Septic design, installation and repair across Nanaimo
Septic service where there is no sewer
Nanaimo Septic Systems designs, installs and repairs onsite wastewater systems across Nanaimo, Cedar, Yellow Point, Lantzville, Nanoose Bay and Gabriola Island. We file every new system with Island Health before construction, then certify it within 30 days of completion. Most tanks in the Regional District of Nanaimo need pumping every 3 to 5 years.
Nanaimo, Cedar, Yellow Point, Lantzville, Nanoose Bay and Gabriola Island — acreage and island properties where the soil, the well and the setbacks decide what can be built.
Text or call (236) 362-1344
Services
Four kinds of septic work
Four service lines, in the order most properties meet them.
New system installation
We handle soil assessment, design, filing with Island Health, construction and certification.
System inspections
We check tank condition, disposal field performance, and the paperwork you should already have.
Field repairs
We diagnose first, then repair the component or build you a filed replacement field.
Tank servicing
We pump the tank, service filters and risers, and write down when you are due again.
Process
What happens, step by step
- Step 1
Site and soil assessment
We log soil depth, slope, drainage and any sign of a high winter water table, along with the position of every well and property line.
- Step 2
System type and design
We choose Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3 from what the ground and the setbacks allow. We design and install Type 1 and Type 2 systems ourselves. A Type 3 system is built to a design from a professional engineer or geoscientist, and we handle the install.
- Step 3
Filing with Island Health
We file the Record of Sewerage System, the plans and a scaled site plan before any excavation starts.
- Step 4
Installation and certification
We build the system, then give you a Letter of Certification with an as-built diagram and a maintenance plan within 30 days.
Where the sewer lines stop
Where we work
The ground here comes in layers. Quadra Sand runs more than 75 m thick in places, sitting beneath Vashon Drift till up to 30 m thick, over a clayey silt aquitard — that's the Geological Survey of Canada's picture of the Nanaimo Lowland, and it matches what we dig. Soil depth can change across a single property, so we test more than one spot before we design anything. On Gabriola Island the rock is fractured sandstone instead, and percolation for septic disposal is a known problem there.
- Nanaimo
- Cedar
- Yellow Point
- Lantzville
- Nanoose Bay
- Gabriola Island
Frequently asked
Common questions
- Does every property outside the city need its own system?
- Almost every one. Sewer in the electoral areas exists only as small pockets — the Cedar service area covers 128 properties, Fairwinds 796. A property outside one treats and disposes on site, however close the pipe happens to run.
- Who is responsible if a filed system fails?
- The Authorized Person who designed and signed the filing is responsible for the design, because Island Health neither approves designs nor inspects the work. Ongoing operation is yours, following the maintenance plan filed alongside the Letter of Certification.
- What is the first step on a new build?
- Test pits. Soil depth, slope and the position of every well and property line are measured before a design exists, because those measurements are what determine the effluent standard, the field type and the area required.
- Does adding bedrooms affect the septic system?
- Usually. A system is designed for a specific daily flow, so an addition that increases the number of bedrooms generally means the design has to be revisited by an Authorized Person and the change filed.
- Is a septic system a problem when selling?
- Not inherently. What buyers ask for is the paperwork — the filing, the Letter of Certification, the maintenance plan and pump-out records. Island Health releases existing records for a property for $50.
- What does maintenance actually involve?
- Pump most tanks every 3 to 5 years, which is what the Regional District of Nanaimo advises, and clean or fit an effluent filter and keep the lids reachable. A Type 2 or Type 3 system carries additional servicing in its filed maintenance plan.
Free, no-obligation quote
Request a site assessment
Send the property address, the lot size, and what is happening now — a new build, a field that has stopped draining, or a sale in progress. Every quote comes back with the system type the ground can actually support.
Text or call (236) 362-1344
Where to next
- New System InstallationNew onsite septic systems designed around soil depth, slope and the 30 m well setback, filed with Island Health before construction begins. We also replace failed systems.
- System InspectionsSeptic inspections covering tank condition, disposal field performance, and the filing and maintenance records a property should already hold.
- Field RepairsRepair and replacement of failing septic disposal fields, from surfacing effluent and saturated ground to systems that were never filed or certified.
- Tank ServicingSeptic tank pumping intervals, effluent filter cleaning, riser installation and the maintenance records an onsite system is required to keep.
- All four service linesBrowse the full service lineup.
- Areas we serveCoverage across the communities of the mid-Island with no sewer.
- What drives the costRebates, fees, and the five things that move the price.
- Common questions answeredFiling, system types, setbacks and maintenance intervals.