Sump Pump Keeps Running

I have a Barnes submersible pump that runs about every 15 minutes. In trying to find the cause of the constant running I notice that the hole in the sump pit connect to our basement floor drain is slowly seeping water into the pit. There is also a small hole on the opposite side of the pit the also is slowly exporting water into the pit. (I assume the small hole is from the drain tiles)

Could someone tell me what to look for as to why this large hole in the pit, connected to our floor drain keeps leaking back into the pit and setting off the pump? I have oured water into the floor drain to ensure that this is indeed the pipe coming into the pit.

Any info is helpful.

Thank You

The groundwater is up under the floor high enough to run in the pit, probably out of the full dry well the floor drain normally drains into or, you have a broken pipe from the floor drain but that is a stretch.

In other words, the sump pump and pit is working as designed. I'll bet you have had a lot of rain or snow melt lately, right?

Sump Pump not running

Gary:

Thank you for your reply. Yes, we have had alot of rain in the Chicago area recently but this has been going on for a few months prior to the heavy rains. We are on city water and not a well. I agree the pump is operating as it should but with it going off 4 times an hour I am worried about the life of the pump? How much life would a pump have if it works 100 times a day?

Well you could have a water line leak you aren't aware of.

Shut off all the water to the house and go look at the water meter for 30 minutes and see if the meter measures any water 'use'. If so you have a leak.

I can appreciate concern about the life of the pump, but it will be what it turns out to be and what are your other choices, to float a couple kiddie sized boats in the basement?

You might want to buy a spare pump in case this one quits. You might want battery backup if the power has a history of there being none no power at times. Otherwise the basement partially fills when the pump can't do it's job, right?

Maybe dig the pit deeper/wider and set the pump to run longer and less frequently. The number of motor starts is the primary killer of motors.