fixes. Big ones get honest conversations.

Tell us what you're seeing

Wet spots, smells, backups, what the pumper said. Photos help. If it's an active backup, say so — we'll move.

We come look

We find the tank and the field, check the box and the outlet, and figure out what actually failed. Free, and you get a straight answer on the spot.

Permit if it needs one

In Washington County, repairs and replacements to the system go through the same Sewage Disposal Permit as a new install, with a stamped plan. Minor component fixes are quicker. We'll tell you which you're in.

Dig, fix, close it up

The right part replaced the right way, inspected where required, backfilled and graded so the yard doesn't tell on us later.

Permits, inspections & funding

Failed an inspection? Here's the clock.

Around Lake George, an inspection result comes with a deadline. In 2025 the Park Commission found that more than half of the 320 systems it inspected needed repair or replacement. "Failed" systems get six months; substandard ones get 60 days to five years depending on the finding.

Washington County permit

Every new, repaired or replaced system needs a Sewage Disposal Permit from the county Department of Code Enforcement in Fort Edward: a $100 application, plans sealed by a New York State licensed design professional, and two to four weeks of review before anyone digs.

Lake George Park Commission

Systems within 500 feet of Lake George (or 100 feet of a protected stream feeding it) are on a mandatory five-year inspection cycle. In 2025 the Commission inspected 320 systems and more than half needed repair or replacement.

Up to $10,000 back

The State Septic System Replacement Fund can reimburse up to 50% of an eligible replacement, up to $10,000. Washington County lists Fort Ann, Fort Edward, Kingsbury, Argyle, Hartford, Dresden, Putnam, Easton, Greenwich and White Creek; Warren County runs its own for the Lake George basin.

Sources: Washington County Sewage Disposal System Application (rev. Jan 2026) · Lake George Park Commission 2025 Septic Inspection Program annual report · washingtoncountyny.gov, State Septic System Replacement Fund. Eligibility is decided by the county and the state, not by us — we'll point you to the right form.

Repair questions

Straight answers, before you call.

My drains are slow and the yard over the field is wet. What is it?+

Nine times out of ten it's the absorption field: it can't take the water anymore, so effluent surfaces and the house backs up. Have the tank pumped if it hasn't been in years, and if the pumper says it refilled from the outlet, call us — that's the field.

Do you pump tanks or do emergency clean-outs?+

No. We're the excavation side — lines, tanks, boxes and fields. A hauler pumps. If pumping doesn't solve it, we do.

Does a septic repair need a permit in Washington County?+

Repairs or replacements to the disposal system do — the county application lists "repair or replacement of an existing disposal system" as permitted work and requires a stamped plan. Replacing a baffle or adding risers is a different scale, and we'll tell you what your fix requires before we start.

Our system failed the Lake George Park Commission inspection. How fast can this happen?+

Failed systems get six months to come into compliance; substandard ones get a window from 60 days to five years. The design has to go through an engineer and the local review authority first, so the sooner the test pits are dug the better. Call us the week you get the letter.

Can you just extend the field instead of replacing it?+

Sometimes, if the existing field is sound and there's room and soil for more trench. The designer decides that from the test pits. When it works, it's a lot less than a full replacement.

Will you tear up my whole yard?+

We dig where the problem is. A line repair is a trench, not a field. When it is the field, we plan the route in and out with you so the lawn we don't need to touch stays a lawn.