The family team behind Grant’s Septic Techs includes (from left) Brandon, Daniel and Derek Grant.

The septic system industry is “not that pretty,” says Derek Grant, chief operating officer at Grant’s Septic Techs. “It’s kind of a crappy industry — no pun intended,” he adds with a laugh. But the Grant family sees the beauty in providing homeowners with peace of mind regarding their properties’ most inner workings.

Derek Grant’s grandfather, William, started the business in 1961, and his father, Daniel, later became the owner. Today, Derek and his brother, Brandon, are running the show. After more than six decades in the field, the Grants have seen it all and strive to share that knowledge with the community.

“Our whole mission is to help homeowners decrease their spending on septic system maintenance while ensuring their systems last,” Grant says. “We’re doing that through educational content and through maintenance tests, programs and evaluations.”

The company recently launched a maintenance program to help customers save money and avoid unnecessary pumping. “Typically, homeowners are pumping every one to three years, and often pumping is not needed,” Grant explains. “But people do it because they’re nervous about their system, and they don’t know what’s going on.”

Rather than having homeowners spend $400-$500 every one to three years, the company will perform an annual inspection through its $11.95 per month maintenance plan. If it’s determined that pumping is needed, clients then receive 25% off pumping services.

During an initial evaluation, techs recommend a program catered to each home. “It might be a basic maintenance program that’s needed,” Grant explains, “or we might need to take a system that’s on its way to failure and repair it to keep it lasting up to 80 years, which could save homeowners $20,000-$30,000.”

Grant says the biggest misconception homeowners have is that if they pump their tank every one to two years, their system will never fail. “Think about your car. If you said, ‘Yeah, if I change my oil filter more often, my car is going to last forever.’ We all know it’s not going to last forever,” he says, “and it’s the same with septic systems.” On that note, if another company says a system has failed, Grant encourages seeking a second opinion. “Sometimes, companies won’t do a full inspection, and it could be another issue,” he says.

Water usage is the number one cause of failure, Grant explains. He also stresses “do not flush” rules: so-called “flushable” wipes, hair, menstrual products and essentially anything besides toilet paper should not be placed in the toilet. The company also suggests minimizing the use of harsh cleaning chemicals and using garbage disposals sparingly, since food waste does not get broken down in the septic tank.

Knowing the location of a tank also is important so homeowners can avoid parking above the system and planting trees or shrubs whose roots may lead to clogs.

“Our biggest goal is to help educate people across Massachusetts, customers or not, on the best methods to ensure their septic systems will last as long as possible — protecting their homes, wallets and the environment,” Grant says.

To learn more, visit grantsseptictechs.com or call 508-529-6255.

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