Farmers Septic Company

04/20/2026

How much do you know about your septic system? Perhaps you are new to having a septic system? Or, maybe you just never gave much thought to what happens to everything that goes down the drains in your home. Knowledge is power and understanding the basics will help you better maintain and protect your septic system, potentially saving your tens of thousands of dollars in the long run.

The National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA) came out with an updated Septic System Users Guide. For some great detailed information on a wide variety of system types, take a look here. There are many pictures and diagrams, so you don't even have to worry about trying to understand a lot of long, complicated paragraphs!

https://www.nowra.org/Customer-Content/www/CMS/files/OWTS_Final_Septic_System_Users_Guide2.pdf

If you aren't sure what type of system you might have or if you have any questions we can help with, please call 503-873-3344

04/30/2025

This is an interesting article on the safety of epsom salt usage with a septic tank. Rest assured, unless you are dumping many pounds all at once into your septic system, your epsom salt baths are plenty safe to continue.

Their conclusion:
"The takeaway from this study was that 5 g/mL or more are needed to inhibit microorganisms. This corresponds to approximately 38.5 pounds of Epsom salt per gallon of water or 77 cups/gallon. Based on the typical amounts used in a tub (2 cups/tub) or foot bath (1/2 cup in a basin) the effect of adding Epsom salt into an OWTS should be minimal. "

https://www.pumper.com/editorial/2025/04/epsom-salt-and-septic-systems?news

As always, call if you have any questions 503-873-3344

Epsom Salt and Septic Systems

12/18/2024

We are thrilled to be one of the top 3 recommended for Septic Services in the Salem area. We always appreciate reviews on Facebook, Google, or Yelp and verbal recommendations to neighbors and friends. You truly are our best advertising and we are thankful to be able to continue providing good service.

As always, contact us with any questions or to schedule your next septic tank pumping. 503-873-3344 [email protected]

Expert recommended Top 3 Septic Tank Services in Salem, OR. How do we actually find? ThreeBestRated.com 50-Point Inspection includes everything from checking reputation, history, complaints, reviews, ratings, satisfaction, trust and price to the general excellence.

09/30/2024

There is an apparent cell phone outage with Verizon on some phones and we are having trouble reaching some of our customers this morning. If you need to get ahold of us, but your phone line isn't working, feel free to call from a landline or message us via Facebook or Google, or send an email ([email protected]).

05/11/2024

What a wonderful treat to see these beautiful skies tonight. It was well worth taking the family on a drive after 11pm to get amazing views of the northern lights.
Stay cool this weekend!

04/16/2024

If you can take a minute or to to leave us an honest review, that always does so much to help us out!
As a local, family owned and operated service business, our customers are our best advertising. We tremendously appreciate your recommendations of our services to neighbors, family, and friends and enjoy building new customer relationships as the years go on. 💖

Facebook, Google, or Yelp are all great and help improve our visibility.

As always, please let us know if we can help you with your septic tank pumping, maintenance, or inspection 📞 503-873-3344

https://www.yelp.com/writeareview/biz/E9ujxnOblgrtePY1JTH_2Q?return_url=%2Fbiz%2FE9ujxnOblgrtePY1JTH_2Q

https://g.page/r/CVvLSl5tgWyDEBM/review

01/10/2024

If you have a septic system that is failing and need some options for funding to help with replacement or major repair, check out Craft3.
https://www.craft3.org/homeowner-loans/clean-water/Oregon DEQ

This is a great program that we recommend to homeowners who need a little help. Let's face it, most of us don't have tens of thousands of dollars just sitting around and a functioning septic system is a vital part of a home. Here is some information from their website.
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If you live in Oregon, you’re eligible to borrow up to the full cost of your septic repair or replacement. In addition, one or more of the following must apply:

Your septic system is at least 25 years old
Your system is failing
You’ve been contacted by local health officials
You are under orders to fix your system

Rates & Terms:
*Competitive interest rates with lower rates for lower-income borrowers
*Deferred payment options may be available for lower-income borrowers
*Includes a $2,000 reserve to fund ongoing maintenance

Details:
*Borrow up to the full cost of your septic repair or replacement, including all eligible design, permitting and installation costs.
*No upfront costs required
*Covers all eligible design, permitting and installation costs
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If you have been noticing septic issues and suspect something isn't working right, give us a call. We don't like to be bearers of bad news, but we will be honest with what is going on and do what we can to help. Sometimes there are things that can be done to buy some time until replacement can happen. Feel free to give us a call at 503-873-3344 with any questions.

A septic failure can be a crisis. Craft3's Oregon Clean Water Loans are simple and can be a lifeline. Covers all eligible costs. Learn more or apply.

01/03/2024

Curious when your system was installed? Forget where the tank is at or have no idea at all? Many properties have public access to any available permit records through their county. We tend to see them starting around the 1970's. The newer the permit, the more likely you are to find records associated with it.

Marion and Linn counties have been accessible online for many years. Our website tells you how here:
http://farmerssepticco.com/farmerssepticco23_003.htm

Clackamas just made their records searchable, as well. (I will be adding this to our website soon)
https://apps.clackamas.us/docretriever/dtd/septic

It always wants the search to match their records so enter the minimal amount of address info. It might be 1234 S Main St or 1234 South Main St or 1234 Main St S. If you can't find anything, try just the numbers of the address to see how the county lists it in their system.

If you have any questions, or to schedule your septic tank pumping, call 503-873-3344

02/25/2023

To fire-affected residents of the Santiam Canyon area. Did you know that you can apply for the Wildfire Recovery Residential Septic Grant program?

02/02/2023

Why pump your septic tank? How often are you supposed to pump it?

Everything that leaves a drain in your house comes to your septic tank, from toilets to tubs and washers to sinks. The natural bacteria in the tank break down the solids so they separate from the water (or effluent). There is no need to use additives. In fact they may cause more harm than good.
Solids settle to the bottom of the tank forming a sludge layer while lighter solids (fats, soaps, etc) will form a floating solid layer called scum. In the middle of that is the water layer that leaves to go to your drainfield. The purpose of pumping is to remove the accumulated solids periodically so they don't go to your drainfield where they clog the leach lines and over time will fail the system.

A neglected septic tank may start to cause the house to drain slow or completely back up, in addition to sending lots of solids to your drainfield.

How often to pump goes off of the size of your tank (gallons) and how many people are in the household. A 1,000 gallon tank with 2 people should be pumped around every 5.9 years. That same 1,000 gallon tank with 6 people should be pumped every 1.5 years.

If you have a 2 chamber tank with a pump (or a separate septic tank and dosing tank), the size of the septic tank (the first tank/chamber and usually larger of the two) is what you look at to decide how often to pump.

Questions? Overdue for pumping? Call us at 503-873-3344 or feel free to send a message.