Sewer & Drain · Nashville, TN
Septic System Installation in Nashville
A new tank and field laid out to the soil and the state or county permit, sized for the bedrooms in the house.
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Septic System Installation in Nashville, Tennessee
A new tank and field laid out to the soil and the state or county permit, sized for the bedrooms in the house.
For septic system installation, Nashville's Sewer and Drain works across Middle Tennessee — licensed, insured, with the price in writing before the work starts. Drain and sewer crews who clear the stoppage first, then put a camera down the line and show you what caused it.
Why homeowners call
Signs that bring people to us for this
- Sewage coming up a floor drain
- Every drain in the house slow at once
- Gurgling toilet when the washer drains
- Sewer smell in the yard or basement
- A soggy, sunken strip over the sewer line
- Roots back in the line every year
- Sump pump running and running
What is included
What our septic system installation work includes
- Soil evaluation and site plan for the permit
- Permit issued before any digging
- Tennessee 811 locates called in first
- Tank set level on a firm base
- Field trenches cut to the approved length
- House, tank and field lines laid to fall
- System inspected open before any backfill
- Risers brought to grade so the lids stay reachable
How Septic System Installation goes, from cleanout to final pass
The soil decides the system. Before a permit is issued, the site is evaluated for how fast the soil takes water and how deep it goes before rock or a seasonal water table, and that sets where the field can go and how long it has to be. On the shallow limestone and tight clay common in Middle Tennessee, some lots won’t take a conventional field at all.
Tennessee sizes a household system by the number of bedrooms, because that is what the house can hold over its life, whoever lives there now. The permit records that count. Finishing a basement into another bedroom later can push the house past what its system was approved for, so it is worth raising before the design is final.
Where a conventional gravel or chamber field won’t fit, Tennessee permits alternatives such as low-pressure pipe systems, which dose effluent through small pressurized lines, and drip disposal. Both need a pump tank, a control panel and an alarm, and both need regular service, so we explain what the property will be living with before the design is settled.
Nothing gets covered until it is inspected. The permitting office checks the tank, the lines and the trench depths in the open, and only then is the system backfilled. We set risers on the tank lids so the next pumping doesn’t start with a shovel, and we leave you a drawing of where everything is.
Also available
Other sewer, drain and septic work
Septic Services
Tanks, fields and grinder pumps for homes off the city sewer or sitting below it, from the first inspection to a new system.
Learn moreSeptic Inspection
The tank opened, its levels and baffles checked and the field walked, for a sale or because the yard has started to smell.
Learn moreSeptic Repair
Broken baffles, cracked lids, crushed lines and saturated field lines repaired once the cause is known.
Learn moreGrinder Pump Installation
A grinder pump and basin for a house that sits below the sewer main, wired with a high-water alarm.
Learn moreService area
Sewer and drain calls we take across Middle Tennessee
Our trucks reach Nashville and 100 more towns in 12 counties, and we take sewer and septic calls anywhere within about an hour of the city.
FAQ
Septic System Installation: what people ask first
How is a septic tank sized for a house in Tennessee?
By the number of bedrooms, as set in the permit. Tennessee sizes household systems by bedroom count because that is what the house can hold, and the permitting office sets the minimum tank size and field length from that count and the soil evaluation. A tank larger than the minimum is allowed and gives more room between pumpings.
Who issues septic permits in Middle Tennessee?
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, through the Ground Water Protection program in its Division of Water Resources, issues most of them. Some counties run the program themselves under contract with the state, so the office you deal with depends on the county. Either way, the permit comes before any digging, and the system is inspected before it is covered.
What happens if my lot fails the soil test for a septic system?
It may still qualify for an alternative system. Where soil is shallow over rock or drains too slowly for a conventional field, Tennessee permits designs such as low-pressure pipe and drip disposal, which spread effluent through small pressurized lines. They cost more to install and maintain, and a few sites won’t support any system, so get the soil evaluated before buying land if you can.
What should I avoid doing with a brand-new septic system?
Avoid sending it extra water and solids. Fix running toilets, spread laundry across the week, keep grease, wipes and chemicals out of the drains, and point downspouts away from the field. Don’t drive or build over the tank or lines, and pump the tank on schedule so solids never reach the field, which is the costly part to replace.
Free estimate
Book septic system installation with our crew
Call or write to Nashville's Sewer and Drain with what the drains are doing; we clear the line first and price any repair from the camera footage.