Frequently asked well and septic questions

Yes. Residential, irrigation and replacement wells, permitted with the county office or the City of Jacksonville before the rig arrives, cased and grouted to the state rule, and tested before anyone drinks from them.

The well breaker, then whether the pressure switch clicks. A breaker that trips again immediately should be left off. Then call and describe what the pump is doing: silent, running constantly, clicking or humming, because each points at a different part.

A pressure tank that has lost its air charge or has a failed bladder. It is the cheapest well fault to fix and the one that wears pumps out fastest when ignored.

Hydrogen sulfide from sulfate in the Floridan limestone. It is not dangerous at household levels and it is treatable at the wellhead. If only the hot taps smell, the water heater's anode rod is the usual cause.

At least 75 feet for a drinking well and 50 feet for an irrigation well, measured to the nearest part of the septic system.

No. Florida requires it to be plugged with grout from the bottom up under permit, with the casing cut below grade and a report filed.

Monday to Sunday, 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, weekends included. That seven-day schedule is why so many backed-up-on-a-Sunday calls end up here.

Often the same day on the Jacksonville side of the service area, depending on the day's route. Call early, describe the symptom accurately, and you will get a straight answer about today rather than a maybe.

Roughly 25 miles around Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Middleburg, covering Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Putnam and Baker counties, plus Daytona Beach as a scheduled area. Every town has its own page.

No. Estimates and price quotes are free, including on urgent visits.

Most households land between three and five years. Tank size, the number of people in the house and daily garbage disposal use move that number more than anything else. Measured sludge depth settles it.

Solids reach the outlet and travel out to the drain field, where they seal the soil. That converts a routine service into a permitted replacement, which is the expensive end of this trade.

Not as a replacement for pumping. Nothing in a bottle removes the accumulated sludge layer, and the tank still has to be physically emptied.

Grease, chemicals, medications, wipes of any description, and anything else that will not break down. Wipes marketed as flushable behave in a tank exactly like wipes that are not.

Usually a venting problem, an overfull tank, a failed lid seal or a system backing up. Persistent odour is worth diagnosing rather than masking, because each of those causes has a different fix.

Power problems, a clogged or seized impeller, a float or switch that no longer trips, or mechanical wear. Checking power at the receptacle first is sensible before booking a replacement.

Slow drains across the house, sewage odours, wet ground over the drain field, or gurgling from more than one fixture. Those point at a blockage or a failed component rather than a full tank alone.

Often, yes. A distribution box out of level or a single blocked line presents exactly like total field failure and costs a fraction of a rebuild. Diagnosis decides it.

No. Florida requires a licensed contractor, a site evaluation and permit approval. An unpermitted install fails inspection and has to be corrected.

Sandy coastal soil accepts water quickly but offers little margin when the water table rises, while tighter inland soils need more field area for the same flow. Both are normal, and both change the design.

Yes. Call Flamingo partners with Hearth for well and septic work, and checking what you pre-qualify for does not affect your credit score.

Most repair and replacement work carries one. The terms are written on the quote rather than described over the phone, so ask for them before the work is scheduled.