Questions people actually ask
Plain answers. If you are backing up right now, skip this page and call.
How fast can someone get here?
Someone answers the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including nights, weekends and holidays. Tell whoever answers what is happening and they will tell you where you fall in the day's schedule.
Will I know the price before work starts?
Estimates are free. What a job costs depends on tank size, how easy the lid is to reach, and what we find once it is open. Larger work — main line installation or repair — is quoted after an on-site inspection, not over the phone. Financing is available.
How often should a septic tank be pumped?
Most 1,000 to 1,500 gallon residential tanks are pumped every three to five years. Household size matters more than square footage — more people means more water through the same tank. If it has been longer than five years, or nobody has told you when it was last done, an inspection will answer it.
What should I do while I wait for the truck?
Stop putting water into the system — no laundry, no dishwasher, no long showers. If sewage has come up indoors, keep off those drains entirely. Outside, keep people and pets away from standing water and away from an open or sunken lid.
Do you cover my town?
We work across DuPage, Kane, Will, Cook and Kendall counties. The service areas page lists the towns we work in regularly. If yours is not on the list, call and ask.
Are you licensed?
Yes — license #055-044513. Ability Septic is a family-owned business and has been pumping tanks in the western suburbs since 1956.