Able Underground Construction

I needed some help extracting septic tank risers. I realize its a fairly simple task, but I hadn’t done it before, so I wanted some professional knowhow. The guys who came out were awesome, and did the job pretty quickly. What I was unaware of was that Able requires a 4 hour minimum for any job. This was not clear to me when I was scheduling the appointment on the phone. I was only given estimates. As a result, the bill was an incredible $ 1200 for a job that really should have only cost half that at most. 2 stars only because of the lack of clarity initially on what the job entailed, and for a 4 hour minimum requirement. Although the work was solid, what I was being asked to pay felt like extortion at its finest. I fought it and got to pay less, but I shouldn’t have had to do that.

I had a minor incident with my septic system and, unfortunately, Able was the 3^rd place I went to before feeling confident the issue was getting resolved in a reasonably priced manner. The first guy made things worse and charged 2x Able’s price. The 2^nd company was also 2x Able’s price. I will not hesitate to use Able again!

My mom has an older home that’s still on a septic tank; after a heavy rain storm the (very) old redwood lid partially collapsed. Able was recommended to us by a plumber neighbor and they came right out. The work crew, Sergio and Jorge arrived right on time and got right to work; they had the old cover dug out in no time and repaired and replaced everything perfectly. Mom’s can be very particular and they were able to replace everything exactly as they found it and were done in record time. Great guys and great work.

We contacted Able when we noticed a leak in our water line from the street to the house. Because the pipes are under a concrete driveway we knew it could be an expensive fix. We had already paid to have a leak detection company find the leak so we had a good idea where it was. We called on Friday, Glen the owner came out on Saturday and quoted us a good price for what they would have to do. On Monday two workers came out and broke up the concrete, found the leak fairly quickly although the pipe was very deep, and replaced the broken pipe. They had to wait for a while to make sure the new pipe was good, then refilled the hole. Several days later they returned to patch the concrete. We were relieved that they fixed the leak so quickly.

They sent 2 workers out and we paid for 2 workers but 1 guy did all the work while the other guy sat on his ### the whole day. They also were supposed to give us a quote on some work and after several attempts i just gave up. They promised they will call back and never do. Very unprofessional both on the administrative side and out in the field.

This review is for the ladies that answer the phone. I spoke with Amanda and she said she’s going to email me with things that need to be done. I waited the whole day and I didn’t received any email from her. The next day I called again and another female receptionist answered and she said Amanda is still on the other line but assured me she will call back. After a couple of hours later I still haven’t received a call so I called back again. This time Amanda is on lunch and assured me again that she will call me after. The sun set and still haven’t received a call or email from them. Very unprofessional front office. Fix it, Able Septic! Please…

Our drains were starting to slow down and back up. We called a plumber and we find out we’re on a septic system! What a terrible surprise that is… Aside from the finger pointing of inspections and real estate agents, we need our toilets and drains to work again ASAP.
I was recommended Able from a plumber I had come out so I found them on Unilocal and scheduled an appointment. I spoke to Patti in their office staff and she did a great job of getting me the info I need quickly. She emailed me a quote within 10 minutes and called to make sure I got it.
The next morning Albert and Adrian came out and did the pumping. They did a great job pumping out the tank and cleaning it. There was one point where Albert was holding Adrian’s legs as he dangled down into there to survey and clean out the entry pipe! These are hard working guys. They’re also very friendly. They helped me ensure that my toilet flushes were making it into the tank. That was a relief. You never think about it because you assume its just something that works, but not being able to shower or flush toilets in your own home is demoralizing.
May your septic tanks not be a surprise to find on your property! I wouldn’t wish that on anyone… In any case, if you need guys to do a pumping, I would certainly go to Able again and would recommend them to others.

I needed septic inspection in Woodside and Able delivered above and beyond expectations. To reiterate another Unilocal review, most impressive are all of the people who worked on it including in the office.
Not only did they come out on short notice, spent at least 30 mins searching for the septic tank in pouring rain, ultimately complete the inspection, but was able to provide very clear feedback on the condition of all parts of the septic. Thus enabling me to be confident in understanding any potential impact to maintenance and costs down the road.
I was provided clear directions on what was needed before they arrived, a clear statement of work and costs (final bill ended up coming in slightly lower!), and over communication about who’d be where when.
Overall, no surprises in the condition of the septic and no surprises in the service!
Huge kudo’s to Greg (video locate), Albert and Adrian (completed the actual inspection, pumping, digging/​replacing), and Trina (managed everything from their office). All extremely knowledgeable, professional and such positive attitudes!

