What to do When Your Septic Alarm is Going Off

Chris takes you step-by-step through troubleshooting and diagnosing a high water alarm condition for septic systems with or without a control panel. He explains WHY the alarm is going off, what to do first, and when it might be time to call in a professional.
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We are a distributor of pumps, packaged pumping systems, on-site wastewater treatment equipment, on-site wastewater treatment systems, and custom electrical control panels for water and wastewater applications, water well supplies, drilling supplies, and water treatment equipment.

[@jimmywells33]

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and offering your time via phone.

[@breeze787]

Thanks for putting this up. What made this video worthwhile is your explanation of how to test the floats. I didn't realize that its just a matter of continuity. Good stuff thanks!

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks for watching!

[@fangorn1000]

Thank you for the video. It's very helpful.

[@Six_Deuce]

Thanks for this vid, The part about manual mode after taking off the other plug saved me, Our tank was clogged for a while, and our flexible pvc fitting bust off after putting it in manual mode, but I fixed it all up by slowly put the pump on manual mode and unplugging it and I think it got it all working, called the warranty ppl just to make sure.

[@romand123]

Thanks for shedding some light on this topic. Much appreciated!

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks for watching!

[@frankvonrossum7454]

Really appreciate the information you put out… Just moved into a neighborhood who has an aerobic system, I am informative with septic systems, but not aerobic systems, appreciate the information you put out… Thank you in advance! Frank von Rossum USCG Retired

[@mikemason4792]

Great video. We are about to get our system install. You have given me as good understanding and now I know enough to ask specific question. Thank you.

[@RCworstwater]

Thanks for watching!

[@spencersuxx]

Best video I've seen on the subject. Thank you ! We just had our pump and float replaced and now one week later our alarm is going off again. The water level is normal, we don't have a control panel just the float and alarm

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it helped

[@mamamumma1041]

Great video !! The best one I’ve seen yet!

[@RCworstwater]

:D Thanks for watching!

[@baltajan]

Thank you for taking the time to share your industry knowledge with us. Much respect

[@cairopablo6505]

i know it is pretty off topic but does anyone know a good website to stream newly released series online ?

[@majorrhys9729]

@Cairo Pablo I would suggest flixzone. Just google for it :)

[@grahammario6370]

@Cairo Pablo I would suggest flixzone. You can find it by googling =)

[@jessicaleerandall]

Wow-thank you so much. I searched, RSJ Rhombus and this is the first video. Very educational.

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it was helpful!

[@amarilysrivera6318]

Thank for sharing your knowledge with us. Help a lot!!

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robtheisen5844]

Fabulous video! You got me excited when you said you would be doing more in-depth videos about how the panel works and how to troubleshoot it. Yes please! Knowledge is power. Chris, I almost forgot to mention.... I just checked the awesome meter, looks like you’ve moved up from and 8 to a 9. Getting more awesome by the day!

[@ambarbahadurrajak5745]

Excellent video !!!

[@DiligentProsperous]

Thank you this was extremely helpful for me today.

[@RCworstwater]

Glad it helped!

[@muslodeplaga]

thanks excellent video ..

[@MexSag1]

Very helpful!!! Was able to troubleshoot myself 👊🏻

[@RCworstwater]

Great to hear!

[@shawncockrell6007]

Another outstanding detailed well presented video !

[@williamadams9318]

Great job. I wanted to add a couple of things (wastewater was one of my studies). Chlorine (for those systems) can also be an alarm item. Overflow (especially from overnight) from a toilet (or toilets) flapper malfunction then morning routine water use added can flood a system and send an alarm. As well as simple electrical outage or breaker trip (storm lightning, pump over heat from continuous over use), etc. , etc.. Investigation effort can save money! A tech. must be paid to come out, even if it's a tripped breaker. A person who is a property owner, should take a class on wastewater. It's cheaper over the lifetime of the property to buy an education, rather than pay a technical authority. Most of these systems will need almost nothing for a single lifetime, IF they are maintained regularly. It's like the roof on your home. Maintaining is cheaper than replacement. AND some waste company's have monthly insurance type policy covering the entire system.

[@ElonMuskX]

Thanks, Will let everyone know when it is all good to go and the Sh*t will flow.

[@chuckstubblefield5998]

First turn power off to septic then Check air filter in agitator pump ( air pump). Most are located on top under the brick block house. . Filters are to cleaned every 6 months.. Most wont tell anyone this, not sure why. If breather element is too dirty that blocks air flow causing diaphragm to go out. Which stops putting out air , causing red light to come on due to no pressure on air pressure switch. There is a pressure switch in electric septic box panel. if that does not have pressure red light will come on as stated above.... God bless

[@raidernation7203]

Good video! I didn’t know that Kip from Napoleon Dynamite worked on septic.

