Failed water pump ad sump query

Worn brushes, not stuck or corroded? Brushes not having enough contact area to start the motor but with a bit of vibration they do. A constantly turning motor maintains the vibration.

Faulty motor capacitor?

The pump is a JTFS Mini Micro domestic sewage pumping station, probably JTFS190NN No type technical details found but no obvious external starter cap outside the motor casing or casig bulge. The other consideration is it was installed 10 years ago, tested working then, but never heard to be working since. It should have worked in a flood situation last year but it did not (automatically of its own accord that is) , no maintainece or testing or inspection in those 10 years by the owner or anyone else.

My BIL has a sump pump for his basement. It deals with any water penetrating, as well as the stuff from the toilet in the basement. It needed replacement, but that only cost around £70-80. Having seen that your one costs around £800, I can see why you are so interested in repairing it!

We've looked into replacement rather than repair, seeing similar solids /dirty water capable combined pump and float switch. ToolStation and Machine Mart 70-120 squid but are trying to unravel submersible from submergible meanings as the counter staff don't know and such info not on/in the boxes. What was the failure process of your one?

I have no idea, I'm afraid! My BIL is completely non-technical. He 'got a man in', who told BIL to get a new pump.

BIL had the basement excavated about 20 years ago. AFAIK, he's only had one replacement pump since then.

I see that it has an 8m head. Tha tmeans it will lift the water that far, right? 26 feet!! Does BIL really need that much. It says it's good for sewage but says, if I read correctly, nothing about a macerator. Maybe it's good for sewage just because people with a toilet below grade need a pump. But in BIL's case, mMaybe the toilet itself is self-macerating, or maybe there is no toilet ) .

I have a sump pump that only has to lift the water about 8 feet, although it's probably rated a lot higher. Around here they sell them with 1/3 and 1/2 horsepower motors, the smaller one for under $40 or 50. Maybe that's all he needs? (I replaced mine once, with the same thing, 1/3HP. Once onlyu in 41 yers it could not keep up with the rain and the rain around the foundation, with corrugated perforated 4" plastic pipe leading to the sump inside the basement, flooded the basement a bit. I wish I'd bouht the 1/2 HP. )

So your BIL has a toilet in the basement, but doesn't use a special pump? Just a standard sump pump. Is the toilet self-macerating?

Good question! No, it's not.

After a few light taps to the body, normal centrifugal switch action returned . 10 on /off cycles without any tapping, just lifting the float switch . The owner will activate via lifting the float switch once a month from now on, hopefully will keep it free.

Have the owner buy a "water alarm": small box, 9 Volt battery, beeper -- makes a loud noise when wet. Very little money, under 10 Euros/dollars/pounds, Amazon, eBay, Aliexpress...

Fasten it in the sump suitably -- less likely for the water to sneak up on him...

Thomas Prufer

The problem is knowing whether the pump has actually worked unless you are around and hear it. I came up with a simple solution to that. A Lego brick tied to the outlet snorkel pipe with a bitofcord and the Lego flicked down into the snorkel tube. Any pump activity would soon chuck out the Lego

Nice solution!

The other problem is the water rising, and you don't notice it until it's too late, no pump, flooding, ...

Friend had a plumber in, who left such a water alarm after doing his work, as a gift. This had the plumber's name and number on it. Yeah, well, whatever...

Two months later it beeped, they went to investigate, and caught a (different) leak when it was still an easily manageable puddle... The plumber got repeat business.

Thomas Prufer

And I got mine at Home Depot. Inexpensive.

... but not an option in Great Britain...

Thomas Prufer