You want a place that can do it all? This is it. Plumbing, under ground construction, concrete, confined space, hydro cleaning, septic pumping, septic installs, clean outs, cctv video inspections… you name it, they do it. Top of the line work with guys that know what they are doing. Office staff are friendly and as helpful as it gets. Read what one post says about them and was just confused as my experience over the phone and in the office was great. Good communication and no guess work on my part. Special Thanks to Katrina and Bob for making it a great experience. Keep up the good work ABLE!

The owner and the workers on our septic tank were very good but
the office staff is rude and very inefficient. They promise you a receipt
and it never happens. Dealing with those women in the office is extremely
frustrating!

Clay Lopes is the Best! Able Septic Tank Service is the place to go for sewer/​plumbing needs. They have excellent people that really know what they are doing. Also, they have all the equipment to get any size job done. Clay Lopes knows more about leach fields, earth moving and sewer drains than any person you will ever meet. I had a huge project at my house that I thought was almost impossible to do correctly, but Clay Lopes figured it out and in several days had everything working perfectly. When he was done, everything was cleaned up and looked great — and he really cared about doing it right. Good for Glen the owner and Yesenia for keeping such good people happy and on the payroll. John Ellis Cupertino, Ca

This company is not closed. My septic system sie-​rhombus control box alarm lights up, I found this Able online, called and explained the case, asked if they fix this thing, followed by email with pictures, lady said they will review and call back, they did not. Closed at 430PM, no answering service. I called next day, they said they do and scheduled next morning, said will call me to confirm, but never did, I had to chase after them.
Plumber showed up on schedule, for $ 98, he said they are not electricians, I need to call an electrician. Didn’t I asked that in advance and sent all the pictures? why didn’t they just tell me they don’t fix septic sie-​rhombus control box over the phone? why do they need me to pay them $ 98 to sent a very capable plumber to tell me I should call an electrician?
The ladies answering phone are nice but they repeatedly don’t call back as promised. The plumber is super nice, spent an hour running up and down to tell me again at the end of 1 hour that I should call an electrician, as he said at the beginning. and I got some mud or some black stuff on carpet from his shoes to clean up.
Nice people, and my $ 98 waste is not that big a deal, I really don’t want to post negative on Unilocal!but it is the truth. You should be careful dealing with them.

I had a «sewage situation» at my house involving some foul smelling water bubbling up through the ground, and after doing a small amount of digging myself, figured I might have some sort of septic tank that I hadn’t been informed about when I bought our house. I called Able, told them about my situation, and they had a pump truck out to me within the hour. The guys were very professional, figured everything out, and quickly did all the necessary digging, discovery, and pumping (turns out I had a thing called a «sump tank» under there, which I’m still pissed off wasn’t disclosed to me when I bought the property). Anyway, great prompt service, and I thought the cost was reasonable for all the work they did. Would absolutely use them again.

Upon completion of project to install a property-​line cleanout at my residence:
I am pleased with the work done on this project. Most impressive are all of the people who worked on it including you all in the office. The on-​site crews deserve the highest acclaim, as they seemed very knowledgeable, willing to work, and quite pleasant. My involvement with them along the way was extensive, so I do believe this feedback is accurate. Please give special mention to the young man who, on the first day, accomplished most of the by-​hand digging. He just never quit! Further, I could see that, when Jose was taking the lead, this same young man (name difficult for me to recall) was always seeing what he could do to speed things along; impressive.

If you are looking for a professional company with a personal touch, I would highly recommend Able. Glen, their president, showed up on time and assessed the situation. He told me what the process was and what, and more importantly, when I can expect service. Our sewage ejector pump died over the Xmas holidays. I had a house full of guests and kids who needed to use the bathroom! It stunk big time and I was soo grateful when Albert showed up on time. He had a smile on his face and told me what he was going to do and finished ahead of schedule (when does that ever happen these days?). He cleaned up everything and there was no more smell. He connected with the plumber and called me to tell me personally when the plumber will arrive. Infact the plumber showed up within 5mins and went to work. John was so good at explaining what he was doing and had to make a run to the store to get some parts for the pump. He spent so much time and care putting everything back together. The area was cleaner after he left.
This company was a one-​stop shop and was very competent. I wish I had called them sooner, instead of waiting. My bathrooms are up and running and they have one happy customer.

