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The reason why the water level stops rising is because the water is accumulating in the drain tiles (black pipe). The water in your pit rises to a point where the additional water flows into the drain tiles such that they fill up. At some point, the drain tiles will become saturated and the only place for additional water to go is back into your pit. In other words, you pit will eventually overflow, but not until the drain tiles are completely filled.
The two cords you see are part of a piggyback switch that Bob described. If you do find a replacement switch, you can simply disconnect the pump motor from the back of the existing switch plug and re-insert it into the back of your new switch. Ideally, you would take the old switch out, but you can leave it as long as it is not in the "way" of your new switch.
I believe the part number you referenced indicates that it is specific to the pump manufacturer. SJE Rhombus will creates separate part numbers for the different units their switches are used for. It is still a vertical master switch, but it's mounting bracket, shaft length, cord length, etc. is made to the specifications of your pump.
Any luck locating a new switch?
Last edited by carmel corn; 04-07-2008 at 11:21 AM.
YIKES..the thought of it overflowing scares the daylights out of me. I'm beginning to wonder if I should just let it go and keep it cycling ever 2 minutes.
I guess I should also let the county test for leaks b/c it could be that and just not groundwater...
An active sump pit is a reality for many of us. It's just a question of being more proactive to manage the risk. Replacing your pump and switches before they wear out is a must, the question is how often. I've seen good pumps fail in 2 years (primarily because of faulty switches).
If you are moving, you may consider replacing the whole pump switch combination. Normally, I do not recommend a Zoeller M-53 because of the limited switch life. The pump motor itself is very reliable. If you are definitely a short-timer, then the M-53 is a good economical choice that is used by many professionals. They can be purchased for $140 to $150 and you can reference a new sump pump in your sales brochure. Consider this vs. spending $50 on a new switch alone and a 4-year old pump. If I've misunderstood and you're staying, then I would recommend something different.
I guess I just don't understand since my house was started in 03' and finished in 04' as to why we've never had issues until now. No we are moving. I ended up calling a friend of a friend who is a plumber. He is coming over tomorrow to see what we can do. We will probably get a new pump and a battery back up.
I don't want water sitting in the tubing and causing damage elsewhere. I guess I misunderstood the whole water table thing. I thought the water level stopped b/c it was level with the water underground or something..idk I'm a total rookie.
Don't panic. You are in better shape than you know.
The reason the water stops running in at the level it does, well below your basement floor, is that the ground-water level is below your basement floor. If you continually try to pump to the bottom of the pit as you were, you are trying to lower the ground water level around your house. That is a lot of water and it is continuously being replenished by water from the stream that is re-charging the ground water level. When you lower the ground-water level the rate of recharge increases
The effect is that, The more you pump, the more there is to pump.
You said it stops refilling when the basin is about 1/3 full, so it is probably 12" or so below your floor.
I would set the switch so that it starts pumping if the water rises one inch above the current no-inflow level. That has three effects. First and most important, it protects your basement from rising water. Second, if the pump starts running, that is a warning that the water is rising and you can check on the percentage of ON time to determine how fast the water is coming in. Third, it keeps the pump from running needlessly when the ground-water is not a threat to your basement.
If you install a backup pump, I would set that to start pumping if the water rises another inch above where the first one starts. That has two effects. First and most important, if the primary pump fails it pumps the water out to keep your basement dry. Second, it warns you that the the water is rising beyond the rate that the primary pump can keep up with.
Since you are selling the house, I would not put in a battery-powered backup pump unless you believe it is going to be worth that much to the buyer. The buyer can always do that if they want it. The price I saw on the Aquanot II was about $700, but it will probably cost $1000 to $1500 if you hire it done.
If it were me I would put in a second line-powered pump and a battery system with inverter, which I think I could do for about $500, but I am an engineer who likes to do such things. I also have a generator so the battery backup would only be necessary when nobody is at home.
