Steubenville & Jefferson County
Septic tank pumping and cleaning for Steubenville, OH and the surrounding Jefferson County area.
Learn More →Septic Services
Septic Tank Locating & Lid Excavation
Not knowing where your septic tank is does not stop it needing emptying. We find buried access lids and uncover them as part of the job, across Ohio and West Virginia.
Included with pumping and emergency service when it is needed.
“I Don’t Know Where My Tank Is”
This is one of the most common things we hear, and it is nothing to be embarrassed about. Most of the tanks we open have been out of sight for years. Plenty of homeowners inherit a system with no paperwork, no marker and no idea whether the lid is under the lawn, the flower bed or the gravel.
It is not a reason to put off having the tank emptied. Finding the access is our problem, not yours — and a tank that goes unpumped because nobody could find the lid is how a manageable job turns into a backup in the house.
Why it happens
How Access Lids End Up Buried
A lid that sat at ground level when the system went in can be a foot or more down two decades later. The usual culprits:
- Grass and soil building up over the tank a little each year
- Landscaping, a new lawn or a driveway laid over the access
- A previous owner who never had the system serviced
- A system installed without a riser bringing the lid to the surface
- Records lost when the property changed hands
How we do it
Finding and Opening the Tank
- 1
Work out where it should be
We start from the line leaving the house, the lie of the land and the way systems in this area were typically installed. That narrows a whole yard down to a small area before anyone picks up a spade.
- 2
Confirm before digging
We probe to find the tank and its access before breaking any ground, so the hole goes where the lid actually is rather than where it might have been.
- 3
Open it up by hand
Digging is done by hand around the lid, not with a machine across your lawn. That protects the lid, the baffles and the top of the tank, all of which are easy to crack and expensive to put right.
- 4
Close it up properly
Once the tank has been pumped the lid is reseated and secured, the hole is backfilled and the turf goes back. You should not be able to tell we were there.
Need Your Tank Found and Emptied?
Tell us what you know — even if that is nothing more than roughly which side of the house the line runs. We will take it from there.
FAQs
Septic Tank Locating Questions
Can you find my septic tank if I have no idea where it is?
Yes. Most tanks we open have been buried for years and the owner has no records. We work from the line leaving the house, the layout of the property and experience with how systems in this area were put in, then probe to confirm before any digging starts.
Do you charge extra to dig up the lid?
Locating and uncovering the access lid is part of the service when it is needed. Depth, access and how much digging is involved can affect the cost, and we will explain that before we start rather than after.
How long does it take to locate a buried tank?
Usually a short part of the visit. A lid under a few inches of turf is quick; one buried deeper, or on a property where the system was moved or replaced at some point, takes longer.
Will digging wreck my lawn?
No. We open the smallest area needed to work, dig by hand around the lid rather than putting a machine through your yard, and backfill and replace the turf when the job is done.
Why do septic tank lids end up buried in the first place?
Grass and soil build up over a tank a little each year. Add landscaping, a driveway extension, a previous owner who never had the system serviced, or a system installed without a riser, and a lid that was once at the surface ends up a foot or more down.
Can you locate a tank without pumping it?
Locating is normally done as part of a pumping or emergency visit, since that is when the access is needed. Call or text and tell us what you are trying to do and we will tell you straight whether we can help.
Do you locate tanks in Pennsylvania?
No. Wetherell is licensed to provide septic services in Ohio and West Virginia only.
Call or text Wetherell at (740) 632-4843.
Where We Locate and Pump Septic Tanks
We cover the Ohio Valley on both sides of the river, in Ohio and West Virginia.
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Septic tank pumping and cleaning for Mingo Junction, OH and the surrounding Jefferson County area.
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Septic tank pumping and cleaning for Wellsburg, WV and the surrounding Brooke County area.
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Septic tank pumping and cleaning for Wheeling, WV and the surrounding Ohio County area.
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