Sump pump running every 30 seconds!

[Bhend1723]

Hey everybody. My wife and I just purchased a new construction walkout a couple months ago. In the past couple weeks we've had a good amount of snow/rain followed by warmer temps. At first our pump was running about every 3 minutes or so. After our most recent snowstorm about a week ago, it's increased to pumping every 30 seconds for the last seven days straight. There is a steady flow of water into the pit. Fills up very quickly. We've had warmer temps the past few days so the snow is pretty much all melted and the ground is beginning to thaw. Initially I assumed that was the reason for the constant inflow of water. I went around to a few of our neighbors houses next to us to see if they were pumping just as much, but was surprised to see they have no water being pumped out. Don't even have a drainage hose attached to the house! I just don't understand how our house is pumping constantly, but these other homes don't even have a sump pump running. And every house down our side of the street is at the exact same level and all are walkouts just like ours, so it's not like our property is any lower than theirs. I guess I just don't know how that's possible. They have to be experiencing the same amount of melting and thawing as us, but they don't even need a pump running and ours is filling up and pumping like there's a flood outside? Can anyone explain why this might be happening at just our house? Thanks.

 

[Reach4]

A water main leak would have some chlorine or chlormine content. You could try Lamotte 2963LR
http://www.lamotte.com/en/water-wastewater/test-strips/2963lr-g.html

Also, make sure your water meter is not showing flow when you are not using water.

You may be able to increase cycle time by lengthening the tether on the float switch some. Make sure it cannot hang up on something.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cacher_Chick]

A basement excavation is no different than digging a hole for a swimming pool. It will fill with water, and the problem will be exacerbated if the excavation is made any deeper or larger than it needs to be. When the basement is complete and the area is backfilled, the fill material is often loose subsoil, which allows water to flow through it easily. If the excavation was made too deep, the footing could be very near the natural water table.

There are no quick or easy answers. The backfill will settle and compact over many years. The water level you are pumping down to should be looked at to ensure it is not deeper than necessary. Make sure the sump discharge is being pumped far away from the foundation, and in a direction that is not allowing it to simply flow back towards the structure. Downspouts from gutters too. If this is all as it should be, do consider a duplex pump system to help prevent a flood if your single pump fails. A basin with a larger diameter and a pump that is not oversized can also increase the pump run time to increase the life of the motor.