Most properties in the Huon Valley are not on TasWater sewer. If you are in Franklin, Cygnet, Geeveston, Glen Huon or anywhere out of the town centres, your wastewater is your own problem — and when a septic system fails, it is not a small one.
JT Plumbing services, repairs and replaces septic tanks and aerated wastewater treatment systems across the Huon Valley and Kingborough.
Call Jaryd on 0458 989 134.
Why septic is different out here
A plumber who works mostly in town will do a septic job. They will not have done a hundred of them, and they will not have dealt with Huon Valley Council’s onsite wastewater team before.
Out here it is normal. Old concrete tanks from the sixties and seventies, absorption trenches that have been quietly failing for years, and newer AWTS units that need servicing on a schedule most owners were never told about. We work on all of it, most weeks.
What we do
Servicing and pump-outs. Regular servicing is the cheapest thing you will ever do for a septic system. A tank that gets pumped on schedule lasts decades; one that does not eventually pushes solids into the trenches, and then you are replacing the trenches. We will tell you honestly whether yours needs doing yet.
Repairs. Cracked tanks, collapsed inlet and outlet baffles, blocked or root-invaded trenches, failed pumps and blowers on AWTS units, alarms that will not stop.
Upgrades and replacements. When a system is past repair, or when a renovation or a new bedroom means the existing system no longer has the capacity, we will spec and install the replacement and handle the council side of it.
Pre-purchase inspections. If you are buying in the Valley and the property is on septic, get it looked at before you sign.
The Huon Valley Council side of it
This is the part that catches people out. Onsite wastewater management in the Huon Valley is regulated by the council — installing a new system, or replacing an existing one, needs their approval, not just a plumber with a shovel.
We handle that process, so you are not the one working out which form goes where. What it means in practice:
- A site and soil assessment determines what system your block can actually take. A steep, wet Cygnet block and a flat paddock in Ranelagh are not the same job.
- The system has to be sized for the number of bedrooms, not the number of people living there now. This is the one that surprises renovators — adding a bedroom can mean upgrading the whole system.
- Setback distances from waterways, bores and boundaries apply, and the Huon has a lot of waterways.
- The approval has to be in place before the work starts.
If you are early in a build or a renovation, ring us before the plans are locked in. Moving a house on a plan is free. Moving a septic system after it is installed is not.
Septic tank or AWTS — which do you have?
A conventional septic system is a tank that separates solids, with the liquid going out to absorption trenches in the ground. No power, no moving parts, needs pumping every few years. Most older Huon Valley properties have one.
An aerated wastewater treatment system (AWTS) actively treats the wastewater using aeration and disinfection, then applies the treated effluent to an approved land application area, commonly by irrigation. It has a pump, blower and alarm, and requires regular servicing by a qualified service agent at the intervals specified by the system’s accreditation and plumbing permit (commonly quarterly). It is commonly used for new installations and where site constraints, such as smaller or more challenging blocks, require a higher level of wastewater treatment.
If you are not sure which you have: if there is a lid in the ground and nothing plugged in, it is a septic. If there is a control box with a power point and something humming, it is an AWTS.
How we price it
Septic work is quoted, not priced off a list, because no two systems out here are the same. A pump-out on a flat Ranelagh block and a trench replacement on a steep Cygnet hillside are different jobs with different access.
What you get:
- A price before the work starts, not after
- If we find something worse once the lid is off, we stop and re-quote rather than pressing on
- Council approval costs, where they apply, itemised separately so you can see what is our fee and what is the council’s
Septic servicing in southern Tasmania generally starts from around $600. Full system replacements vary widely with site conditions and council requirements — we will give you a real number after we have looked at the block.
Safeguarding the Environment
At JT Plumbing, we understand the importance of acting responsibly towards the environment. Our septic tank services aim to minimise environmental impact, managing waste effectively and safely. By choosing JT Plumbing, you are choosing a healthier, more sustainable living environment.
Contact JT Plumbing today for all your septic tank needs. Experience the peace of mind that comes from knowing your home’s septic system is in expert hands.
Frequently Asked Questions
As a general rule, a septic tank at a permanently occupied Huon Valley home should be pumped out at least every 5 years, unless your system’s designer specifies otherwise. Household size, tank capacity and usage can mean it needs attention sooner. If you’ve been in the house for more than five years and can’t remember the last pump-out, it’s worth getting it checked.
An AWTS is different — it requires regular scheduled servicing at the intervals specified for the system in its accreditation or plumbing permit. Many systems require servicing around every three months.
Wet or spongy ground above the trenches when it has not rained, a smell outside near the tank, slow drains through the whole house at once, or gurgling in the toilet when the washing machine empties. Any of those, ring us before it becomes a replacement rather than a repair.
Yes. Onsite wastewater management is regulated by Huon Valley Council and approval has to be in place before the work starts. We handle that process as part of the job.
Often not. Systems are sized on bedroom count rather than current occupancy, so an extra bedroom can push an existing system past its rated capacity. Worth checking before the plans go in, not after.
Yes — Margate, Snug and the rural parts of Kingborough have plenty of unsewered properties. Kingston and Blackmans Bay are mostly on TasWater mains, but the outlying blocks are not.
A septic tank separates solids and drains the liquid to underground trenches, with no power and no moving parts. An AWTS treats the wastewater with air and disinfection and irrigates it onto the surface — it has a pump, a blower and an alarm, and needs regular servicing by law.
Other Services We Offer
General Plumbing Maintenance
Leak detection, repairs and inspections that keep small problems small.