[@JasonTylerRicci]

My Liberty Pumps alarm went off. First time I've ever heard it (besides testing it). I'm nervous I may have a failure somewhere. Thanks to your video, I can at least (somewhat) troubleshoot the issue

[@RCworstwater]

Happy to hear! Thanks for watching

[@michaelmcgovern7870]

Thank you for the video. Unplugging the piggy back switch seemed to work for our tank. I could hear the water moving and the red warning light went off. How long should I leave it unplugged?

[@1Y2ae]

Great video. My alarm went off and won’t silence when I press the button. I have a concrete 3 tank system. First tank for solids look pretty much 90% full. Second tank is like 75% full with, the water level is a few inches below where the water flows to the third tank. The tank with the float is only like 60% full. Not sure if I have a pump because I don’t have any raised mounds on my property. Any suggestions

[@gilles888]

Very good video, my issue is that the alarm goes off for approx 10 sec max and goes off immediately and I can hear the pump going on and off, but after spending a few minutes I realized that the alarm start before the pump going off……Any ideas why ?

[@tyg5421]

As a professional pump mechanic I can tell you videos like this help consumers understand the basic mechanics of their system good stuff . Any questions feel free to ask .

[@paodigger644]

Why is the red light blinking?

[@tyg5421]

@@paodigger644 hi Jeff If the light is blinking it can be two things power supply issue or you have a short in the line . Is it red or green blinking line ?

[@paodigger644]

Red. And tt so much for your time

[@paodigger644]

The toilets are flushing fine. It only does it when it rains.

[@tyg5421]

@@paodigger644 that means you have a short in the offset line going from your house to the pump chamber . Do you have a junction box where the wires go? If so open it up and see if the connections are ok and also if there is water in the box . If you don’t have a electrical box the wire is allowing water to make contact causing the red light to blink on and off and also do you buzzer on normal position

[@FourthRiverJoint]

This was really helpful thanks! My alarm went off and I assumed it was high water, but found that it was actually low. I let it fill and tested the pump and that worked, but the light won't go off at all. I do not have a control box and I have tried unplugging it and switching the breaker. Any idea on how to get it to reset?

[@RCworstwater]

Where is the alarm switch mounted in the tank?

[@robertoflorendo7956]

What kind of control panel do you recommend for 1 residential pump single phase or do I need one? Thanks.

[@skelecaster]

In a basement waste pump system, does any water from upper levels drain to the basement tank? Alarm goes off even when nobody is in basement bathroom for days. Laundry is on main level. Thanks.

[@franklempka2159]

Just Re hooked up alarm box after relocating after down for two weeks and alarm is going off so maybe go manual till tank is normal?

[@fourshuz]

Thank you for the video. Can I ask a question. I do have a person coming out on Wednesday, but this is a 2 year old system, and the third time we are having an issue with the alarm, the last time one month ago, we spent $600 to replace a float and relocate the floats to the opposite end to avoid further issue, and the alarm went off again. I manually drained the pump as soon as the alarm was going off, so I am not able to see if the issue was that it was high and not draining automatically, but i do know that the pump is working when I hit it manually. But when I drained it manually, before I dug it back up (it is 4 inches under the grass), the alarm never turned off, even when the box was emptied down to the bottom. Does this mean there is an issue with the float alarm?

[@fourshuz]

He would like to replace the box (for $2000).

[@papajswife5007]

Just had a quick clean out. The alarm is going off. Looks like water level in tank is low. How do we correct that?

[@99AUDI99]

I have "Tank Alert" alarm, my septic tank overflow without alarm goes off today? Should I replace pump?

[@dustinberns5143]

My septic company came out yesterday switched the skim and main line and tested something this way but never switched back main to main skim to skim line on pump box alarm went off .I feel like theyre going to not tell me the truth or damages that it can cause as its there fault oh skim lines in main. And main lines not connected at all.

[@uhhmanduhh12386]

What do you do if the alarm button does not silence the alarm? And unplugging and plugging it back in doesn't silence it?

[@luisflores8929]

Hello, I got a zoeller that has two pumps. When I put it in manual it’ll pump the water but not on automatic. Would you recommend to simply replace both pumps or should I involve an electrician to test float switch?

[@RCworstwater]

If it pumps in manual and not automatic then you have a problem with your floats.

[@seanmiller8661]

What can I do if water back feeds from my front yard flooding

[@lynn.williams1930]

I was home alone when this started going off so I literally went army style😎 Thank you for helping me to stop thinking I was about to die x

[@RCworstwater]

😂😂 No problem!

[@bthemedia]

Could also be fuse in the panel that died and needs to be replaced.

[@CreateNowSleepLater]

My alarm was going off and I got it pumped. The alarm just came back on but this time the red light is out. What does that mean? Is it just time? Oddly enough, the alarm sound is very light. its strange.

