Sump pump failing?

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Jumpyg

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Hi, I have a problem with the sump pump in my basement. A couple weeks ago we had a heavy melting period here in Michigan, accompanied by a lot of rain. The result was an inch of water in my basement. The first thing I thought to do was lift the float arm of my submersible sump pump. As soon as I did that, it switched on and pumped out all of the water in about 5-10 minutes. I just lifted the float arm up and then let go and the pump took over.

In the subsequent time, I've checked the operation of the pump several times. Just opening the sump cover has triggered the pump starting up on two occasions. The water level was completely over the float, so it was apparently not working. It does not seem like the float is difficult to move, though. The PVC pipe that the water is pumped out touches the "wire cage" on the float arm. So when I opened the sump cover, this rattled the PVC pipe, which rattled the housing of the float arm, which triggered the pump to start.

The question is: what do I need to do to fix the problem? Do I replace the float/arm or the whole thing? How much of a job will this be? I can't read the writing on the top of the pump, so I can't tell the manufacturer. I've only lived here two years, so don't know anything about it. However, in the disclosure during the sale of the house, it stated that "sump pump failed and replaced." The previous owners lived here 10-12 years, so the sump pump may be 3-15 years old.

Edit: Now that I've looked at the pump again, I don't think the float is the problem. I'm guessing it's the switch that the float is supposed to trigger.
 

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