You're sitting down for dinner and all of a sudden, you hear an odd buzzing noise coming from your basement. You ask yourself what could possibly be the problem now and scurry downstairs to check it out. It turns out, the buzzing sound is the alarm on your septic system. Did you know that your septic system even has an alarm? Here, you'll learn what that alarm means, how to handle the situation when it sounds and tips to make sure that the alarm works when it should.
Sounding Alarm
What does the alarm sounding mean for your septic system? Well, it means that the pump is no longer working and the tank is very close to overfilling and pushing waste water into your home.
The alarm system starts in the holding tank and ends in your basement. You see, there's a small floater device on the septic pump. When the float rises to a certain level, the pump kicks on and pulls the waste water out of the holding tank into the sand mount or leech bed. If the pump doesn't kick on when it's supposed to, the float will continue to rise and once it reaches a certain point, the alarm inside your home will sound.
Act Quickly
The first thing to do is to make everyone in the home aware of the problem so that they don't run anymore water into the septic system. If you continue to add more waste water to the system, you will cause it to overflow and cause an even bigger mess.
Once you've alerted the family, it's time to get a septic tank professional out to your home. You will need to have two things done – the holding tank will need to be emptied and the pump will need to be repaired or replaced. In some cases, a small clog can prevent the system from functioning, but oftentimes, the pump fails when it becomes clogged or overworked.
Breaker Panel
Do you have the septic pump and the alarm on separate breakers? You shouldn't have them connected to the same breaker because if the septic pump breaker trips, the alarm won't have power to alert you of the problem.
Talk with your local septic repair specialist to learn more about handling a septic system alarm. Hopefully, it's a sound that you'll never need to hear, but if you do, you want to be ready. Contact a company, like Lentz Wastewater Management, for more help.
Share9 January 2019
Hi there, I am Wes Nelson. When I lived in my first home, I discovered the plumbing connected directly to a septic system on the land. The septic system consisted of a tank, lines and leach field that processed the waste. I had to quickly learn how the septic system worked to keep it in good shape. I had to pay close attention to the substances I sent down the drains or flushed down the toilet. I did not want to disrupt the colonies of bacteria hard at work processing the waste products. On this site, I would like to help others keep their septic system in good working order by sharing the information I discovered. Please visit again soon.
