I need to tell you something most won’t say: sewage is captivating. No, really. When other kids were burning through summers at the pool in 2008, my brothers and I were up to our waists in clay, observing a grizzled installer named Carl yell at a off-center septic tank. Dad believed it would build character. Turns out, he was spot-on—though I certainly didn’t thank him when I missed the complete soccer season. But that summer? It transformed us. While other companies were just maintaining tanks, we were figuring out to build them from the dirt up. For real.

Let me share the septic truth nobody admits: anybody can dig a hole. But building a system that endures 30 years? That’s art blended with science, with a dash of determination. I found out that the tough way in 2015 when we got arrogant. Built a system near Mount Rainier using “textbook” techniques. Six months later, the client contacted us—voice trembling—about sewage bubbling up like a disaster film. Turns out, “conventional” won’t cut it when the groundwater table serves up curveballs. We tore it out, took the $12k loss, and dedicated the next winter getting qualified in hydrogeological assessments. Reality carved into our bones: certifications are not paperwork. They are armor.

At Septic Solutions LLC, we breathe this stuff. Not symbolically—though Carl did cut his thumb open that first summer teaching us pipe welding. (“Maintain it steady, kid!”) Our team doesn’t just have licenses; we are got obsessed. Washington State mandates installers to clock 24 hours of continuing education. Our lead designer, Marco? He does 24 hours every quarter. Why? Because in 2019, we faced a nightmare job near Woodinville where three “certified” companies had given up. The soil was like wet cement, and the homeowner was on brink of suing everyone. Marco grabbed his International Association of Plumbing Officials (IAPMO) manuals—yes, he devours them for fun—and redesigned the entire drainage field using a rare pressure distribution method. Two years later, that client sent us a Christmas card with a snapshot of her flourishing garden… right over the septic field.

But I’ll get raw for a second. Certifications are meaningless if your crew sees them like wall art. Our secret? Each tech at Septic Solutions has individually failed. Big time. Like me in 2015. Or Jake, our repair specialist, who botched a tank baffle issue in 2021 and had to apologize to a furious grandma in Snohomish. (He now runs our “Baffles 101” workshop.) Failure’s our best professor—which is why we’ve become fanatics about cross-training. Our installation team observes repair crews every winter. Why? Because witnessing how systems fail teaches you how to create them better.

You want proof? Ask the Hendersons. In 2022, they purchased a “ideal” cabin near Snoqualmie Pass—only to find the existing septic system was a ticking bomb. Three companies quoted them $35k+ for a total replacement. We arrived, looked at the permits, and noticed something odd: the original 1998 installer had failed to updated their certification for sand filter systems. As it happened, a straightforward recirculating sand filter retrofit—which our NSF/ANSI 40 certified team does regularly—saved them $18k. They are now newsletter subscribers. Yes, we have a septic newsletter. Don’t laugh—2,300 people follow it.

This is the reality: professionalism ain’t what you display. It becomes what you work through. I still remember Mom’s face in 2010 when we got our first business license. “You’re gonna waste those college brains on sewage?” she sighed. But this profession? It feels alive. Soil changes. Codes transform. And when you are stuck in a trench at 3 PM on a Friday, rain soaking your collar, you discover certifications were never about pride. They are about keeping a family’s basement from transforming into a biohazard.

We’ve got displays of certificates—WSDA, OSHA, you mention it. But the one I’m proudest of? The scribbled note from Carl after he retired. “Didn’t thought you brats would beat me.” Same here, old man. Neither did we.

So yeah. If you require a new septic system, six other companies will gladly take your call. But if you want a group that has failed, learned, and website gone crazy over wastewater flow rates at 2 AM? Look for the ones with dirt under our nails and reference books in our trucks. Because in this business, the best qualifications never hang on walls. You’ll find them buried in the ground—functioning.