Ted and Terri Turnock aren’t waiting for officials in South Bend, Ind., to tighten regulations affecting their septic business. Turnock Sales & Service is taking a lead role in helping establish those regulations. “They’re coming anyway,” muses Ted Turnock. “Might as well try to make sure they’re sensible.”
Indeed, the 30-year-veteran onsite system professional is doing all he can to ensure that when stricter regulations arrive, they’ll be based on sound wastewater management principles. This will ultimately help not just installers and pumpers, but also inspection officials and homeowners as well.
Pumpers struggling with tightening restrictions in their own areas might take a cue from the Turnocks and get out in front of the situation. Rather than sit back and fret over possible new regulations, it’s better to be an active part of an onsite industry solution, so you can be informed and be prepared to meet new standards.
No surprises
Currently in St. Joseph County, where the company does most of its work, regulations are tightening. The county’s septic ordinance hadn’t changed since 1967 and an ongoing building boom has pushed that point to the fore. Turnock was asked to sit on the review board, considered an expert in system design, planning and installation based on his long career in the business. He helped develop updated wording for the new ordinance, which took effect last fall.
Property must now undergo septic inspection and water tests before a real estate transaction. “We’ve had so many people who bought a house that had only been sight-inspected by the banker, then found out they needed an expensive repair (to meet sale requirements),” explains Turnock. One of the new regulations requires septic system inspectors to be licensed.
Installers have always had to be registered and bonded, and now they must be tested and licensed through the state board of health or local health department, a process that’s still being set up. “It will weed out a lot of people that shouldn’t be out there doing what they’re doing,” Turnock says. The new ordinance permits fines for using or repairing unapproved systems.
In light of similar problems in neighboring Ohio, newer, more effective and reliable aerobic systems are being mandated, and Turnock believes the same will soon be the case in Indiana.
Building expertise
Turnock learned the trade working for other companies about 30 years ago. In 1985, the Turnocks decided to go out on their own.
They started by offering hauling and landscaping, establishing contacts with area contractors. Turnock added septic system installation and business picked up enough for Terri Turnock to quit her teaching job to manage the office. In 1989, septic systems became their primary business. They installed and maintained subsurface gravity-feed systems, elevated mound systems, pressure distribution systems and subsurface gravity-feed flood dose systems, along with tanks and lift stations.
They’ve since built a service fleet that includes a 1980 Ford 9000 tri-axle dump truck, a 1993 International 8300 single-axle semi tractor, a 1993 Fontaine semi dump trailer, and a 1977 General tri-axle trailer. The equipment is rounded out by several other service trucks, excavator and miscellaneous tractors, buckets, rakes and augers. The company subcontracts pumping services.
Turnock could see the writing on the wall some time ago, when it came to what was going to be considered acceptable, and the changes were reflected in the new ordinance he helped write. “We’ve had such a high number of failures, but then we have such a high number of septic systems,” he explains of the South Bend metro area of nearly 350,000 people.
He attributes the failure rate to poor planning. “The lot sizes are too small and building permits aren’t requiring anything larger to accommodate larger systems.” Add that most people aren’t well informed about how to maintain a healthy septic system, and the problem becomes clear.
Consumer education
When the failures became rampant, the Turnocks immediately upgraded the information they provide to customers to exceed what the county provides. “Their material reflects minimum requirements, which aren’t enough to keep a system healthy,” Ted Turnock says. “We tell people to put a second riser on the tank with a filter for suspended solids, to keep from having tanks seal over. That’s about $150 for preventive maintenance instead of $10,000 for a new system.
“We recommended this be included in the ordinance, but they left it out because they said it would cost too much for consumers. We also recommend not having a dishwasher, but of course it’s a great selling point for builders, so that’s a lost cause. But if they don’t have that filter, they’re overloading their tanks with solids.”
Turnock is frustrated with government officials who are afraid of change, he says. “Here in St. Joe County, they give you specs based on soil tests, so they’re still recommending the old mound systems. They’re more concerned with rules instead of what’s actually best for the lot.
“We believe that will change in the next year or so, and there’s nothing but good that can come of installing aerobic systems,” he insists. “We’ve got a letter from the university Extension saying 90 percent of these systems could be saved through their use.” And so he began doing some research, asking suppliers about possible solutions.
On the horizon
“There’s no sense presenting the advanced systems to customers until the county allows us to install them regularly. Indiana allows them now, but they’re labeled ‘experimental.’ We’re trying to get them listed as standard recommended type systems if the site warrants it.”
The company doesn’t plan at this time to experiment with any other advanced systems. “Anything experimental gets the state health board to override local ordinances,” explains Terri Turnock, “and that just invites red tape.” They still install a few gravel and chamber setups, says Ted Turnock, “which we feel is a better system, especially for pressure fed, because you’re distributing the water more evenly.’’
The Turnocks are working on their approach to customers with failing systems until the advanced systems are approved. “We may consider some type of more aggressive maintenance program,” says Terri Turnock. “At this point, we just recommend what they should do, but it might be a wave of the future for people to consider more frequent service normal. So many people are so busy; we now live in a service-oriented world.”
Ted Turnock agrees. “I think you’re going to see more regulation requiring maintenance agreements, because people are just not inclined to take care of their systems voluntarily. We install filters even though they’re not required, because people just won’t pump often enough. Our county has done a pretty good job of getting the word out about the importance of regular pumping, but no one wants to think about where their toilets flush to and what it means to take care of their septic systems.”
Dead septic tanks
Reflecting this reality is the increase in dead septic tanks the Turnocks are seeing. “People flush everything down their toilets, and now with the super-flush models, we see it all. We saw one tank where everything was coated with yellow. After a lot of questions, we found that someone in the house was flushing their heart medication down, plugging up the filters and causing the bacteria to die.”
Pumpers and installers making recommendations to their customers need to research cost efficiency in the new systems they’re considering, and look for multiple suppliers, Turnock advises. Putting forth a strong service value proposition is also key to moving into advanced systems.
“You want to get certified (for installation and maintenance) even if it’s not required, then tell your customers to check references with the health department or Better Business Bureau. This is an expensive home repair, and you want them to feel confident using you. I even encourage customers to talk to other companies. I tell them, ‘You want to explore all your options.’ It gives them assurance that you stand up to scrutiny.”
Emphasizing niche expertise is another strong tool in Turnock’s sales pitch. “We specialize in confined space installations, and often we’ll get referral jobs from other contractors who recommend us because we have smaller equipment and expertise.” Encouraging such referrals builds the Turnock brand in its market.
Ultimately, though, advanced systems are a matter of doing your homework. “Find how to better educate the customer about why installation of the more expensive advanced systems is worth it,” Turnock says, because without convincing economics, it’s a tough sale. “When they understand the long-term value over the life of their home, the up-front cost can be much easier to take.”