I bought a house with a septic tank of unknown location that services a small backyard cottage. My mom came to help with my newborn and stayed there, and the plumbing backed up almost immediately. I called and told able it was on septic and plumbing backed up. First they sent a guy to snake the toilet — he refused to and said tank needed to be located and pumped. He wasnt aware it was on septic until he showed up. Wasted four hours waiting for him, Able charged me for service call.
A second appointment waiting another day for camera guy to show up and locate tank. Charged again for that. I had to wait for camera inspection to finish before able would schedule further work like digging and pumping.
Third appointment waiting another 4 hours for digging crew to dig where camera beacon had stopped. One guy dug, another fixed a pipe and then stood around. I was charged for all their time. They dug up one tank which was full and called it a day, although later able people (including owner) speculated there could be another tank that they now want me to have them dig for. (When I later complained about charge for lazy guy, I was told I’d be refunded for the lazy guys time — when no refund came through in called again and was told it would have to be a credit against future services, gee thanks since this was after pumping and I was done) The one digger piled all the dirt against an old wood fence whose only support was the tree it leaned on — please think, people.
Fourth appointment waiting way more than 4 hours for the pump truck to pump the now dug-​up tank. Was told it would be $ 375. Then I was later told $ 375 for first half hour and more per hour after that. They never told me they were running incredibly late and would arrive in late evening — until i finally called them at 5 pm. I told them to reschedule, they were grateful. Another 4 hour window of waiting a second time. Luckily it took ½ hour when they finally pumped it, so the additional charges were not an issue.
There were no shows/​rescheduling /​unannounced running late among these appointments so I actually spent at least six days sitting home waiting for this company that is not presently set up to perform a locate, dig, pump job without sending umpteen different crews that are not well coordinated. All this with an infant at home and mom flooded out of where she was supposed to stay.
Fifth appointment for estimator to discuss hooking up to sewer. He (incorrectly) told me my town would charge sewer hookup fee in the thousands, possibly 15 000 and he knew of one at 40 000 for a regular sized house. Between his jerk personality and frustration with this company and now this (incorrect which I didn’t know at the time) fee, I started to cry. He made much fanfare of not charging me to come do an estimate. His ballpark for doing the work was very high. Instead I got the permit myself and used people recommended by a contractor friend to hook me up to sewer and the town gave me a permit with no connection fee, which he should have known is the case with a second living unit.
Abating the old abandoned septic tank proved tricky for site specific reasons. It also needed to be pumped out again because a leaking toilet had filled it with water despite our not using the plumbing. I decided to call able one last time, where I was transferred to owner Glenn. I asked about pumping (375+ again) and abatement which he priced what I thought was high at about 800 to punch holes in the bottom and fill with concrete. He asked why I didn’t hire them to hook up to sewer and I truthfully told him their estimate was three times others. He said then my «file» said i was a complainer and to have my plumber do the abatement and hung up on me!
I called back to tell him I had paid his company thousands of dollars and was livid to be treated like this. He explained the abatement fee in greater detail as requiring an OSHA permit and seemed genuinely interested in hearing about my experience with able as detailed above. He offered me a discount on pumping and abatement (more than the credit I was already promised above for the lazy guy who it turns out got fired). Glenn said he’d come by personally on Saturday morning to look at the situation and make sure abatement is done right. It is now 2:50 pm, I have been waiting all day at home and Glenn was a no show. I have no contact number for him.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me several times, shame on me.

I never take the time, to be honest, to review companies I utilize, but I had to give a shout out to Able as they were just terrific in an emergency. We had a toilet that just started spewing water (and other unmentionable matter … ugh!) for no reason we could discern until we had a half inch of standing black water in my elderly mother’s bathroom and bedroom. Obviously, we needed someone fast, knowledgeable and proficient. We called Able and Virginia was so helpful and had someone out to our house within 30 minutes. Thomas and Ismael came out, identified what needed to be done, explained it clearly, and got a nasty, once in a lifetime clog cleared in record time so we could get the remediation started and limit the resultant water damage right away. Thanks so much Able — your name says it all!

Horrible service. Came out to snake clog after a sewer backup and said work was not warrantied because no proper cleanout. Sewer backed up again 34 days later and their own second plumber said first plumber erred because there was indeed a proper cleanout which first plumber did not use. Company refused to take responsibility for cleanup of second sewer backup despite error on the part of their first plumber.

Ok — crazy thing to review. .. but these guys were GREAT! We live in the mountains which means either 1) you have an outhouse, or 2) you have a septic system. We opted for #2, because i hate wooden doors with half-​moons carved outta them. .. . and splintery toilet seats.
Anyhow — we had a system malfunction that required both a pump and a cleanout/​rodding of our plumbing mainline. These guys were professional, thorough and absolutely life-​saving! You’d think playing with human waste daily would make your attitude stink, but quite the opposite. They were well rpesented and knowledgeable, very agreeable, prompt and efficient. ANd their rates were very good.