Mcfarland Septic

The men came the same day we called for service. They were polite, efficient and professional.

McFarland came early and did a very good job at a reasonable price. They also did a drain field evaluation because there was water in the drain field. I plan to use them to fix the drain field.

fine fine fine

Our 1979 house required a replacement for the original elevated deck- we purchased it in 1993. I arranged with Sierra Structures (Matt M is good people) to have it demolished, redesigned and rebuilt. When Orange County inspected the area for the permitting process, the permit was refused due to the septic system being too close to the tank/lines- I was uncertain that this was correct as I was 99% certain of where the tank lid was and it wasn’t where the inspector showed it on the design plan in the rejected permit. The inspector did not correctly identify the correct location due to badly mapped platte map originally submitted with the County permitting documents at the house construction and also due to the rocky soil not allowing proper ground probing. To clarify this, I contacted Mcfarland to correctly locate the tank outline and map the length and location of all of the septic lines. Buck responded quickly and came out to the land to give me a cost estimate and a description of what would be needed to be done- bringing in a small backhoe to excavate around the tank, snake a 100 ft line into the line, then dig down and cutting into the line and re-snaking it, repeating the process until they reached the end. We also discussed possible alternatives but no estimates if the tank or lines were an issue with the county. He stated it would be 8-10 days before they could get back out to get it done. They came on the approximate date and performed most of the expected work- the lines appeared to be marked but the specific tank outline was not, only a single flag. Within a day or two of the work completion I contacted Buck to have him come back out and clarify the line layout and the tank outline as having this tank definitively mapped out would impact if I could reasonably redesign the deck. He said he would get back to me in a couple of days to arrange it but never did. Subsequently I called and left messages for him to contact me on at least two separate occasions but never received a follow-up call or visit. Regarding the County building requirements, the lines would not have interfered with the deck layout Matt and I had decided on, but the tank was too close to the deck edge. Further, a loop of mapped line extends under a car parking area that is not acceptable for the county and is an area where I plan on putting a garage. The loop would have to be removed to allow construction. We could redesign the deck into something unacceptable, not allow cars on the parking area and forgo the garage but I am currently preparing to have the old tank removed, a new one installed at a different location- getting my full deck- , short-circuiting the loop thus cutting out those under the car parking area- getting my garage. To replace this loss, the existing line will be extended by the same distance. If Buck had returned my call and addressed my concerns, his company would probably be doing the multi-thousand dollar work to get this done. In summary, the work was acceptable not excellent, the responsiveness mixed; fine when getting the job, terrible when requiring follow up. Buck was a nice guy who knows his stuff but fell down on this job. I rate them C overall but would not recommend McFarland and am getting the follow up work done by another company.

They did a good job

This was a routine septic tank pump out. The pump truck arrived on time. I helped the two workers find the top of the septic tank. They dug down to the lid and removed it. One of the workers was concerned that the level of the water was too low and that the tank might be leaking. He called back to the home office for advice and was told that the level was okay for that type of tank. I appreciated the honest concern for the integrity of the tank and the honest appraisal of the problem.

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We called and within a couple hours, an expert came by and immediately saw that we needed a new effluent pump. Fortunately, he had one on his truck, and he installed it quickly. Our system has been running perfectly since then!

Done efficiently and well

good,fine,ok

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I had never used McFarland before and they were by far the most professional group doing this work that I have used over 20 years.  The fact that they were able to help out immediately by pumping the tank was wonderful.  Their approach very professional .  They also arranged to have the office call and schedule the replacement of the solids filter.

They called to let me know when they would arrive, just a few minutes later than scheduled time, to replace the solids filter.  The work was not just to replace the solids filter, but to dig up and replace the line to the septic field as the filter had broken off outside of the septic tank.  They dug up the old sewer pipe, which was thin and rotten with age replaced it with new PVC pipe, inspected the drainage field and installed the new filter.  The crew, was very patient with my questions and did an outstanding job.  I was concerned the old septic field was in bad shape, but they very happy with how it looked and did not try to sell me something I did not need!

I was very impressed with McFarland and they will be my go to company from now on.

They were easy to contact, schedule, and arrived on time. They pumped out the poo, and were done in 20 min. Driver was nice.

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Our septic tank was not draining. Both Durham County and another Septic company thought that our leach fields were compromised, and the county was reluctant to authorize new leach fields.  Other alternatives like recirculating sand filters would have been much more expensive and would have required more maintenance.  Because of our location, we could not hook up to city sewer.  The other vendor actually offered to do an illegal workaround that would have saved us money, we decided that we could not work with that vendor because of their cloudy view of ethics.
We originally asked McFarland to offer a second bid on a recirculating sand filter. He said he wanted to verify that this was the problem, probed around the tank, and announced that the blockage was within a few feet of the septic tank. The probe came out wet right next to the tank, and dry a few feet further.  Both the County and the other vendor had failed to notice this.  As a result, a much cheaper repair did the trick.
They did the repair quickly, without digging up more than was needed, and resolved the problem.  All in all, a class act.

They pumped the tank and confirmed it was in good working order.  In line with their inspection, I have had no issues with the septic system since moving in to the house.  The well water report has also allowed me to plan accordingly for water filtration and the like.  No issues or problems with the services performed.  I'd use them again.
Perhaps the only complaint would be that their pump-truck left a few oil spots on the driveway.

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Superior service from request for contact to completion of pumping. Office staff execptional. Technician was professional, quiet and reserved, but knew his craft. Quick, effficient, local small business. Absolutely wonderful experience.

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First, they told me I had to have the sweet gum tree next to the tank taken down and killed. Then they scheduled a day to come and dig up the line. They arranged for the county inspector to come by as well, which is necessary for a septic field repair. It was Buck and Glen who came out to do the work.
They found 25 feet of line which was stuffed with tree roots. They dug this all up and replaced it with solid pipe, and the flooded septic tank began to flow right away. Good news, since this means the rest of the field is OK for now.
One thing I really appreciated was all the good advice Buck gave me about keeping my system going. I need to add copper sulphate in March and again in August to keep all roots at bay, and have it pumped out every few years. Also, I needed to take out 2 more sweet gums which were in the field and would have now grown into the freshly unblocked septic lines. He was able to answer all my questions about how to take care of this system and also to patiently explain why, which is important to my (always inquiring) mind.
The best news is that, if I follow his advice, my system may well last another 30 - 40 years. I was relieved to have the problem solved. I'd heard stories of having to spend $1,000 to fix septic systems, so I was glad it cost me so much less than this.