Sump pump going on every minute in heavy rain (but pumping water)

I am on the east coast where it has been raining harder than I've ever seen for three straight days. I got home today and my sump pump is going on every minute or so. It hums loudly for about 7 seconds and then turns off and then goes back on a minute later. Every time it goes on, I do hear water running through the pipe so it is pumping water each time. So, is there something wrong with it or is it just doing what it is supposed to do? I've never heard this from it before and I have lived here for almost eight years, but I've also never experienced such continual rain.

If it has a backflow preventer that failed, it would produce the same symptoms. Have you looked in the pit to see if it's getting new water or regurgitating what it had already pumped? 7 seconds is a short run for a sump pump and may cycle it to death.

We just went through this a few weeks ago. Look into the sump pit and watch the water level. If it is going down while the pump is running to where the pump shuts off and the pit fills up rapidly from underneath then it is working right. With all this rain on the east some people are experiencing water in there sumps that never had water before. It just has nowhere left to go.
Make sure you keep on eye on it and if it a real old pump it might be a good idea to get a backup. They usually go bad in the middle of the night when you can't get a new one and you will get flooded out with no working pump.

Ron