sump pump nightmare

[bcwoodinc]

help! we have a three year old house in upstate new york. hydromatic sewage pump in the sump pit instead of a sump pump. i have had to replace the float switch SEVEN TIMES since moving in. something is wrong. the guy at the plumbing supply says he never heard of this and never has to replace this float for anyone else and that i'm doing something wrong. usually it works great for a few months and then it quits and after a heavy rain the basement has water. i manually engage the pump to drain the pit until i can replace the float. now the pump has finally burned out. i need to start over with a new pump. any suggestions?

thanks ahead of time for any help.

 

[Redwood]

Zoeller?

I've had good luck with them...

http://www.zoeller.com/zcopump/products/sumpeff/50series.htm

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Ian Gills]

I second that. Put a Zoeller sump pump in. My last one lasted 16 years and was still going (but rusty) when I replaced it.

You can't go wrong.

 

[SewerRatz]

I wonder. How often does your pump run? How long is the off time before the pump restarts when you get rains? I have seen Zoeller, Hydromatic and many other great pumps have switches go bad due to excessive on and off cycles. This is normally due to a too narrow sump pit that was spec'd out by the builder.

 

[Thatguy]

i have had to replace the float switch SEVEN TIMES since moving in.

One fix might be to have the switch control a huge relay whose contacts are rated at way more current than the motor pulls. Usually relays are rated for 10 million cycles.
PN 45-640 from Hosfelt.com ($1.75) or something from Allelectronics, Mouser, Digi-key, Allied or Jameco may work.
BTW, take one of these failed switches apart and see if you find what exactly failed.

It could also be a defective/overloaded motor, pulling way more current than it should. You could check this with an ammeter.

Switching motor loads or inductive loads are very hard on relay/switch contacts. Next most difficult is tungsten (lamp) loads.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

too large a pump

the people at the supply house dont know
what they are talking about

if you have a sewge pump that is pumping out
normal rain water you are probably burning out the
pump due to it comming on too often..

it is shutting off at almost the same time as it is
comming on , so it will simply burn out over time ..


they are not made for shallow pits and they
are not made to come on the same as a normal sump pump..


go get yourself a Zoeller sump pump , ....

just a normal sump pump, or perhaps put two in the pit in case one fails...

not a sewage pump



here is a pic of what I like to install all the time

its a special Zoeller pump with a separate switch,,
that you can change the switch on very easily

odds are that the pump itself will last forever