I need to tell you something unpopular: sewage is fascinating. Seriously. When most kids were frittering away summers at the pool in 2008, my siblings and I were up to our knees in clay, watching a grizzled installer named Carl curse at a misaligned septic tank. Dad figured it might build character. As it happened, he was correct—though I didn’t thank him when I skipped the complete soccer season. But that time? It rewired us. While other companies were just servicing tanks, we were figuring out to build them from the dirt up. Literally.

Here’s the septic truth no one admits: homepage anybody can dig a hole. But constructing a system that survives 30 years? That’s art combined with science, with a dash of stubbornness. I discovered that the tough way in 2015 when we got cocky. Put in a system near Mount Rainier using “textbook” techniques. Six months later, the client called us—voice quivering—about sewage bubbling up like a disaster film. Apparently, “conventional” won’t cut it when the groundwater table throws curveballs. We ripped it out, absorbed the $12k loss, and spent the next winter getting certified in hydrogeological assessments. Truth carved into our bones: certifications ain’t just paperwork. They become armor.

At Septic Solutions LLC, we live this stuff. Not symbolically—though Carl did cut his thumb open that first summer showing us pipe welding. (“Maintain it steady, kid!”) Our team does not just have licenses; we’ve got consumed. Washington State requires installers to clock 24 hours of continuing education. Our lead designer, Marco? He does 24 hours per quarter. Why? Because in 2019, we faced a disaster job near Woodinville where three “licensed” companies had thrown in the towel. The soil was like liquid rock, and the homeowner was on verge of suing everybody. Marco pulled out his International Association of Plumbing Officials (IAPMO) manuals—yes, he studies them for fun—and reimagined the entire drainage field using a specialized pressure distribution method. Two years later, that client sent us a Christmas card with a snapshot of her thriving garden… right over the septic field.

But I’ll get raw for a second. Certifications are meaningless if your crew sees them like decorations. Our secret? Each tech at Septic Solutions has themselves messed up. Seriously. Like me in 2015. Or Jake, our repair specialist, who misdiagnosed a tank baffle issue in 2021 and had to make amends to a irate grandma in Snohomish. (He now teaches our “Baffles 101” workshop.) Failure is our best instructor—which is why we’re fanatics about cross-training. Our installation team follows repair crews every winter. Why? Because observing how systems fail teaches you how to build them better.

You looking for proof? Ask the Hendersons. In 2022, they purchased a “dream” cabin near Snoqualmie Pass—only to discover the existing septic system was a ticking bomb. Three companies quoted them $35k+ for a total replacement. We showed up, looked at the permits, and noticed something weird: the original 1998 installer had never updated their certification for sand filter systems. Apparently, a basic recirculating sand filter retrofit—which our NSF/ANSI 40 certified team does weekly—saved them $18k. They are now newsletter subscribers. Yes, we have a septic newsletter. Please don’t laugh—2,300 people read it.

Let me share the truth: professionalism is not what you display. It becomes what you grind through. I still remember Mom’s face in 2010 when we got our first business license. “You guys are gonna throw away those college brains on sewage?” she groaned. But this job? It’s alive. Soil evolves. Codes update. And when you’re stuck in a trench at 3 PM on a Friday, rain drenching your collar, you realize certifications are not about pride. They exist about keeping somebody’s basement from turning into a biohazard.

We have got walls of certificates—WSDA, OSHA, you mention it. But the one I’m proudest of? The personal note from Carl after he retired. “Never thought you brats would beat me.” Same here, old man. Neither did we.

So absolutely. If you require a new septic system, six other companies will happily take your business. But if you want a crew that has failed, evolved, and gone crazy over wastewater flow rates at 2 AM? Look for the ones with earth under our nails and manuals in our trucks. Because in this trade, the best certifications do not hang on walls. They’re buried in the ground—working.