When Martin Ruiz got started in his septic service business in 2011, he used metal detectors to locate septic tanks because the majority of tanks around Phelan, California, were steel.
Many of those units had been installed in the 1980s and 1990s, but by the 2000s, some of those tanks failed or collapsed and were replaced with concrete or plastic tanks. To find those tanks, Ruiz relied on the homeowner’s knowledge, reasonable guessing, and probing. It was often time-consuming, inefficient or downright unsuccessful.
Even though Ruiz was on a tight budget, having just started his business, he soon decided to
