Mike Henderson

Professional Background

Mike Henderson has spent 18 years working directly with residential septic systems across Florida and the southeastern United States. His career began in county environmental health, where he conducted permit reviews and failure investigations for failing drain fields in high-water-table coastal areas. From there, he moved into private inspection practice, performing between 300 and 500 residential inspections per year for home buyers, sellers, and property managers.

Over the course of his career, Mike has assessed systems in subtropical climates with high rainfall, sandy coastal soils with poor percolation, and clay-heavy inland properties with slow drainage. That breadth of field conditions gives him a practical perspective that manufacturer guides and online articles rarely capture.

Certifications and Affiliations

Mike holds active certification from the National Association of Wastewater Technicians (NAWT), including completion of their residential septic inspection certification program. He maintains continuing education credits annually to stay current with state regulatory changes and new treatment technologies.

He has served as a technical consultant to two regional health departments in Florida, contributing to homeowner guidance documents for septic system maintenance in environmentally sensitive areas. These documents are referenced by county extension offices across the state.

Field Experience

The majority of Mike's work involves evaluating systems before real estate transactions, diagnosing failures, and advising homeowners on maintenance schedules. Common cases include drain field saturation after heavy rains, biomat buildup from insufficient pumping intervals, and cracked tanks from vehicular traffic or root intrusion.

He has overseen pump-outs, observed repair installations, and worked alongside licensed septic contractors on replacement projects ranging from simple tank swaps to full mound systems in areas with inadequate natural drainage.

How He Writes About Septic Systems

Every article on this site is written from direct field experience. Mike does not repurpose manufacturer specifications or recycle generic plumbing advice. He writes about what he has actually seen fail, what he has seen hold up over decades, and what homeowners can realistically do themselves versus when they need to call a professional.

The goal is to give homeowners enough accurate information to make informed decisions, avoid expensive failures, and understand what a qualified inspector actually checks during an evaluation.

Education

Mike earned his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Florida with a concentration in water resource management. His coursework included soil science, hydrology, and wastewater treatment engineering, providing the scientific foundation for his later field work in septic system evaluation.

Published Articles

Mike contributes all content to Septic Tank Guide and periodically writes guest articles for regional home inspection associations and county extension service publications. All published content is reviewed against current EPA wastewater guidelines, state environmental regulations, and NAWT inspection standards before publication.