sump pumps

My almost 20 year old sump pump has started to act-up - it sure doesn't owe me anything ! It has a "tethered" float switch - any thoughts on the sliding vertical float ? I have room in the pit for either type but wondering if there is a reliability difference ? or functional considerations ? I'll certainly be buying a premium pump - after my 20 - 25 year old experiences with the cheap units. Any Brand recommendations ? My pump will cycle every 6 - 8 minutes during the wet spells. If I can find one like the old unit - that's what I'll do - but I have my doubts . . John T.

Reply to
hubops
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No recommendations on brand, but it's a good time to consider backup strategies. That could be buying two and keeping one in the box if you're around most of the time or putting two in the pit. Battery backup? Generator? They also have battery operated water alarms for about $10. You could mount one of those with the pump so that if water gets higher than normal you know it. Check reviews on Amazon?

Reply to
trader_4

They both work fine. I have what I think you mean by vertical. Just keep it vertical and test it every couple years or if it looks like it's not vertical.

Different brand but this is pretty much what I have.

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But if yours has been working, won't it be easiest to replace it with the same thing?

Was yours unreliable?

My house built 40 years ago had a pedestal sump pump with a metal pipe holding up t he motor and the pipe rusted through at the water line after about 20 years. The replacements have plastic pipes, so that part won't wear out, so this one shold last a lot more than 20 years. .

There is a difference between 1/3HP and 1/2 HP, or maybe it's 1/4 and

1/3. I have the smaller and it's been enough for 40 years.... except for one time. I came home when it was raining, saw 1/4" of water in 1/4 of the laundry room, thought it wasn't working, went outside and water was gushing out (from the pipe in the wall into some flexible drain that goes underground right away). Went back inside and saw the pump was constantly pumping but couldn't keep up. If this had happened before i replaced the pump, I would have looked for a bigger one, but it's only happened once in 40 years. All that happens for me is that the boxes on the basement floor get wet. Sometimes they dry out and are prety good again, other times they dry out and they're weak like toilet paper. The problem is finding a box the same size, in cases where the shape matter.

I haven't seen premium pumps, only ones with one size bigger motor.

If you raise the sump pump level just an inch you may cut that down to 4 minutes or never.

The guy I bought the house from told me to put something in the sump once in a while so it didn't smell bad. I forget what it was but I never smell anything anyhow, even though I have it set so it only runs when it's raining.

I Looked at pumps casually maybe 5 years ago and they had what I think you mean by tethered. Hinged iirc. They also had a combo pump where part was AC and part was battery, and it would just about fit in my sump but it would be close and the output pipe would not be in the same place, and I'd have to replace the battery eventually, and I decided that even though it makes sense for power failures to occur when it's raining, that doesn't actually happen here. They occur rarely and on hot summer days with no rain.

So I thought about getting a basepump. They have 3 or 4 levels of that. They don't use electricity, only water pressure, like an atomizer uses air pressure. I have room enough for that for sure, can use the same hole through the outside wall, but I have storage armoirs in the way of installation and I have to get up in the joists for most of the install, and the things are expensive. The one I got an ad for last was $350, though there are cheapre by the same company. I watched ebay for a while to see if I'd see a bargain, but everyone else is watching too and there are no substantial bargains. They need normal water pressure but don't need electricity.

Oh yeah, because water from Not the sump, I broke down and glued a 1/2" slat i the doorway so any water won't get into the next room which is finished.

Reply to
micky

I tried reading the nameplate on the old one - too old to read. It did say Made In USA. The 3 levels of submersible sump pumps, readily available at the retail outlets are : : plastic : aluminum : cast iron available in 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 HP. Priced ~ $ 125 - $ 250. < Canuck Bucks >

John T.

Reply to
hubops

There seem to be a lot more submersibles for sale (on Amazon) than there used to be, and a lot more than pedestal.

The big advantage of pedestal might be that you can test it without putting anything in the water, and the switch is out of the water, but I still saw only 2 models on the first 2 or 3 pages at Amazon.

Reply to
micky

I have 2 Wayne 1 hp pumps in my sump, staggered about a foot. Model CDU1000. During heavy rain I get a lot of water in the sump. A few times both pumps were running constantly, which is @166 GPM. Each pump draws about

10 amps. Vertical floats. I've had them for 40 months with no problems.
Reply to
Vic Smith

Cycling on a SUMP pump is NORMAL. It drawsdown the water level in the sump and shuts off, waiting for the level to reach the "set point" where the pump again comes on and draws the sump down.

You make yourself look stupid when you make nonsensical answers. Not say ing you ARE stupid - but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck - - -

Reply to
Clare Snyder

A leaking check valve can allow water to flow back into the sump pit causing excessive pump cycling.  Quack-quack!

Reply to
ʎʞɔᴉɯ

Sure, but the OP stated that it cycles every 6 to 8 minutes during rainy periods. That sounds normal and he also didn't say that was why he's looking for a new pump. It sounded like an explanation of the duty cycle of the pump when needed.

Reply to
trader_4

it is a good idea to run sump pumps once a month for a few seconds. this keeps the bearings from seizing up.

m
Reply to
makolber

They seem to survive unscathed for the two years it sat on the hardware store shelf before you bought it...

Reply to
Wade Garrett

I don't even have a check valve. Every time the pump turns off, I hear the water fall back into the sump. Some day I should check how much, but I think it's about 3 inches.

Reply to
micky

In my experience MOST sump pumps don't have a check valve. They are designed to pump to "daylight" so all that comes back is the column of water from the sump to "grade" - and with a 2 inch pipe 10 feet long that is about 1.6 gallons. Definitely not enough to cycle a sump pump

- - -.A check valve CAN be installed in the discharge pipe in cases where the outlet is not "daylight" Generally a sump pump will discharge about 7 gallons per cycle unless the soil is well saturated, when it may pump SIGNIFICANTLY more,and may run close to full time

Reply to
Clare Snyder

I installed a new submersible with a vertical sliding float switch - it has no adjustment so it cycles morre frequently as a result of the pit only getting less-than-half-full when it kicks-in. When it does start - it only pumps for about 4 seconds and the pit is emptied ! I had the old pump - with the tethered float switch - adjusted so that the pit filled to ~ 3/4 before it kicked-in. So it would pump for ~ 8 seconds and cycle much less frequently. Oh well - live & learn. John T.

Reply to
hubops

It's still a waste pumping even 1.6 gallons and having it run back in. If it rarely runs, I wouldn't worry about it. But if it cycles thousands of times a year, that adds up to a lot of water pumped and energy used, for nothing when there is a simple solution.

Reply to
trader_4

If it pumps out 12 gallons at a time and 1.6 gallons falls back into the sump it isn't worth worrying about. The "simple solution" of adding a check valve adds another un-neccesary point of failure - another "pinch pooint" that can plug up - another potential point of blockage. Take a lesson from Colin Chapman - if it isn't there it can't fail. Add simplicity

Reply to
Clare Snyder

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