# aerobic septic sprinkler, force it on



## Sparticle

When my ex husband lived here, twice he went outside and did something to force the septic sprinklers to come on. I assumed he turned the breaker off and then on again. Sometimes I "loose" my sprinklers because they were placed in an area that's hard to mow so to find them, we'd activate them and follow the water. 

Well, while clearing a part of the yard I found one of the sprinkler heads and I'm so excited because this is the first time since a couple months after they put them in, that I've got the area where I can mow around it. There were a lot of fallen trees, ruts in the ground, thorny vines and giant ant beds. Well I've got that all taken care of and can get over there with the riding mower now so I can keep it kept up. I'm trying to set the sprinkler head off to see if it's going to spray the newly cleared area. I threw the breaker off then on, that didn't do it. I went to the septic tank and there is only one button called reset and I pushed it and nothing happened.

So I called the septic company and he said to remove the concrete cap, remove some hose and let it drain into the tank and that should force it on. Then when I've got the spray adjusted, throw the breaker off, reattach the hose, put the concrete cap back on and turn the breaker back on. I told him my ex husband would go out and just do something and they would come on and the septic tank guy said he didn't know what I was talking about.

So, does anyone know where this magic button might be to make the sprinklers come on? I don't know if I can lift that concrete cap off of the septic tank.


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## Cabin Fever

Wow, in Minnesota we are not allowed to spray septic tank effluent on the ground due to health concerns....and besides, the sprinklers would freeze up for half the year.

I'm currious though, if your sprinklers are not "sprinkling" where do you suppose all of the wastewater is going after it leaves the septic tank?

I'm just guessing, but I assume there is either a tank within the septic tank or a secondary tank just outside of the septic tank. This secondary tank is called a dosing tank and should have a sump pump in it. When the water gets high enough in the dosing tank, a float which is attached to the pump assembly, is supposed to turn the pump on. The pump then sends water out to the sprinklers until another float shuts the pump off when the water level gets close to the bottom of the dosing tank. I suspect that the float that turns the pump on is hung up. If not that, the pump may be burned out.


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## Sparticle

Cabin Fever said:


> Wow, in Minnesota we are not allowed to spray septic tank effluent on the ground due to health concerns....and besides, the sprinklers would freeze up for half the year.
> 
> I'm currious though, if your sprinklers are not "sprinkling" where do you suppose all of the wastewater is going after it leaves the septic tank?
> 
> I'm just guessing, but I assume there is either a tank within the septic tank or a secondary tank just outside of the septic tank. This secondary tank is called a dosing tank and should have a sump pump in it. When the water gets high enough in the dosing tank, a float which is attached to the pump assembly, is supposed to turn the pump on. The pump then sends water out to the sprinklers until another float shuts the pump off when the water level gets close to the bottom of the dosing tank. I suspect that the float that turns the pump on is hung up. If not that, the pump may be burned out.


It's a multi-chambered Aerobic system, so the water that sprays out is not "effluent" water and it's the required system by the county out here now-a-days. The system cleans the water somehow? I don't know much about it.

the system is not burned out, but the sprinklers only come on when the clean water chamber is full. I'm just trying to force a little of the clean water out to see where the spray head is pointing. I never know when it's going to turn on and typcially I never see it. So, I want to force a little water out to get the direction just right.


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## Cabin Fever

Okay, that helps. Run a garden hose into the "clean water chamber" this should fill it to the point where the pump kicks on.....

....or......

you can maybe push the float down in the "clean water chamber." This would also turn the pump on.....

....or.....

is there an electrical cord that comes out of the clean water tank? Does that cord have an electrical plug that looks like it's plugged into another plug which is then plugged into an electrical socket? If so, you can unplug the outside plug and then plug it directly into the socket. This should turn the pump on....don't let the pump run dry.

This drawing shows the floats and duplex plug:









Here's a closeup of a duplex plug.


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## Sparticle

Hmmm I don't know. I really didn't want to take that concrete cap off, it's pretty heavy. I'm home now (prior post was at work) and I found the owner's manual. Going to see if I can find this hose he's talking about, but I sure would like to find that magic switch!


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## rzrubek

quntmphscs said:


> Hmmm I don't know. I really didn't want to take that concrete cap off, it's pretty heavy. I'm home now (prior post was at work) and I found the owner's manual. Going to see if I can find this hose he's talking about, but I sure would like to find that magic switch!


Its possible that your ex was just reaching in to the tank with a wire or something and pulling up on the float making it think it was full.


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## Sparticle

rzrubek said:


> Its possible that your ex was just reaching in to the tank with a wire or something and pulling up on the float making it think it was full.


Ooo highly possible. I've got the diagram for the tank now. and since it's 7am and as cool as it's going to get all day, I"d better get to it.


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## Sparticle

talk about the luck of the Irish. I went out and it must have just gone off because I could see where the water had sprayed. It's so dry out here, there was a clear line! YaY!


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## Siryet

Just a question, if you don't mind how much was that system installed and are you happy with it.

The first question is so maybe other folks can see that it is and affordable system compared to some leach field types, not because I am nosy.LOL

A friend of mine in Conroe Texas just thinks his is the greatest thing since sandwiches His was an in ground unit for a four bedroom house and four occupants and cost him 5,000, total.
Has been trouble free for four years now.


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## Sparticle

Siryet said:


> Just a question, if you don't mind how much was that system installed and are you happy with it.
> 
> The first question is so maybe other folks can see that it is and affordable system compared to some leach field types, not because I am nosy.LOL
> 
> A friend of mine in Conroe Texas just thinks his is the greatest thing since sandwiches His was an in ground unit for a four bedroom house and four occupants and cost him 5,000, total.
> Has been trouble free for four years now.


No not nosey at all, we are here to help each other right? The system was $4,900. It's nice having sprinklers out into an area of the yard so far from the well that I can reach it with the hose. I only have to put chlorine tabs in once a month because it's just me and I don't use much water. It depends on how much water you use and they'll tell you how many and how often to put in the tabs. 

The only problem I've have with the tank is they put the tank in a VERY low spot which has nothing to do with the tank and the idiot general contractor. There are little holes in the plastic cap that you unscrew to put in the chlorine tabs. When the area floods water was leaking in the system through those holes and the sprinklers were running constantly so I'd have to shut off the system. Anyway we found the cause and I've got to extend the pipe up so that the hole will be clear of the water when it floods again. Well, maybe after the dirt work around the tank gets done next month it won't flood anymore. I had 6" lifters put on the tank but that wasn't enough to keep it from going under water :waa:


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