Maintenance is an economical once-per-year visit.

 How can I get a SludgeHammer?                              We take

1. Call NET Septic at (360) 923-1080.  We have several dealers in WA and we will either refer you to your local dealer or schedule an evaluation ourselves.

2. There may be a modest evaluation fee to cover travel & time.  This fee is REFUNDED with the purchase of your SludgeHammer.  (Your local dealer may have a different policy)

3. Our evaluation is confidential and will identify any discernable problems and give recommendations & options for prolonging the life of your septic system. If SludgeHammer cannot help your system we will tell you right up front.

4. Next we schedule and install your SludgeHammer.  All work is performed under our standard contract.  A maintenance contract allows us to come back once per year to be sure things are working.

5. Now you can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing you have the 21^st Century's most advanced bio-technology available protecting your septic system.

FACT:  95% of drain-field failures are due to Biomat (slime) building up in the drain-field, according to the US-EPA.

The SludgeHammer fits all septic tanks.

1. We first inspect the tank (usually requires pumping) to be sure the tank is in good condition.  If there is no riser we can retrofit one 
2. Then we lower the SludgeHammer into your tank, connect the air line and hook up the economical air pump in its weatherproof basin. 
3. Finally the "bug bag" is placed inside the SludgeHammer and we turn the air pump on. 
4. Once a year we check the system and the air pump and replace the bug bag.  It is that simple.

 Surfacing sewage in a pressure drain-field (failure)      Green stripes above drain-field (not a failure, yet...)

A Note about GREEN STRIPES & other indicators

1. Green stripes are not necessarily a failure... yet.  They are an indicator  that the biomat (slime) is building up in the drain-field and the effluent is raising in the drain-field to where the grass roots can now get at it.   The raising sewage makes the grass grow extra long. 
2. After the green stripe, a mushy wet drain-field followed by surfacing sewage usually occure. 
3. However, not all drain-fields exhibit green stripes before they fail.  
4. Slow draining plumbing is another classic indicator of pending trouble but a blocked pipe inside the house should be ruled out before assuming that a slow flushing toilet is caused by a failing septic tank.  If you suspect septic trouble contact a reputable professional for a thorough evaluation.

Download our Engineering Spec Sheets:

images/Performance TechSheet-Oct07Final1.pdf           images/Performance TechSheet-Oct07Final2.pdf

More important than the installation are the years of experience with "in situ" Bioremediation.  We thoroughly evaluate your system before we recommend an installation.  If there are additional problems that need attention, it is always more economical to deal with them at the same time.

A typical SludgeHammer Installation

• Attention:  there are copy-cat & look-alike products making their way into the marketplace.  To see which products have been tested and conform to the remediation standard visit http://pld.iapmo.org/file_info.asp?file_no=0004500   You can also purchase a copy of the standard by visiting the Standards Store at  www.ANSI.org and search for the IGC 180-2003 standard.

• Learn more about the American National Standards Institute at www.ANSI.org

• We call upon all responsible manufactures to list their products through the IAPMO / ANSI Standard #IGC 180-2003 process. We welcome competition from all UPC listed products.

Consumer Protection benefits of UPC Listed Products:

• ANSI Accredited Product Certification Program

• 3rd Party Performance Testing

• Surprise Factory Inspections (something unlisted products may not want)

• Product upgrades must be approved

A few words about the IGC 180-2003 Standard (Aerobic Bacteria Generator or "ABG")

• The IAPMO Guide Criteria (IGC) is a "developmental standard" from the 21st Century.  When new products arise that operate on new principles its not possible to write a "consensus" standard since few professional have experience with the new technology. 

• Often people still married to the old way of doing things just "circle the wagons" to keep new competitors out. One installer told me he didn't want SludgeHammer because he could make lots more money with a standard repair.

• I spoke with a prominent shellfish industry representative on January 30th and he related to me that he was getting "mixed signals" from the on-site industry.  This illustrates my point - our technology is new and revolutionary.  Relatively few on-site professionals have had any experience with it. 

• To make matters worse there is a growing number of untested copy cat products. The look-alike products will tell you they are just like us. Don't be fooled, if they are not UPC listed they aren't.

• By way of comparison, the much acclaimed NSF-40 Standard for Aerobic Treatment Units is a "consensus standard" that was  written about 50 years ago. The Aerobic Treatment (ATU) process had already been in use for 50 years before NSF-40 was written!  That's right, the classic ATU is 100 year old technology!  Sand Filters are 120 year old technology!!!  Much of our septic code is based on technology invented before your grandfather was born.

The question so ardently discussed in WA State is whether or not the IGC standard is "good enough."  Consider this:

1. It may be decades before a consensus standard can be developed (reason outlined above).

2. In the mean time our waters both fresh and marine are negatively impacted by septic tanks.

3. To reject the IGC standards is to open "Pandora's Box" to untested products.

4. Having worked with ABG technology for 4 years I am convinced it is the future of wastewater.

5. Just as Penicillin revolutionized the medical industry so the SludgeHammer is revolutionizing the septic industry.  This analogy is entirely appropriate:  Before penicillin, if your leg wound didn't get better with antiseptics they amputated it!  After penicillin, the need for amputations went way down.  Likewise in the septic industry - the current code requires you to "amputate" your drain-field when it fails. Now SludgeHammer gives you a biological solution for drain-field recovery!