Normal Sump Pump Cycle?

I know that this may depend on many factors, but it seems that my sump pump cycles quite frequently. I'm hoping someone here can say that my pump cycle is either normal or not. Here are some facts:

.3 hp sump pump, with 10 ft of head, 1.5 inch discharge pipe that is around 90 ft long.

Starting last night, it as been raining in Northern VA for about 12 hours now. At times pretty heavy, but now just drizzles. All in all, I would say about .5 inch to .75 inch of rain.

My pump has been cycling every 30 - 40 seconds. I can see the water continously discharge out of the pipe. Could it be just that the soil around my house is so saturated after .75 inches of rain that it keeps cycling?

30 - 40 second cycles seem too frequent to me and I'm afraid that it is going to put a strain on the pump.

pump

If that is how frequently the basin fills with water, then if it did not work that often, you would quickly have a flooded basement.

It can be harmful to the motor to cycle it that much. I would hate to be the one to suggest restricting the line to slow the volume down, because just as soon as I did HJ's prediction would become a fact of life.


bob...

"My pump has been cycling every 30 - 40 seconds. I can see the water continously discharge out of the pipe. Could it be just that the soil around my house is so saturated after .75 inches of rain that it keeps cycling?"

Take a look in the sump. Is it filling completely and pumping out? Is the pump at the bottom of the sump?

If the range of pumping from full to empty is small, then you might be able to adjust the switch range. If it is a cord, you might be able to increase the length of the tether. If it is some kind rod switch, you might be able to increase the on/off range.

If the sump is already going from really full to really empty, your alternative might be to dig out the sump and add some volume. The pump should be set at the bottom of the sump, and the switch range should be the maximum possible between on and off of the pump.

"Take a look in the sump. Is it filling completely and pumping out? Is the pump at the bottom of the sump?"

I have a summersible pump. It fills a little less then 1/3 of the way on my 18 inch by 24 inch sump pit, then gets drained. I will look in to setting the float so it fills more of the pit before pumping.

If this is the same pump that we were talking about the other day, and it does have a mechanical switch, the on point is at 7 1/4" and turn off is 3", you can not adjust this switch. If it has the piggy back switch, adjust the tether longer but don't it let get hung up on the sides of the basin.

I have had people call me and have me listen to their pump and it was turning on every 11 seconds! The switch in this pump is rated for 250,000 start times, maybe that will make feel a little easier about this situation! You can't control how much it is going to rain, so have faith in the Zoeller pump!