Commercial Septic Installation

Septic for Commercial Properties Outside Sewer Service

Much of the land around Canyon Lake, New Braunfels, Bulverde, Spring Branch, Boerne and the outer edges of San Antonio is not served by a municipal sewer. Any building on that land that produces wastewater needs an on-site sewage facility, or OSSF, and commercial buildings are no exception.

Property types that commonly rely on a commercial OSSF include:

• Shops and metal buildings with restrooms
• Office buildings and professional suites
• Warehouses and light industrial buildings
• Churches and fellowship halls
• RV parks and event venues
• Multi-unit residential and mixed-use properties

Each of these uses produces a different volume and pattern of wastewater, and the system has to be designed around it.

How Commercial Systems Differ from Residential

A home septic system is sized mainly by the number of bedrooms and the square footage of the house. A commercial system is sized by the expected daily wastewater flow, which depends on how the building is used: the number of employees, visitors, seats, sites or units, and whether there is a kitchen, showers or other high-use fixtures.

That difference shapes the rest of the project:

• Multiple Treatment Tanks. Larger flows often call for several aerobic treatment units working together, either in parallel or in sequence, with pump tanks and controls sized to match.
• Large Disposal Areas. Treated water still has to go somewhere. Commercial systems typically use a large drip field, laid out in zones and dosed on a timer.
• More Design Work. Flow calculations, tank sizing, zone layout and setbacks all take more detail on a commercial site, and the county reviews the plans closely before issuing a permit.
• Higher Permit Tiers. Larger daily flows can move a project into a higher permitting tier with additional review and requirements.
• Ongoing Maintenance. Commercial aerobic systems carry maintenance requirements, and the owner should plan for regular service by a licensed maintenance provider for the life of the system.

Design and Site Evaluation Through a Trusted Engineer

Texas requires every OSSF design to be prepared by a registered sanitarian or a professional engineer. On a commercial project, that design is the foundation for everything that follows. We do not do design or engineering in house. We work closely with an engineer we have a great relationship with, and we will put you in contact so they can handle the site evaluation and design and guide you through the process.

The site evaluation looks at soil depth, rock, slope, drainage and the space available for tanks and a disposal field. From there, the design accounts for the projected daily flow and lays out a system that fits the site and the building. You can read more about that process on our septic design and engineer referral page.

Permitting Support

Commercial OSSF permits involve more paperwork and review than a typical residential permit. The engineer prepares the design documents the county needs, and we help coordinate so the project keeps moving toward approval. For details on the local process, see our page on septic permits in Comal County.

Installation with Our Own Crews and Equipment

Hill Country sites are rarely simple. Shallow soil over limestone means most commercial installations require rock excavation for the tanks and lines. We own and operate the equipment for that work, including excavators, a hydraulic rock hammer, track loaders and dump trucks, so the schedule does not depend on renting machines or waiting on subcontractors.

Our commercial installation work includes:

• Rock excavation for treatment tanks, pump tanks and lines
• Setting multiple tanks level and at the correct depth
• Sewer lines from the building at the proper slope
• Pumps, controls, alarms and chlorination equipment
• Drip field installation to the approved design
• Scheduling county inspections and meeting the inspector on site
• Backfill, grading and cleanup

Coordinating with Your General Contractor

On a commercial build, timing matters. The septic system needs to go in before paving, parking areas and landscaping are finished, and the tanks and lines have to fit around foundations, utilities and access drives. We coordinate with the general contractor on the sequence of work so the system is installed and inspected at the right point in the project, without tearing up finished surfaces later.

Excavation and Site Work

Because we already have the equipment on site, we can also handle related excavation and site work, such as building pads, land clearing and drainage. Keeping that work with one crew simplifies scheduling and keeps the septic area and the rest of the site working together.

A Family Company Since 1995

Peter Varhol founded the company in 1995, and his sons Dennis and Mike Varhol run it today. We are family owned, licensed and insured, and hold TCEQ OSSF installer license OS0031132. If you are planning a commercial building outside sewer service, contact us early in the process so the septic design can be built into the site plan from the start.