New sump pump question-cycles frequently

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famattjr

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I just had new pumps installed in my sump. I have a high water table, I have french drains feeding a lot of water, especially during storms, into my sump. My sump liner is a standard plastic one sold in Home Depot, 20" in diameter, 25"deep. My old pump, while high in hp, could not keep up during big storms. I now have as my primary a Zoeller M137 1/2hp and as a backup a 1/3 hp Zoeller M53, both connected to a Sump Pro in case of power failure. My concern is due to depth and water table, the main pump is going on every 90 seconds, pumping for just 5 to 6 seconds. Seems the main Zoeller is not adjustable, by my measurements it goes on at 9 1/2 inches of water height. My old one used to go on at about 18" of water, so if there was no storm, it would be off. The 1/3 hp backup is installed 5" higher than the primary. Should the main pump have been installed higher so it would cycle less frequently, and when it went on, would pump longer? Problem there, though, is if installed higher it would not pump as low. The installer told me, don't worry, once it lowers the water table it will cycle less frequently, but it's been about a week. It concerns me that it is cycling so frequently.

In reply to a thread on this forum titled "Sump pump/pit conundrum"
drick commented: "What kills pumps is frequent cycling or severe flow restriction. Ideally you want your off time between cycles to be as long as possible. 5 minutes is great. 1.5 minutes is tolerable as long as it doesn't run this way all the time. Anything below that isn't good for the pump"
 

Shacko

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I think that the problem is that you have an automatic pump thats going to go on by the depth it's set on. If you changed the height of the pump it would come on at a higher water level but it still would not pump the pit empty or change the cycling.
 

Cacher_Chick

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To increase the pumping time an adjustable switch can be installed which will permit a wider range of water level between cycles.
 
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