New Homeowner Lesson # 8: Septic alarms should not be ignored

About a month ago our septic alarm went off. We silenced it but could not get the stupid red light to stop flashing. I went through all the phases of house worry. First I was calm and figured it was probably nothing. Then I started freaking out that we were going to have sewage backed up into the house. Then I used my own minuscule amount of knowledge regarding septic tanks and decided that since it sounded like the motor was still running there was probably nothing to worry about. This thought was backed by a superior reference source, my coworkers :). Anyway, a month goes by and I'm too busy to really think about the septic tank and everything is still draining properly and there's no funny smell so I figure all is probably well. We also had our Hamilton County inspection and certification during this time in which our system passed as operational. This made me feel a ton better though it shouldn't have. This weekend, just days after our passing inspection, the septic alarm starts spazzing out. It turns itself on and then in a minute or less turns itself off. I think it was the alarm's way of getting our attention. I finally broke down and called someone to come look at it. Sure enough, some essential carbon pieces have worn out (which they are supposed to do every three to four years, something I did not know) and we need a GAST rebuild kit put in. Apparently, the motor has been running but not actually pulling in any air or doing anything its supposed to. When he took the lid off the tank he said, "You hear how the motor is running quieter than usual" and I was like "Um, no" and thought to myself "or I would have done something sooner." When I told Criss about the motor being quieter he said, "Yeah, I noticed that" and I said "Well why didn't you say anything?" This is just like how he would have double bagged the litter, but that is a story for another time. Luckily the guy was able to fix it for us right then and it only cost $139, which is a blessing considering how much our basement is going to cost to fix (yikes!). When the guy was leaving he asked how long we'd been in the house and when he found out it was only a year he said, "Getting hit with stuff already, huh?" and I said, "This is nothing compared to the basement." I wish all we had to deal with was a GAST rebuild kit. Oh, well, that's homeownership for you. The septic guy also taught me that there is an air filter I need to replace every 6 months (who knew?) and told me to call if I had any questions, which was very nice but emphasized how clueless I am about maintaining my own home sometimes. Live and learn. So the moral of the story is, call the septic people right away if the alarm goes off and won't stop flashing.