# Septic Tank Alarm going off



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Call a septic company and/or go pull the lid and check the levels on the alarm.

Similar thing happened at my home and the distribution box was frozen from the first cold snap.

Covered the box with more mulch and the problem was fixed.


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## Gecko (Feb 12, 2012)

*septic alarm*

Thanks, but the pump is more then 4' underground, I have a separate jet pump that is in it's own tank (I think that's what you call it) and the pump is on the very bottom of this tank and below frost level........maybe the seal on the tank has an opening and perhaps water got in and filled the tank compartment? I called a plumber who does septic as don't want to risk having a back up in the house..........hmmmm

Also it was moved 20 months ago not 120..........typo


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

I don't know what the alarm is for, as my system doesn't have or need one. But the tank would've been "full" within a few days after you moved it and started using it again. Having it periodically pumped out by a septic service is to remove collected "stuff" that doesn't break down through bacterial action in the tank (feminine hygiene products, keys, cell phones, earrings, plastics, etc.

My church's septic system has an alarm. Every time it has gone off has been due to the pump jamming/failing from inappropriate things being flushed down the toilets.


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## Gecko (Feb 12, 2012)

hmmmmmmm, only me here and nothing gets flushed other then the obvious but I have guy coming over now as it's all new to me and this is a new systme that was $30k less then 3 yrs ago..........perhaps it's a stuck mechanism due to the cold snap.


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## GBrackins (Apr 26, 2012)

Gecko,

sounds like you have a pump chamber which pumps effluent from the chamber to a raised subsurface sewage disposal system.

typically the alarm goes off when the pump fails. Need to get it checked out (in my area this would be an electrician) before you start backing up inside your home.

good luck!


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

If your septic tank has an alarm it probably has a pump to pump the effluent out, usually because the drain field is higher than the tank. The alarm is indicating that the tank is too full, because the pump is not working. I have not heard of a normal gravity septic having an alarm.


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## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

Virtually all recently built septic systems for residential use have a 1000 gallon or 1500 gallon septic tank to collect waste from the house, an outflow line from the septic tank to a distribution box, and several (number varies) lines leaving the distribution box to the leaching field. If the field is uphill from the septic tank, as in my system, you also have a pump chamber which pumps the effluent uphill to the distribution box.

Whether or not you have a pump chamber, there is almost certainly an alarm triggered by a float in your septic tank. If the level in the tank exceeds the alarm level, which is typically about a foot from the top, the alarm goes off. Some old systems lacked an alarm, in which case you would find out that the tank is overflowing by seeing sewage on the ground near the tank. The alarm is intended to give you several days warning before the tank overflows.

The generally accepted figure for flow generation is about 75 gallons per day per person, so if it is just you, figure 75 gpd. If it is a 1500 gallon tank, there is probably only about 1200 gallons storage before the alarm goes off, so you would fill it in perhaps 15 or 20 days. Once filled, the effluent at the top of the tank drains off over an overflow weir, or through a pipe, into the line leading to the distribution box. If the distribution box is above the tank level, then the overflow from the septic tank flows into the pump chamber.

In any case, the alarm going off can only be due to a few possible causes. The most obvious is that the tank has filled up to the alarm level. This could be due to a frozen distribution box, as previously mentioned. Or a failed leaching field which is not accepting effluent. Or if you have a pump chamber, the pump may have failed. Sometimes the float in the tank sticks, and the alarm goes off.

In any case, you need to have the tank inspected. There should be a manhole access cover, or perhaps two covers, on the tank. Sometimes these are buried, which makes it a PITA to get at them, but they are surely there. Similarly, if you have a pump chamber, there is at least one, probably two, access manholes used for inspection and pumpout.

It is often recommended that a septic tank be pumped every three years or so. If lightly used, every five years should be sufficient. In any case, the tank will fill in a few weeks and will always be full, due to the construction of the overflow weir.


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## Gecko (Feb 12, 2012)

*alarm*

Thanks Guys............I opened the manhole cover where the sump pump is and when I lift the floats the pump start and drains the tank, so assume it's working fine as tested it several times and it kept draining. The water level isn't even close to the top or full and the floats still have some lift before the pumps start..........I manually lifted them and the water started pumping out.

Even with the tank drained so the floats hang the alarm is still going off so it may be something in the wiring, maybe moisture got in and then froze?? Maybe something with 
the wiring where it attaches to the float - perhaps the power going on and off last week may have tweaked something. 

I have the electrician coming on Thurs and he wired it all so will take a look at it to make sure it's all right. He thought it would be a good idea to trip the breaker and have it reset itself so will try that tomorrow. 

It's a new system and the actual bed is 425 feet away so the pump in the chamber tank (if that's the right term) is fairly strong. 

Appreciate the feed back, 

Thanks again, 
Shawna


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

The limit switches can go bad from time to time.

Bang it against the inside of the tank a couple of times and see if it un-sticks.

As long as it was pumping down, the distribution box and pump are fine.


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## Gecko (Feb 12, 2012)

THANKS TO ALL................pumps working perfect and most likely just the mercury or switch is stuck on the one float that controls the alarm......Septic company said not to worry as it won't back up and to check the wires (hard wired in) when it gets warmer out there........(Fort Erie/Niagara area Canada) and to just trun off the alarm knowing it's all working well. A common problem when we get warm, moist temps and then a freeze............very useful information posted and that's for the education!

Shawna


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## Larryh86GT (Feb 2, 2013)

Gecko said:


> when it gets warmer out there........(Fort Erie/Niagara area Canada)
> Shawna


Well that sure won't be today at 11 degrees this morning. :laughing:


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## Gecko (Feb 12, 2012)

You guys got snow, missed us and yeah sometime in April will be a good time to fix it, then again depends if the snow is off the cover!


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

My system has a 500 gallon dose tank with a float controlled pump and an overflow warning. What I discovered was that the installer did a haphazard job of wiring the float switches and the connections had corroded. I mounted a weatherproof box at the top of the port to the tank and used sealed connections, then sealed the box. No problems over the past 10 years.


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