I don't know what has changed, or if you are only now noticing that the pump operates more in the wet season. Maybe the pump level switch was adjusted or the pump was set lower. In any case, you have not mentioned that you have had a problem with water in the basement. Everything seems to be under control, and there is no apparent threat to your basement. Your pump has a capacity of 10 times the rate of inflow that you have been experiencing. Keep an eye on things and you will be able to deal with any issues that arise.
IMHO - one of the key points is that the water level stops at the drain tile level. I suspect it's because the drain tiles are filling vs. the water table leveling off naturally. Only way to be sure is to have them wait long enough to see if the water eventually starts rising again after the tiles fill. That could take hours to determine.
Inverter strategy is a good layer of defense...I have one as well, but still prefer the Aquanot II as the primary backup mechanism. One would need an inverter rated at 1500 watts (3000 peak) to handle the surge of the primary AC pump. Xantrex makes a battery/inverter combination that can be purchased on line for $300 or so, but some models lack an automatic switchover and the battery is only rated at 60 amp hour.....not much pumping time.
I would set the switch so that it starts pumping if the water rises one inch above the current no-inflow level. That has three effects. First and most important, it protects your basement from rising water. Second, if the pump starts running, that is a warning that the water is rising and you can check on the percentage of ON time to determine how fast the water is coming in. Third, it keeps the pump from running needlessly when the ground-water is not a threat to your basement.
I'm not quite sure I understand..one inch above what? The plumber is coming here tomorrow so I'm going to relay your advice.
I can try this and see. I'll wait hours if that is what it takes. BUT if the drain tiles fill won't that cause damage and water to flow elsewhere?Originally Posted by carmel corn
It should not cause any damage to test this. As an alternative, you can simply wait an hour or two once the water levels off. After that, plug in your pump. After it finishes its first cycle, I think you will see is an increase of volume gushing in from the drain tile pipes. This will cause your pit to fill up again faster than "normal" flow and trigger your pump to run again. My point is that this temporary "gushing" that you'll see represents the additional volume of water that is accumulating in the drain tiles. If there is no immediate/discernable increase in the flow rate coming into the pit, then water is not accumulating in the drain tiles. Flow rates should return to normal once the tiles are empty....usually takes a few cycles for this to happen if they've accumulated water.
One time we had a contractor here putting up crown molding..they unplugged the sump pump to plug in their saw. They plugged the sump pump in an outlet that didn't work. Where our sump pump is plugged in there is a black outlet and a white one. Anyway the sump pump filled up a few weeks later(this was before our current water issue) and how we knew it had filled up was..water accumulated by our basement exit door. Luckily we checked the sump pump and water was near the top of the basin. So I'm sure the same would happen if I did the test.
I didn't realize water could flow in the black tubing(drain tiles) it seems like it wouldn't flow back up?
I don't know what has changed, or if you are only now noticing that the pump operates more in the wet season. Maybe the pump level switch was adjusted or the pump was set lower. In any case, you have not mentioned that you have had a problem with water in the basement. Everything seems to be under control, and there is no apparent threat to your basement. Your pump has a capacity of 10 times the rate of inflow that you have been experiencing. Keep an eye on things and you will be able to deal with any issues that arise.
Our basement is unfinished and our washer and dryer are down there. Our sump has definitely never ran like this in the 4 years we have been here. The total mystery is why now after so many years? Maybe b/c my house is new and the soil is still settling? Nobody has adjusted the pump I can guarantee that. My husbad is NOT handy and wouldn't even attempt to try the test you suggested that I ultimately did. I appreciate all the advice, I really do:-)
"I didn't realize water could flow in the black tubing(drain tiles) it seems like it wouldn't flow back up?"
Good question - remember the drain tile piping is "below" your floor level. As water accumulates and flows into your drain tiles, the pipes themselves are not very full with the incoming water. Drain tiles feed the water into your pit. Water is self-leveling....as water rises in the pit, the water finds new space available in the drain tile pipe because the amount coming in is minimal vs. the space available in that pipe. Again, the drain tiles are below the level of your floor, so water will level itself in those pipes before rising further in your pit. Hope this makes sense.
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