Sump Pump cycles times.

[cmw]

I'm using a Zoeller M53 pump in a 19" diameter X 22" deep sump. The pump is pumping 7' vertically to exhaust the water to an outside drain. The pump cycles every 35 seconds and 23 seconds of that cycle is spent pumping. The pump will be activated about 5 to 10 times/year.

My questions are: is this normal cycle time for a sump application? If not then, what should it be and how do I get there?

 

[LLigetfa]

When the foundation contractor set my poly sump well in the floor, he didn't drill enough holes into it to allow the water in as fast as the pump could remove it. I just went crazy with a long drill bit and made it into Swiss cheeze. I also adjusted the kick-in level so that the perimeter weepers and gravel bed were part of the storage. Problem solved.

Now your situation may be different so the usual caveats apply.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cacher_Chick]

I had pretty much the exact setup and installed an SJE Rhombus Verticalmaster switch, which allowed me to adjust the "on" and "off" pumping levels to increase the run time. If you do not have drain tile dumping directly into the sump, more (small) holes might help increase flow into the sump. A long term solution would be install a sump with a larger diameter.

It is also good to remember that there is no value in pumping the sump all the way to the bottom. It only needs to pump low enough to keep the tiles flowing. Most installers set the pump on a paver or brick to raise the pump off the bottom of the basin.