Aerobic Septic Spray Heads Not Spraying?

colemanaerobic
Mar 8
2 min read

Updated: Mar 15

lady on ground waiting for her aerobic septic spray head to spray

Every now and then a homeowner calls and says something like:

“Hey… I haven’t seen my spray heads spray in a while.”

Sometimes that’s a problem.Sometimes it’s not.

Before we assume the worst, let’s talk about a few common reasons your aerobic spray heads might not be spraying.

The Timer Might Be Doing Its Job

Most aerobic systems spray on a timer.

And those timers are sneaky — they often run early in the morning or late at night when nobody is outside watching.

So if you’re standing in the yard waiting for the show, you might miss it completely.

The Tank Might Not Have Enough Water Yet

Spray heads only run when there’s enough treated water in the pump tank.

If water usage has been light — maybe you’ve been traveling, doing fewer loads of laundry, or the house has been quiet — the system may simply not have enough water to trigger a spray cycle yet.

No water, no spray.

The Pump Might Be Taking a Vacation

The spray pump is what actually pushes treated water out to the spray heads.

If the pump decides to take the day off, the spray heads aren’t going to do much of anything.

Sometimes this triggers an alarm. Sometimes it just quietly stops doing its job until someone notices.

Spray Heads Can Get Clogged

Spray heads live outside. In dirt. In grass. In weather. In Texas.

Occasionally they get clogged with debris or buildup. When that happens, they may spray poorly… or not at all.

This is one of the reasons routine maintenance inspections are important.

The System Might Be Trying to Tell You Something

Aerobic systems are pretty good at letting you know when something isn’t right.

If your alarm is going off and the spray heads aren’t spraying, that’s usually the system’s way of saying:

“Hey… I could use a little attention.”