Residential Pump Services for Septic Systems

“Out of sight, out of mind” is a terrible, costly approach to septic tank maintenance.

septic-tank-cleaningIf your home has a septic tank, rest assured that you are using a time proven, environmentally responsible method for getting rid of waste products. Septic tanks are generally very reliable, self-sufficient methods of waste disposal. They don’t require much maintenance, but what little service they do need is imperative in avoiding big problems in the form of sewage backups and potential overflows into your home.

Septic tanks are the great separation engine in your waste disposal system. When waste enters the tank, solids float to the top, where they form a layer of decomposing material called “scum”. Most of the scum turns into liquid containing mostly water and some nutrients that makes its way out of the tank and into the ground via your leaching field.

Any solids that don’t decompose sink to the bottom of the tank and become “sludge”. Because the biological action that takes place in the tank is quite efficient, sludge builds up slowly. When the level does, inevitably, become too high, it can interfere with the layer of water moving out into the leach field, and the scum at the top of the tank will build up too quickly and can actually back up into the “in” and “out” pipes of the tank. This can cause a backup into your home.

The answer? Preventive maintenance. You need to periodically pump out the tank to remove the sludge buildup at the bottom. How often you need to do this depends on a number of factors, including size of the tank, number of people in your home, and the size and makeup of your leach field.

To find out about how often you need to service your septic tank, contact the professionals at Edenflo. We’ll send out a knowledgeable technician, fully equipped to deal with your septic system. We can be reached at 604-575-1414 or fill out our online request for service.

Storm Drains and Catch Basins – Preventive Maintenance

Storm-Drain-Catch-BasinWhen it rains, or there’s a sudden snow melt (rare here in the lower mainland, but possible), it’s essential that the infrastructure in an urban or suburban area is designed so that there’s somewhere for the water to go. Otherwise, it ends up pooling in basements and around building foundations, where it can cause costly damage and lead to structural problems, mould growth, and other unpleasant conditions.

Most areas use storm drains (intakes that are connected to municipal storm sewers) and catch basins (“holding areas” for water that can fill when there’s a lot of flow, and empty slowly later) for runoff management.

It’s easy to forget about storm water management systems when it’s not raining, or when they’re working properly. The problem is that we don’t notice that there’s a problem until it’s too late – when the water is advancing on our homes and businesses, or filling up our basements.

July 28 2014 Catch Basin 1You need to take stock of your storm water management systems when it’s not raining. Edenflo specializes in pump truck services on the lower mainland, and can help you keep your storm drains and catch basins free of debris, and your drains flowing. We operate British Columbia’s premiere pump-truck service, with high-pressure water jets to dislodge clogs and vacuum pumping to take them (and whatever else) away for environmentally responsible disposal. We even have a special “lowboy” unit that fits into lower spaces, like underground parking garages.

Edenflo provides emergency response and preventive maintenance services to both residential and commercial customers. If you’ve got storm sewers or catch basins on your property call us and we’ll offer advice and service that will keep you out of trouble when the skies start falling.

For more information about the services offered by Edenflo, call us at 604-575-1414 or fill out our online request for service.

Preventive Maintenance for Residential Sewer Lines

Three of the most dreaded words you can utter to a homeowner are “sewer back up”.

kitchen-sink-drainIndoor plumbing is one of the best features of modern living. Waste is removed from our home, and taken to a remote location – either your own septic system or, in urban areas, a central waste processing facility that processes the waste before returning it safely to the environment.

As a homeowner, you are responsible to maintain the sewer line from your home to the location where it joins the main sewer line, where your property ends. This “main line” exiting your home is susceptible to problems that can result in blockage, and cause sewage to back up into your home, usually at the lowest point, your basement drains.

The problems can originate inside the line, with a buildup of grease or other material that then attracts other solids to stick, building a clog. They can also be caused by outside forces – tree roots are often the culprit, penetrating the line through gaps or actually crushing it under pressure.

The main indicator of a problem in the main sewer line is the smell of sewage in the basement. This odour is best not ignored, because it can be matter of a few hours before the effluent starts rising from the drains.

Edenflo is experienced in taking care of sewage problems, quickly and efficiently. Video Line Inspection uses CCTV camera equipment to pinpoint the cause of the problem. Most of the time, a clog can be cleared using hydro flushing, in which we use a high-pressure jet of water to blast it away. In the less common case that your main line is damaged, we can pinpoint the problem and expose it using hydro excavation.

To find out more about the many services, residential and commercial offered by Edenflo, contact us today at 604-575-1414 or fill out our online request for service.

Edenflo is Your Hydro Excavation Expert

HYDRO-EXCAV

Hydro excavation is a new form of digging. More efficient and faster than mechanical removal of soil for septic tanks, sewer lines, and trenches for other utilities, it’s becoming standard procedure when you need fast and accurate holes dug in a hurry.

