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#KeepLifeFlowin With Cooke's Plumbing & Septic Services

Schedule your appointment by 9/30/22 and save $50 with code MK50.

By Damon Paxton (MacDad), co-publisher Macaroni KID Port St. Lucie | Macaroni KID Stuart September 14, 2022

Macaroni Mama had been reminding me for at least a year now that it was beyond the due date when we needed to pump our septic tank. She tends to be the proactive one, whereas I like to wait until water is brimming over the top of the toilets before I make that call. 

I knew she was right, so on Saturday morning I picked up the phone and made the call to Cooke’s Plumbing & Septic Services – the same company who had taken care of our septic tank needs about 4½ years earlier. I had received a reminder postcard in the mail within the last few weeks and posted it up on our family bulletin board as a reminder. I was aware that I also had an option to schedule service online at callcookes.com, but for me, walking into the kitchen, picking up the postcard, finding the number, and making the call was the easier choice.


Disclaimer: The author received Wind River Environmental services and compensation for this article. All thoughts and opinions expressed are their own.


After navigating through some automated basic options as to whether my needs were emergent or not, I was greeted on the line by Brenda’s friendly voice. I told her that we didn’t need emergency service, but would like to schedule a septic pump service early in the week. I wanted to be here when it happened, so she kindly gave me a window: Monday morning between 8:00 AM and Noon. I hung up the phone thinking how easy that was and that I probably should have done it sooner!

Fast Forward to Monday morning and at 8:17 AM I received a call from the dispatch office that said our technician was on the way and should arrive within 45 minutes. I was surprised when a knock came at the door around 8:40 AM. 

It took me a minute to get to the door as I hurried my socks and shoes on, but when I got outside, I found our tech, Andrew, navigating the front yard. He appeared to be estimating possible septic tank layouts beneath the lawn. He was friendly as he handed me his business card, and he seemed to be on a mission as he circumvented the front yard and poked through the grass scouting for the septic lids. We chatted for a moment and then I stepped back inside to finish my coffee. 


Schedule your appointment by 9/30/22 and save $50 with code MK50. 




I checked back outside with Andrew a few minutes later and found that he had located, uncovered, and pulled off both lids of the septic tank onto the lawn. I noted that he had pulled a blue tarp over on which to dump the soil so it would create less havoc on the lawn. I cluelessly assessed the amount of solids inside the tank and wondered if that was normal and if our tank was going to get a clean bill of health when it was all over. 

Andrew stepped aside with me and showed me the options from #1 to #6 of what work could be performed. Knowing that this is the home my wife and I plan to retire in, I contemplated what would be best for the long-term health of our plumbing and our septic tank. 

I mentioned to Andrew how many nights I see and hear sewer system alarms going off in our neighborhood, and I was still very thankful that our septic system remained healthy and intact. I chose option #2 which included a full system pump along with pressure washing to break up and remove the maximum amount of solids and residual debris. I felt like we were in very capable, professional hands and it was worth it to take good care of our home. 



About 30 minutes later I heard the rumble of the pump truck outside and I checked to see that it had arrived. It said “Cooke’s” on the side and I wondered for a moment if by chance it was the same truck that had been to our house 4 ½ years earlier! 

The pump truck technician gave me a friendly hello as he pulled hoses and tubes off of the truck. I didn’t catch his name, but he and Andrew went to work almost immediately with the pump hose in one septic port and the pressure nozzle at work in the other port. They worked well together and passed the pressure hose back and forth to get the best overall cleaning of the system. They asked me to flush toilets inside the house and I obliged. 

I asked each of the two technicians if the tank looked okay and if they saw any issues or anything that I should be concerned about. They assured me that everything looked good and that they were wrapping up their work. I was a little surprised when the pump truck technician waved goodbye around 9:40 AM, and I looked at my watch and wondered whether I should have gone to work today!

Andrew securely placed the lids back on both septic ports and covered the holes with the soil that had been on the tarp. Overall the entire process, including the phone call from the office, had taken from 8:17 AM to about 9:45 AM – only about an hour and a half. I was impressed. 



I signed off and settled up with Andrew before he departed and felt very good about the work that had been done. I honestly thought there was going to be more chaos, more soil, more excavation, and more mess, but these guys made it look like just another stop on Monday morning. I felt like they were knowledgeable, professional, highly skilled, and very well equipped.


Schedule your appointment by 9/30/22 and save $50 with code MK50. 


Later that afternoon I received an email from Andrew that contained a review of the services performed. This was a nice touch and gave us piece of mind that the service was done to our satisfaction and our property was safe and secure once again. 

I have had two very good experiences now with Cooke’s Plumbing and Septic Services, so maybe next time we need routine septic service I won't wait for Macaroni Mama to start nudging me or for the toilets to overflow! 

Customer service is a lost art, but that was definitely not the case with Cooke's. We were given exemplary service, so much so, that I feel like I do not have any reason to call anyone else.

If you require septic services too... Quick... Call Cookes! Schedule your appointment by 9/30/22 and save $50 with code MK50.