Septic System Alarms

Septic System Alarm Activation

Don't panic if your aerobic septic system's audio or visual alarm activates. It's usually not an emergency. First, silence the alarm using the switch on the control panel to avoid disturbing your household or neighbors. During this time, it is important that you reduce all non-essential water usage in the event your system is overfull. Please refer to your maintenance contract and owner guide for additional information. 

Contact Us for Service

It's crucial to notify our office as soon as possible to schedule a service call. If we're closed, please call us at (210) 201-7757  and leave a voicemail. Alternatively, you can complete the service inquiry form at the bottom of this page or send an email to info@mjseptic.com.

Scheduling Response Times

We aim to schedule all system alarms for the same or next available business day. During high-demand periods, weekends, or holidays, please allow up to 72 hours for a scheduling response.

Potential Causes of Alarm Activation

There are numerous reasons why your septic system alarm(s) might have activated. Some systems will have only one type of alarm, some will have two. If you have two, the yellow light is typically associated with the compressor, and the red light is typically associated with high water. If you only have a red light, it is associated with both the air compressor and the high water alarm. 

Warning: Follow all electrical safety procedures before proceeding with any of the following steps. Please note that we hold no liability for any physical harm or material damage that may arise as a consequence of following the steps outlined below. 

For all alarms, verify all breakers inside of your control panel are on. If any breakers are tripped/off, you can reset the breaker by switching it down and back up. You can follow these troubleshooting steps to determine if you may be experiencing a high water or an aeration alarm.

Aeration Alarm

1. Check if the air compressor is still humming. The air compressor is located under a concrete housing for most systems, or under the plastic control panel cover for most Clearstream and Hydro-Action systems. If it is not humming, you may be experiencing an aeration issue. 
2. Verify that the clear tube running from the air compressor to the control panel is still connected and intact. If disconnected, please reattach it. Your alarm will turn off immediately if this is the cause of the alarm. If it is cracked or severed it can be temporarily patched with tape to prevent air from escaping until we are able to assist you.
3. Make sure the concrete housing, commonly referred to as the “dog house”, is not on top of the clear airline hose blocking air flow.

High Water Alarm

1. If there is an alarm and your sprinklers are spraying, stop using any water and wait until the sprinklers cease spraying. The red light will turn off once the water level in the tank goes down below the alarm level. 
2. If the alarm continues and your sprinklers do not stop spraying after stopping all water usage, check all of the fixtures in your home. There could be a leaking commode or faucet causing water to continuously run into the system causing the system to spray and alarm. 
3. You can manually test your sprinklers on most systems. If your control panel has a manual test switch, it is usually the unlabeled toggle switch. Hold this switch down for up to a minute until the sprinklers begin to discharge to verify your system is able to release water. Please note that not all control panels have a manual test switch, and sometimes there is not enough water inside of the pump tank to manually test the sprinklers.
4. If you have a drip system, please check and clean your filter.

System is Backing Up/Overflowing

1. Verify that you do not have an active audio or visual alarm, and that there is power to the septic system. You can check for power by testing your alarms. On most systems, your alarms can be tested by holding down the toggle switch in the test position. Some systems will have two test switches for two alarms (COMP and HWA), some will only have one. If the alarms sound when you test them, there is power to the system. If you do not have any active alarms while these switches are in the “run” or uppermost position, then the blockage is most likely either in the home or in between the house and the septic. We recommend calling a plumber to have any potential blockages cleared. 
2. If there is no power to the system, please check all breakers at both your main electrical panel and within the septic systems control panel. Once power is restored, your system will likely spray for some time in order to release the water below the alarm level. 
3. We recommend opening your cleanout cap to either allow the waste to exit through the cleanout (rather than continuing to backup into the home), or to verify the backup is not originating from the septic. Your cleanout will be a white PVC pipe located somewhere between the tank and the home.

Disclaimer: Please note this is not an exhaustive list of troubleshooting steps, and these may not help you determine the cause of your alarm accurately. We always recommend having a trained technician evaluate the cause of any alarms. This is just a brief list of simple troubleshooting steps many homeowners may wish to take for peace of mind until we are able to assist you.