Hear From Our Clients
You’re not dealing with sewage backing up into your home during a family gathering. You’re not scrambling to find emergency cesspool service on a holiday weekend when rates double and availability disappears. You’re not wondering if that smell means something’s about to go very wrong.
Your system gets pumped every 2-3 years like it should. You get a full inspection while the tank’s empty so we catch cracks or structural issues before they become expensive problems. You have documentation when you need it for property transfers or permits, because Suffolk County actually requires that now.
Most importantly, you know what’s happening with your system. We walk you through what we find, explain what it means, and tell you when you actually need to schedule your next service. Not when it makes us the most money—when your household size and usage patterns say it’s time.
We’re family-owned and based right here in Suffolk County. We’re not a franchise or a company that services fifty towns and doesn’t know the local regulations. We know Selden’s soil conditions, we know how the county’s rules have changed, and we know what actually matters for homes built in the 1960s and 1970s when most of this area was developed.
We offer military, first responder, and senior discounts because we live here too. We support local veteran organizations like Paws of War. Our team is small, and that’s intentional—you get people who care about doing the work right, not hitting quotas.
You’ll find our owner’s dogs on our social media because we’re not trying to be some corporate operation. We’re local people doing honest work for our neighbors.
We start by locating and opening your cesspool. Some homeowners know exactly where it is, others don’t—we’ll find it either way.
Once it’s open, we pump out all the sludge, scum, and liquid. This isn’t a quick vacuum job. We flush and backflush multiple times to break up stubborn deposits that can damage your drainage system if left behind. The goal is a completely clean tank, not just removing enough to say we did something.
While the tank is empty, we inspect the structure. We’re looking for cracks, signs of collapse, deterioration, or anything that suggests your system is heading toward failure. If we spot something, we’ll show you and explain what it means. If your system looks solid, we’ll tell you that too.
We dispose of waste at approved facilities and provide documentation. Suffolk County now requires contractors to report all pumping activity to the Department of Health Services, and we handle that. You get a record of service for your files, which you’ll need if you ever sell your home or pull renovation permits.
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This is full-service cesspool pumping, not the bare minimum. You’re getting complete removal of all waste, thorough flushing to clear stubborn buildup, and a detailed inspection while the tank is accessible.
Here’s what matters for Selden homeowners specifically: about 89% of homes here are single-family detached properties, and most were built in the 1960s. That means your cesspool has been in the ground for 50+ years in many cases. Suffolk County has roughly 380,000 individual septic systems and cesspools, and almost 75% of households use cesspools rather than modern septic systems.
The county’s regulations have gotten stricter because nitrogen pollution in our aquifers increased 200% between 1987 and 2005. We’re sitting on a sole-source aquifer, which means what goes into the ground here affects everyone’s drinking water. That’s why the county now requires reporting and why you can’t just replace an old cesspool with another cesspool anymore—new installations have to meet modern standards.
Standard cesspool pumping in Suffolk County runs $400-$700 for most residential properties. Emergency service costs 50-100% more, and weekend or holiday calls come with premium pricing. Scheduling regular maintenance saves you hundreds compared to waiting until something fails.
Most households need cesspool pumping every 2-3 years. That’s the standard recommendation from both the EPA and Suffolk County Department of Health, and it’s based on typical family usage patterns.
A family of four with normal water usage hits that 2-3 year window pretty consistently. Smaller households—one or two people—might stretch it to 3-4 years. Larger families or homes with heavy water use, garbage disposals, or older, less efficient appliances might need service closer to every 2 years.
The key is understanding that your cesspool has limited capacity. Solid waste builds up over time, and when it reaches a certain level, it starts affecting drainage. You’ll notice slow drains, sewage odors, or wet spots in your yard. By the time you’re seeing those signs, you’re already overdue and risking a backup. Regular pumping prevents that entirely and gives us a chance to inspect the structure before problems develop.
