Discovering the Problem
When we asked Hayama Kogyo (有限会社葉山興業) to carry out routine cleaning of our septic tank, they pointed out that “there’s a hole in the septic tank” and advised us that it needed to be dealt with promptly.
Because the septic tank is buried beneath the mortar paving of the parking area, we expected that replacing it would be quite costly.
Deciding How to Proceed
Rather than repairing the septic tank, we wanted to look into connecting to the public sewer if possible. When we checked the sewer service area map for Hayama Town, we found that the property was within the covered area.
A sewer line had been laid at the property’s location about five years earlier, but it was not yet in place when the house was built, so a septic tank had been installed.
Connecting within two years of the sewer being laid would have qualified for a subsidy, but that deadline had already passed, so we could not use it.
Requesting Quotes and Choosing a Contractor
We decided to request quotes for the sewer connection work.
However, there is no easy-to-understand list of contractors published for the general public, so gathering information was a struggle.
We first referred to the list of designated contractors on the Hayama Town website and contacted several of them, but they declined, saying they could not take on the job.
We then consulted the Hayama Town Sewerage Division, which recommended that we contact the Zushi-Hayama Pipe Works Cooperative (逗葉管工事業協同組合).
When we asked the cooperative about contractors working in the Hayama area, they introduced us to the following four companies:
- Muto Komuten (Sakurayama): 046-871-2691
- Morimura Kogyo (Sakurayama): 046-871-3487
- Mashimo Setsubi: 046-872-0530
- Mashimo Shoji: 046-873-7842
Of these, we were able to reach Muto Komuten and Mashimo Setsubi, and we asked both for quotes. Since an on-site survey was required, it took about half a month to receive the quotes. The estimated cost of the work was roughly ¥300,000–¥500,000.
Each contractor differed in how they would carry out the work and how they would handle the paperwork with the town office. After talking with each of them in detail, we decided to place the order with Muto Komuten, which answered our questions accurately and struck us as highly trustworthy.
There were about five documents in total to submit to the town office, and they handled all of them on our behalf.
After the Work Was Completed
Here is a photo after the work was finished. The concrete finish is beautiful, showing careful workmanship.
Switching to the sewer means paying new sewer usage fees, so running costs go up. However, a septic tank requires a circulation pump running 24 hours a day, and its operating noise had been bothering us, so gaining a quiet environment was a major benefit.
Summary
- It took about 3 months from requesting quotes to completing the work. We recommend planning with plenty of time to spare.
- Muto Komuten’s price was slightly higher, but their attentive service and quality of workmanship were excellent, and they are a contractor you can trust.
Changes After the Work
- With the septic tank circulation pump removed, the operating noise is gone and the environment is now very quiet.
- Compared with the cost of septic tank pumping, the sewer usage fees make annual maintenance costs higher.
