Anyone know anything about septic tank alarm systems?

[1000yearoldeggs]

It's very strange, we just moved here last June. We lived in the city all of our lives, so we know nothing about septic tanks. Our alarm is going off every once in a while and today, it doesn't want to turn off. Usually, it turns off after a few minutes. We didn't want to call anyone out unless we had to.

The sad part is, it's locked and we don't have a key to it. The strangest part about all of this is that we are supposed to have a public sewer out here. Why the heck is this alarm even going off? Anyone have any advice about this strange situation? I'm pretty sure all of the drains go to the public sewer here, so I don't know why the alarm is even needed at this point.

Thanks for any help in advance!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Odd, not something I've ever encountered and that comes from having grown up with septic systems and having one where we are now.........
Is this a home you own or one you are renting? Is the locked area a private area specific to your home/property or a communal one or??? How is it locked - with an external (ie padlock) lock, or a locking door?

 

[1000yearoldeggs]

We own it, it's a private house. It looks like a small box with a red light on top and it's only locked with a small lock, so we could break it if we need to. I just don't understand why it's going off. We shouldn't have to worry about it because of the public sewer, but the noise is driving me crazy. I'm pretty sure everyone in the township was hooked into the public sewer a few years ago, if that helps.

 

[newfoundland]

Not sure about where you are but over here it will appear on the deeds of the house as to whether it is public or private drainage. As you so recently moved there have you still got copies of the estate agents information about the property, that will also tell you. Failing that I think you will have to follow your drains to see the run of them. There should be inspection/manhole covers to allow you access. You will need a couple of sets of drain rods to screw together to achieve the length necessary. Maybe it was changed over from a septic system to mains drainage, but the alarm system never removed? I think it's pretty fancy to have a septic tank alarm, it's not something I have ever heard of! Good luck with your search.

 

[1000yearoldeggs]

They supposedly switched the whole township over to a public sewer a few years ago. We know there is an existing septic tank, but there's really no reason to worry about it, right? We finally found the silence button last night,(it was underneath the box) but still can't find a key for the box.

And yes, I've never heard of an alarm on these things either. The previous owner was elderly, so I'm assuming she wanted everything taken care of.

 

[Bunnylady]

I have lived with septic systems for most of my life.

The one on our house is less than 20 years old, and it has an alarm. The older systems relied on passive drainage to move liquids from the settling tank to the lines in the leach field; modern systems often have a pump. If the lines are blocked or for some other reason the pump isn't getting the job done, the level of liquid in the tank rises to a level that will trigger the alarm. We had a pump fail a while back; I'm glad we had the alarm to tell us. Otherwise, we'd only have known we had a problem when the contents of the tank began oozing out from under the lid onto the ground - the classic sign of septic system failure.

If your tank isn't in use, I don't know why there would still be power to the alarm. If you have had a lot of rain or maybe snowmelt recently, water could be flowing into the tank from the ground. If the pump isn't emptying the tank, the water level could be getting high enough to trip the alarm.

 

[1000yearoldeggs]

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. It did rain a lot yesterday. I have no idea why it's still connected. We might have to disconnect it somehow.

 

[oldrooster]

are you sure the former owner actually hooked up to the sewer system???? that is the first thing I would look into call a plumber and they should be able to figure out quick if you are hooked up to the sewer or not and then resolve the pump alarm issue saftly.

 

[hemet dennis]

Yep, you need to find out if you are hooked to the sewer first thing.
The low voltage wires could have gotten damaged and are making contact to make the alarm come on.

 

[1000yearoldeggs]

We're getting a sewer bill every three months from our municipal building, so I sure hope we're actually hooked into it! That would be bad. The previous owner was elderly and this wasn't her main home, so I think she just didn't worry about shutting that thing off.