Your system will eventually fail, and it won’t be subtle. Sewage backs up into your home through drains and toilets, or it surfaces in your yard. Both scenarios are health hazards, and both require emergency service that costs significantly more than scheduled maintenance.
Emergency cesspool service in Selden, NY runs 50-100% above regular rates. If it happens on a weekend or holiday, you’re paying premium pricing and waiting longer for availability because everyone else who ignored their system is calling too. What would have cost $400-$700 as a planned service now costs $800-$1,400 or more as an emergency.
There’s also the damage to consider. Sewage backing into your home can ruin flooring, create contamination issues, and expose your family to harmful bacteria and gases. Sewage surfacing in your yard kills grass, smells terrible, and can contaminate your property. And if your cesspool collapses from neglect, you’re looking at $8,000-$15,000 for a full system replacement. Suffolk County offers grants covering up to $11,000, but you still have to come up with the difference and deal with the disruption.
Yes. Suffolk County requires cesspool pumping records for property transfers and renovation permits. If you’re selling your home and can’t provide documentation of regular maintenance, it can delay the sale or cost you negotiating power with buyers.
Buyers and their inspectors want to know the system has been maintained. Missing records raise red flags and create doubt about what other maintenance might have been skipped. Some buyers will require a pumping and inspection as a condition of sale, which means you’re paying for it anyway—but now you’re doing it under pressure with less control over timing and cost.
The county’s reporting requirements started because they’re serious about tracking wastewater systems and protecting Long Island’s water quality. Legitimate cesspool service companies report all pumping activity to the Department of Health Services and provide you with proper documentation. Keep those records. You’ll need them.
A proper inspection happens while your tank is empty, because that’s the only time we can actually see the structure. We’re checking for cracks, signs of collapse, deterioration of the walls or bottom, and any indication that your system is structurally compromised.
We also look at how much solid waste was in the tank and whether the distribution of sludge and scum suggests any drainage issues. If your tank filled up faster than expected based on your household size, that tells us something about usage patterns or potential problems with how waste is breaking down.
For older cesspools—and most in Selden are 50+ years old—we’re watching for signs that the system is nearing the end of its functional life. Cesspools don’t last forever. Eventually the soil around them becomes saturated and compacted, reducing drainage capacity. Concrete tanks crack and deteriorate. Knowing what condition your system is in helps you plan ahead instead of dealing with a sudden failure. We’ll tell you honestly what we see and what it means for your timeline.
You can, but it’s going to affect how often you need pumping. Garbage disposals send food waste into your cesspool, and that waste doesn’t break down as easily as human waste and toilet paper. It adds to the solid buildup, which means your tank fills faster.
If you’re using a garbage disposal regularly, expect to pump your cesspool more frequently—possibly every 1-2 years instead of 2-3. That’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to factor into your maintenance budget and schedule.
The bigger issue is that Suffolk County’s regulations are pushing homeowners away from cesspools entirely. Since July 2019, you can’t replace an old cesspool with another cesspool. New installations have to be modern septic systems that meet current standards. If your cesspool fails and needs replacement, you’re looking at a full system upgrade. That makes it even more important to maintain what you have and extend its functional life as long as possible. Using a garbage disposal heavily works against that goal.
Yes. We answer emergency calls 24/7, 365 days a year, and we typically reach customers within an hour or two depending on where we are when you call. If your cesspool is backing up or you’re dealing with sewage surfacing in your yard, that’s a legitimate emergency and we’ll get there as fast as we can.
That said, emergency service costs more—usually 50-100% above regular rates—and if it’s a weekend or holiday, you’re paying premium pricing. It’s not because we’re trying to gouge anyone. It’s because emergency work disrupts schedules, requires immediate availability, and often happens outside normal business hours.
The better approach is avoiding emergencies entirely through regular maintenance. If you’re already dealing with a backup, call us and we’ll handle it. But if you’re reading this before that happens, schedule routine cesspool pumping in Selden, NY now and save yourself the stress and the extra cost. Most emergencies are completely preventable with a maintenance schedule that actually gets followed.
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