Septic Alarm Going Off? What It Means and What to Do
A septic alarm is a warning light and buzzer, usually on a small panel near the house. It's telling you that water in a tank has risen above where it should be. It's not an emergency in itself, but it's a reason to act today.
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What the Alarm Is Watching
Systems with a pump have a pump tank (also called a dosing tank) with floats inside. According to the DHSS onsite system owner's manual, a high-water alarm float connects to the alarm and alerts you to a high-water condition. The manual says high-water alarms usually mean a pump malfunction, but they can also point to a clog in the pressure system, too much water use, or a leak. Aerobic treatment units have alarms too.
Pump tanks are built with some emergency storage above the alarm level. That reserve is why you have a little time, but only if you stop sending water down the drains.
Safe First Steps
- Cut water use right away. No laundry, dishwasher or long showers. Every gallon uses up the emergency storage.
- Silence the buzzer if the panel has a button. Silencing doesn't fix anything. The light usually stays on until the level drops.
- Check the power. The troubleshooting table in the DHSS onsite system owner's manual lists "check breakers and outlet plugs" among the first steps for a pump-tank alarm. If a breaker for the pump has tripped, note it before resetting, and if it trips again, leave it off and get help.
- Don't open the tank. DHSS warns never to enter a sewage tank: poisonous gases or a lack of oxygen can be fatal. Floats, pumps and wiring are for a professional.
Pumping or Something Else?
The troubleshooting table in the DHSS onsite system owner's manual lists several causes for a pump-tank alarm: a pump, float or control panel failure, a clogged effluent screen, tangled float cords, surface or groundwater getting into the system, and heavy water use. Some of these are solved by pumping the tank to bring the level down. Others need someone to assess the pump or controls. We don't offer repairs. A pumper can lower the level and tell you what they see, and a registered onsite professional can assess pumps and controls.
Alarms on Boone County Systems
Pump tanks are common in Boone County because so much of the county's soil is clay. Boone County's onsite guide (archived by the City of Columbia) names perched water tables as one of the most common limiting features, so many systems pump effluent to a lagoon, a raised or engineered field, or a drip system. If your alarm panel sits near a lagoon pump or a drip-system control, mention that when you ask for help, because the professional needs to know which tank is alarming. Boone County Resource Management can tell you what's on file if your system was permitted.
When to Treat It as an Emergency
If sewage is backing up into the house, or the alarm keeps sounding after you've cut water use, treat it as urgent. See emergency septic pumping and say it's an emergency in your request.
Related: septic tank pumping, septic inspection, septic pumping cost.
Request service with our short form
We pass your request to independent local septic professionals, and a local septic pro will contact you directly. They'll reach out as soon as they can; timing depends on their schedule. If it's an emergency, say so in the form so the contractor sees it.
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