Zoeller M-53 cycle "on" time

O' Great Plumbing Sages:

I recently installed a new Zoeller M-53 pump based on positive comments that I found on this site. The pump works great and is not nearly as noisy as the old plastic pump that it replaced.

My question: Is there a way to adjust the "on" time for this pump? When it cycles on, it never runs for more than about 5 seconds. Is this OK? Or, will it shorten the life of the pump???

There is no way to adjust the run time on the Zoeller M-53 other than installing a larger diameter pump pit.( more water it needs to move = longer run time) This is normal for a Zoeller and even a Hydromatic D-A-1 They have a preset on and off time, depending on how fast the water enters the sump pit is how long they will run.

Agreed, the thing has a level control...if the pit is too small, and the pump is strong, it won't take long to empty a small pit below the low-limit, shutting it off. A bigger pit would help, or, if you can lower it and not have it pick up debris from the bottom of the pit, lower it.

If you have room in the pit you can install a new tethered float switch to operate the pump.

To use, wire the factory switch in the up position so it no longer functions. The tethered switch plug piggy-backs to the existing power plug. The tethered switches are fully adjustable.

Preventing the pump from short-cycling is the best way to extend it's life.

you put in the wrong one

The classic Zoeller pump is a very shitty design...


you needed to buy a m-53 without a switch....

then You install a separate verticle master switch on the pvc pipe and
then you can adjust the length of the cycle...

will cost you about 200 bucks...more or less

That is why I like the Hydromatics, they come with a pressure actuated switch, switch you can change the switch with other models easily. They also make a few different models of the pressure actuated switches for different turn on times.

master plumber mark said:

The classic Zoeller pump is a very shitty design...you needed to buy a m-53 without a switch....then You install a separate verticle master switch on the pvc pipe and
then you can adjust the length of the cycle...

will cost you about 200 bucks...more or less

Click to expand...

The vertical switch looks like a good idea. No reason to buy another pump though, just install it on the one you have with the existing float wired up. Save $150... more or less.

http://www.pumpshop.us/verticalmaster-pump-switch.html

How high to let the water go in the pit?

I have a similar problem, my pump is set at the bottom of a 18x24 pit. At each heavy rain, the pump cycles non-stop, 4 or 5 cycles a minute. However we tested how high the water will rise by unplugging the pump, the water stopped at about 10" in less than a minute and then it took about 1/2 hour to go another inch, it will eventually stop at about 13". I am exploring to set the sump pump 3 to 4 inches higher in the pit.

Is there harm, for example that moisture could developed if we let the water go and stand as high at about half-way in the pit?
Is there a recommended distance to keep the water below the basement slab?

Thanks.

Go fo it.

But you might be filling the pipes that feed the pit which is why it is taking so long to fill those extra few inches.

If so, I like to keep my water below those, to provide a little breathing room should the power go out.

If the power is out for a long time, those pipes start to fill and the back-up kicks in.

I think all this concern over short cyling is a little over-rated as is all this rant about the Zoeller float switch.

I have had no problems with my float switch, even on my last Zoeller that saw 16 years of service and was still working when I replaced it.

And short cycling is really only a problem if your pump is doing it continually. Any pump can be forgiven for short-cycling for half an hour or so during a very heavy rain: the sort you get once or twice a year.

I have a problem with a Zoeller M53D pump. It worked fine even without the into 3/16" hole they advise you to drill in the 1-1/2” PVC vertical discharge pipe, which then pumps into a 1-1/2" PVC waste line. There is a combination check valve/union on this vertical discharge pipe. I also have a Home Guard backup unit which vertically discharges into it’s own 1-1/2” stack which then elbows over and tees into the same PVC pipe as the Zoeller, then onward into the main waste and out of the house.

After a year of this operation and setup, it started to "double fire"...the float would rise, trigger the pump which would cycle normally, then it sounded like water rushing back into the pit (down the discharge pipe?) whereby the pump would cycle again for a few seconds. I kept not getting to fix it, and now it is triple cycling…one main cycle followed by 2 more much shorter cycles, but all in a row.

First I took apart the union, drained the water from the pump and put it back together. This seemed to identify and remove a possible air lock as the problem as the pump went back to normal operation for at least a few hours. When I woke up the next morning, the pump was right back to triple cycling. I then took apart the union, drained the water and then finally drilled the 3/16” hole (pointing downward so the spray doesn’t go all over the place) in the vertical discharge pipe about 6-1/2” above where the PVC threads into the pump (as directed). Again the pump worked normally after this so I blamed an air lock on the problem. Within a few hours though the pump was back to triple cycling again!

I called Zoeller and spoke to them-they suggested it was either a faulty check valve OR a bad switch on the pump which could be easily replaced. I tend not to blame the switch since it worked fine after I took apart the union/check valve assembly. But why would the check valve then be to blame, if, again, everything did work for a short time after the union was undone???

I am going to separate and rerun the 2 PVC discharge lines for the Zoeller and the Home Guard and will see if there is any blockage. Next I would install a new union if the problem persists. Lastly I would mess with the switch or replace the whole pump. Does anyone have any other ideas on what to check next?

The check valve. Replace it.

The only way water can come back down the pipe is if the check valve is not working.