Hey everyone! I'm having some trouble with my sump pump. It's firing up every 30 to 60 seconds and it's super loud, vibrating the whole house! The odd thing is, it seems like the sump pit isn't being refilled by the drain pipes at all. Does anyone know what might be causing this? I even shot a quick 60-second video if that helps!
4 Answers
If it sounds like rain in your pit, it could just be groundwater. If you’ve recently moved in, you might not be aware of what’s normal yet. Just check to see if the check valve is functional; if it’s stuck or broken, that could be letting water flow back down after it’s pumped out!
Another possibility is that your float switch might be bad. It could be activating too early or not at all. You might want to check it out if you haven't already!
What should I look for to see if the float is the issue?
You might also want to consider the height of your pipes. If they're not positioned properly next to the footing, that could cause water not to be drained effectively. On mine, the inlets are about 8-10 inches below the slab surface, which helps with water intake a lot. Have you noticed any flooding issues?
It sounds like your check valve might be stuck open or has failed. This can cause water from the discharge pipe to flow back into the sump pit, which would explain why it's running so often!
Replacing a check valve is usually pretty simple. Just make sure you turn off the pump and disconnect the discharge pipe, then swap it out. YouTube has loads of tutorials too!
Good point! What do I need to do to replace the check valve? It sounds doable.
Yeah, I've just moved in, so I'm not sure what normal looks like. I'll keep an eye on the check valve!