Here’s how it works:
Hydro excavation is also called “potholing” or “daylighting”. The procedure involves blasting the soil to be removed with a high-pressure water jet, breaking it up and mixing it with the liquid. The resulting slurry is removed quickly by vacuum, and contained in the truck for appropriate disposal.

It’s a pretty simple procedure, and for an experienced technician quite quick and easy to execute. Utility companies pioneered the hydro excavation technique because it allowed them to easily locate existing services without damaging them, and install new services quickly and safely. Unlike conventional digging, there’s no danger of destroying an existing service line when digging and destroying it. Landscapers and other contractors adopted the technology because it’s very targeted – it allows you to pinpoint the location of your excavation with minimal damage to adjacent property. Hydro excavation is ideal for stump removal, drilling of postholes, and installation of landscaping features like ponds and man-made streams.

Because hydro excavation is relatively “hands off”, it is safer for the workers involved in your project, and it can be used year-round, using hot water when the earth is frozen in winter.

Next time you have an excavation project, forego the backhoe. Contact Edenflo pumping at 604-575-1414 and find out how hydro excavation can help you get it done, quickly and efficiently.

Edenflo Commercial Services Offering

Grease-Trap-module-Pump-chamber-1Edenflo is the Lower Mainland’s first choice for residential and commercial pump truck services. Businesses choose us because we have an extremely wide range of services available, a large selection of available equipment, and experience serving the needs of our large and diverse corporate clientele.

We offer topnotch service to Food Service and Production clients, including Grease Trap and Grease Interceptor cleaning and service, as well as food and organic waste disposal. We offer commercial sanitary services, including holding tank and treatment plant service and maintenance, cleaning and maintenance to sewer lines and pumping stations, and commercial vacuum services.

Storm-drain-cleaning-moduleFor those businesses with buildings to maintain, we offer storm drain and catch basin cleaning services, including “lowboy” truck service that’s able to get into underground parking lots and other hard-to-service areas. When a problem occurs, we can positively diagnose blockages and other problems using Video Line Inspection technology, in which a camera is placed at the site of the problem, allowing us to see exactly what’s going on.

Hydro-X-buyer-pathWe also offer hydro excavation services, which appeal to a large number of clients in diverse industries. Hydro excavation is removal of dirt and other material by “digging” with a high-pressure water jet, and removal of the dislodged material with our vacuum truck. This allows us to unearth utility lines, underground pipes, and other services without disturbing them.

In addition to quick response when a problem arises, as your pipe service specialists, we’re able to offer expert preventative maintenance, so that you don’t have to solve problems, because you’ve avoided them

For more information about the services offered by Edenflo, call us at 604-575-1414 or fill out our online request for service.

Preventive Maintenance for Strata Properties

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If you’re a director or manager of a Strata property, you know that it’s the Corporation’s responsibility to repair and renew all common property and common assets of the corporation, and complete a depreciation report indicating that upcoming work is appropriately planned every three years.

When it comes time to think about your sewer, septic, and grease trap systems, you can minimize future problems by enrolling in Edenflo’s preventative maintenance program. It will help you to more accurately forecast costs, and in the long run be more economical. We offer numerous services that, when used together, constitute an effective way to ensure that your storm water and sewer systems operate trouble free in the long run.

Sump and catch basin cleaning should be performed regularly to ensure that storm water runoff has a clear route away from your property. Removal of sludge and other foreign materials from your sump system will prolong the life of your pump, ensuring that it’s working when you need it.

High Pressure Flushing can remove silty deposits before they cause a problematic backup. It’s a safe procedure that can be performed on lines of any size.

Video Line Inspection can be performed to identify problems before they occur, when they’re easiest and most economical to fix.

For expert maintenance of your Strata Corporation’s sewer, septic, or grease trap systems, contact Edenflo Pump Truck services. We’ll help you establish a preventive maintenance schedule that will meet the needs of your building.

For more information about the services offered by Edenflo, and how they can help you keep the property you manage compliant with Strata reporting requirements, call 604-575-1414 or fill out our online request for service.

Plumbing Contractors – Let Edenflo be your Pump Truck Partner!

If you’re a plumbing contractor on the Lower Mainland, when you need the services of a pump truck, remember Edenflo. We’ve got a large, versatile fleet of trucks that can attend to any of your needs, from a small residential blockage to an industrial sized sewer line hundreds of feet long. Our response times are short, and our technicians are skilled and knowledgeable, making Edenflo your ideal partner for jobs requiring a pump truck.

plumber-holding-plumbing-wrench-retro_7yBbTHBecause our fleet is large, you can be assured that our equipment and technicians will be at your disposal when you need them.

A combo truck is your go-to for most situations. Equipped with high-pressure water jets and a vacuum, it’s ideal for clearing residential sewer and septic lines, as well as clearing out sump pits and catch basins.

A jet truck has a high pressure pump capable of producing 40 gallons per minute at 3000 PSI. This truck is capable of clearing sewer lines that are 18 inches in diameter and 600 feet long, ideal for industrial applications.