[@wallyirizarry7092]

Why the alarm would go off after the tank was pumped out during a regular maintenance check. Water is below the pump level and the alarm does not turn of even when I flip switch to manual? This is the first time happened, the pump was working that day and the next day I heard the buzz sound coming from the tank and I could not shut it off, ended up unplugging the relay inside the box.

[@RCworstwater]

Sounds like you may have a bad float or splice.

[@wallyirizarry7092]

@@RCworstwater Now that the water level is up to the first float the alarm is not going off anymore. It is strange. I will keep an eye on the system.(it looks like is a Delta Environmental Pentair Water system UC-60 model)Thank you for your advice.

[@caseybubke3406]

Ace On the House brought me here.

[@HungNguyen-sb1yu]

Can I wire that alarm button to a WiFi switch so I can turn the alarm off remotely. My alarm goes off every time we have power outage, many times in the middle of the night. Thank you.

[@ElonMuskX]

What would cause a slight back feed of electricity to my light and alarm on the high water alarm?

[@RCworstwater]

Water in the splice box or a bad splice connection/float switch

[@ElonMuskX]

@@RCworstwater Checking more on that today. Thanks

[@rmwolfe6938]

How do you replace the light bulb on the red light??

[@RCworstwater]

That would depend on the model. Probably best to give the OEM a call.

[@terrapreta1]

I'm not hearing a horn but there is a soft chirping sound every so often. What might this indicate? The warning light is not on either.

[@RCworstwater]

The chirping could indicate a low battery or a bad connection (such as water in the splice box)

[@terrapreta1]

@@RCworstwater Thank you! I'll check that out!

[@Huntr24]

Lucas sent y’all here lol

[@nld-bl5ct]

I wish I had an alarm. How do I get them installed?

[@RCworstwater]

You can order one at Rcworst.com and call a local septic company to come install it.

[@nld-bl5ct]

@@RCworstwater I have a septic tank and the old style leach tank or pit. I just had both pumped. They are 10' under the ground with risers. The leach pit is open now. Is it easy to install while the pit is open?

[@danwesson1934]

Is it possible ours went off because the toilet hung and was trying to fill the tank all night ?

[@natetolbert3671]

This is funny. Our alarm light has been on for years now. I just found out it was an alarm yesterday. We always thought it was a power light. No wonder we're always having to plunge the fking toilet!

[@RCworstwater]

Better late than never! Time to get that fixed

[@TK-setophaga]

I like your videos and learned much. The earing should go however.

[@DaddyFatty]

You should go

[@beckiwildeman600]

the drain in the shower is slow and I began to wonder what is going on and I went down stairs to check and the tanks are not even lit on. What the heck? I have two alert stations neither is on. Can't even figure how to turn them on.

[@jungobungo327]

Thanks Chris! You’re the worst! 😁😁

[@DerekEvan]

My red light is just faintly on with no siren sound. What does that mean? Tank is less than half full.

[@RCworstwater]

Most likely you have water in the splice in the splice box.

[@DerekEvan]

@@RCworstwater that makes a lot of sense. If only I could find the splice box darn it.

[@sherryblackburn946]

If I silenced my alarm but didn't notice anything wrong by the time we opened the tank, will it go off again if the problem persists? The water was not high.

[@RCworstwater]

Did the light turn off? If the light is still on then there's still an issue to address.

[@eliovisita]

What if I have sewer instead of septic

[@debbiecombscampbell5551]

Mine is saying high current

[@jtang63]

my service guy would bring a submersible pump to pump out the water.

[@albion2742]

$200 more, like $500-600 with the filter change where I live.

[@claudiodominguez.]

It's a crappy situation.

[@matthewnovik4050]

do floats ever not float?

[@paodigger644]

Why is the red light blinking?

[@RCworstwater]

You likely have a high water alarm condition

[@paodigger644]

The toilets are not the backing up. Do you think I need to dig up the top to look inside to check the water level?

[@RCworstwater]

Yes. Usually the alarm float is under the same lid as your pump and there should be a riser on it so you don't have to dig it up. If there's no riser I would highly recommend you put one on it so you're not digging every time the system needs serviced.

[@whylogicalthinking]

I’m guessing he’s Canadian…

[@jotarokujo3961]

*why. would. you. have. a. sewer. alarm.*

[@jotarokujo3961]

*e p i c*

[@sethholland3807]

So you know when your septic tank is about to overflow. It causes serious issues that are pretty nasty. Just gives you a warning so you can get someone to pump your septic tank. They’re more common in rural areas

[@whylogicalthinking]

Why would you be this stupid

[@demetriusjohan5899]

Romans chapter 10 verse nine if you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead the Bible says you will be saved

[@whylogicalthinking]

The fuck is wrong with you

[@anitanance5000]

Salvation is for only 12 Tribes of Israel