First Call Septic quickly earning a quality reputation: Ken Vance Staff reporter Darren and Kristy Yankovsky were getting tired of the alarm going off on their septic system at their Batlle Ground home.

The couple had called two different septic companies to diagnose their problem, but after spending hundreds of dollars, the problem still persisted.

The Yankovskys called First Call Septic and asked Ronnie Tamez to investigate.

“He came the next day and went through our whole system. Dug up two tank openings (We didn’t even know about one of them”, he found that the tanks were not emptied like we were told they were,” Kristy Yankovsky wrote in an email. “they never dug up the tanks on the previous pumpings.”

“Both tanks were missing very important screens, and the pump screen was completely off the pump,” Kristy wrote. “Needless to say, the other company didn’t do a very good job. Ronnie worked very hard and was extremely efficient, and he did an awesome job. He also gave us pointers on things not to use to help keep our system healthy and to work properly.”

First Call Septic has been in business since March. Ronnie and Sarah Tamez operate the company out of their home in Yacolt. Prior to starting First Call Septic, Ronnie worked for four and a half years in the septic industry with Big John’s Septic Service.

The economy did it, said Ronnie, when asked why he and his wife went into business for themselves. “The septic business got too slow for Big John’s to carry an employee. We talked about it and decided to give it a shot. ”

A truck was purchased and shipped to Yacolt from Massachusetts, and Ronnie went to work getting it ready for the opening of the business.

“I wanted it to be really nice because it’s my rolling business card going down the road,” Ronnie said.

The first couple of months were a little slow, but Tamez says the business is doing just fine now.

“People knew me and knew I had been in the business for many years so it started picking up,” he said.

First Call Septic is licensed and certified by the Clark County Health Department, Washington State Onsite Sewage Association, and the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association.

Among the services that the company offers is septic tank pumping and servicing, inspections, verifications and electronic location. Tamez offers senior and veteran discounts and services Clark, Cowlitz, and Skamania Counties.

Sarah is a 1996 graduate of Battle Ground High School and has lived in Yacolt her entire life. Ronnie is a 1993 graduate of Goldendale High School. The couple met while working at McDonald’s in Battle Ground and now have two children, 4 year old Justin and 2 year old Matthew.

Tamez follows Clark County’s recommendation for periodic inspections.

“I would go with what the county recommends, ” he said “All gravity systems need to be inspected every three years. Any systems with pumps, Alarms, Filters or sand mounds need to be inspected every year. ”

Most systems need to be pumped every three-to-five years. “It used to be you painted your house and pumped your tank every five years, ” joked Ronnie. “It’s just a giant garbage can down there. It’s going to get full. It’s got to be maintained, that’s the biggest thing. ”

The periodic inspections can reveal necessary repairs that could cost homeowners a lot of money and grief if left undetected.

“The system that fails on a property, will likely not be approved to be put back into place, ” Tamez cautions.

For more information about the business, visit www.firstcallseptic.com on the internet or call (360)686-0505.