A vacuum tank truck is used for collecting non-hazardous waste in volume.

For hard to reach areas, we offer a lowboy truck, which is essentially a combo truck that isn’t as large, so that it can access areas where clearance is limited, like underground parking lots and garages.

In addition to pump truck services, Edenflo also offers you the use of our Video Line Inspection capabilities. If you need to know exactly what problem your customer is facing, you can use our CCTV cameras to pinpoint it, making it easier to solve.

For more information about the services offered by Edenflo, and how they can enhance your plumbing business, call us at 604-575-1414.

Why Choose Hydro-Flushing?

Hydro-Flushing is a tried and true technique in drain line clearance, and it’s the first choice of an Edenflo technician when there’s a problem with your sewer or storm water removal system. It offers many benefits over traditional mechanical means of clog removal.

Hydro-FlushingHydro-Flushing involves introducing water into the pipe at a very high pressure, dislodging both the clog and any accumulated sediment in the line all at once. The result is a drain line that is completely clear of debris, not just the removal of a single clog. Any material that doesn’t flow out to the sewer system is collected by the vacuum in our combo truck and removed that way. You are left with a system that is nearly as clean as it was when you installed it.

Because there’s no mechanical component, there are no errant metal tools involved in the process that can damage your drain system. No surprise repairs.

All Edenflo technicians are trained and experienced in the use of Hydro-Flushing equipment and methods. They can accurately assess the needs of your specific property and drainage system, and set about work in a way that will solve your problem in the shortest time, at the smallest cost.

Hydro-Flushing is a more efficient, effective, and economical way to solve the problems of a clogged sewer or septic line. It’s also useful as a preventive technique. Hydro-Flushing on a regular basis will ensure that your waste and storm water removal system will work as intended for years to come.

For more information about Hydro-Flushing and other services offered by Edenflo, call us at 604-575-1414 or fill out our online request for service.

Get to Know Edenflo – We Can Be Your Go-To Pump Truck Company

There are pipes underground, and some of them carry unmentionable things. Whether or not you like to think about them, they exist, and if you are in care and control of just about any kind of building, the day is going to come when there’s a problem “down there” that will need to be fixed.

Edenflo commercial pump truck employeesAs the Lower Mainland’s premiere provider of pump trucks and related services, Edenflo is the company that’s poised to be your “pump truck provider of choice”. Whether you’ve got storm drainage woes (lines or catch basins), a sewer problem, a septic tank that needs to be emptied, or any other backup, we’ve got the latest technology at our disposable, and a large fleet of trucks at the ready to provide same-day or even immediate service when a problem arises (usually out of a drain).

For commercial customers, we have wide experience in the food service and industrial sanitation sector. Our response time, knowledgeable and courteous technicians, and access to state of the art techniques and equipment mean that, if you’re in business, you want us as one of your partners.

No matter what your needs, we can offer you the value of experience, and access to the best practices in the business. We can pinpoint your problem using CCTV cameras with Video Line Inspection, and we can often cure the problem with minimal hassle using hydro flushing. Even if we have to dig, we can do the neatest possible job with hydro excavation.

Get to know Edenflo – when something goes wrong “down there”, we’re going to be your best friend!

For more information about the services offered by Edenflo, call us at 604-575-1414 or fill out our online request for service.

Sometimes DIY is Not Authorized

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One only needs to turn on the television or visit a magazine rack to see that there’s a huge trend toward do-it-yourself (DIY) renovation and construction. Big box stores offer a huge selection of materials, tools, and even instructional classes that weren’t available a few years ago. DIY enthusiasts save lots of money, get great satisfaction from the work they do, and create living spaces that are precisely customized to their needs and wants.

Some things, however, must be left to professionals. Work on your home’s waste removal system is one of those things. Not only is it a bad idea to make changes to your home’s septic or waste removal equipment, it’s against the law.

In British Columbia, the Sewerage System Regulation spells out the rules for waste removal. This is to prevent the health risks that come with an inappropriate system of waste management from contaminating land and drinking water supplies, and placing the public at risk.

Under the Regulation, only Authorized Persons (a registered onsite wastewater practitioner, or a professional engineer) or homeowners under the supervision of an Authorized Person can construct or alter a waste removal system. All applications for alterations or construction must be filed with the health authority, and maintenance requirements must be outlined by the Authorized Person. Ongoing records must be kept, to ensure industry and owner accountability.

In short, when it comes to your sewerage system, you are best to hire an expert. Edenflo Pumping, as a company of experts in the field, takes great care to ensure that the Lower Mainland’s environment is preserved for future generations. You can rest assured that we will always carry out our work in a responsible manner, with the health and well being of our customers, their families, and the general public, as our primary concern.

If you’ve got problems with your waste system, or want to schedule preventive maintenance, call Edenflo at 604-575-1414 or fill out our online request for service.