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Sump pump running every two minutes Joe 04-20-2007
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Posted by Joe on April 20, 2007, 8:33 pm


Hi, I'm from CT and we had about 5-8 inches of rain earlier this week.
I just got back home and everything is well in the basement but I've
been timing the minutes between my sump pump turning on and it was
about 6 minutes earlier today and now it's going off about every 2.5
minutes. It normally doesn't go on at all unless it's raining or just
stopped raining - it hasn't rained here for 2 days but we did have a
massive Noreaster here on the east coast so I guess I'm asking if I
should be alarmed that the time periods between sump evacuations are
increasing rather than decreasing. What could be the reason for that?
I'm a little worried that my 1/2 HP is going to give out tonight while
I sleep due to overexertion.


Posted by Lawrence on April 20, 2007, 9:00 pm


> Hi, I'm from CT and we had about 5-8 inches of rain earlier this week.
> I just got back home and everything is well in the basement but I've
> been timing the minutes between my sump pump turning on and it was
> about 6 minutes earlier today and now it's going off about every 2.5
> minutes. It normally doesn't go on at all unless it's raining or just
> stopped raining - it hasn't rained here for 2 days but we did have a
> massive Noreaster here on the east coast so I guess I'm asking if I
> should be alarmed that the time periods between sump evacuations are
> increasing rather than decreasing. What could be the reason for that?
> I'm a little worried that my 1/2 HP is going to give out tonight while
> I sleep due to overexertion.

It seems water is coming into the basement regardless of the details.
Just make sure your valuables are up off of the floor. Then go out
and buy a backup pump, cheap insurance. Perhaps install the new one
and keep the old one for a backup. Then maybe you can get some sleep,
(:

There are many posts like this and the standard answer is to address
the problem outside the house. Check grading to be sure water is
draining well away. Gutters also need to be check to see that they
are carrying water well away from the base of the house.


Posted by hallerb@aol.com on April 20, 2007, 9:17 pm


>
> > Hi, I'm from CT and we had about 5-8 inches of rain earlier this week.
> > I just got back home and everything is well in the basement but I've
> > been timing the minutes between my sump pump turning on and it was
> > about 6 minutes earlier today and now it's going off about every 2.5
> > minutes. It normally doesn't go on at all unless it's raining or just
> > stopped raining - it hasn't rained here for 2 days but we did have a
> > massive Noreaster here on the east coast so I guess I'm asking if I
> > should be alarmed that the time periods between sump evacuations are
> > increasing rather than decreasing. What could be the reason for that?
> > I'm a little worried that my 1/2 HP is going to give out tonight while
> > I sleep due to overexertion.
>
> It seems water is coming into the basement regardless of the details.
> Just make sure your valuables are up off of the floor. =A0Then go out
> and buy a backup pump, cheap insurance. =A0Perhaps install the new one
> and keep the old one for a backup. =A0Then maybe you can get some sleep,
> (:
>
> There are many posts like this and the standard answer is to address
> the problem outside the house. =A0Check grading to be sure water is
> draining well away. =A0Gutters also need to be check to see that they
> are carrying water well away from the base of the house.

many people have sumps above the grade of a lower spot on their
property.

draining by gravity, even if its just a overflow if the pump gets
behind is always a good idea. gravity tends to be highly reliable:)


Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on April 20, 2007, 10:11 pm



> Hi, I'm from CT and we had about 5-8 inches of rain earlier this week.
> I just got back home and everything is well in the basement but I've
> been timing the minutes between my sump pump turning on and it was
> about 6 minutes earlier today and now it's going off about every 2.5
> minutes. It normally doesn't go on at all unless it's raining or just
> stopped raining - it hasn't rained here for 2 days but we did have a
> massive Noreaster here on the east coast so I guess I'm asking if I
> should be alarmed that the time periods between sump evacuations are
> increasing rather than decreasing. What could be the reason for that?
> I'm a little worried that my 1/2 HP is going to give out tonight while
> I sleep due to overexertion.

I have to wonder if some of the water is just now getting down to the lower
levels. Often the frozen ground will keep water near the surface but now
that the weather is warming, some new vein of water may be breaking through.

Also, check the run time. If the pump was cycling on every 6 minutes and
running for two, but now comes on every 2.5 minutes and runs for less than
one minutes, the float switch may not be in the right spot and it is short
cycling. Every motor has a duty cycles that includes so many starts per
hour. Yours is on the high side right now and can cause some strain. .



Posted by Toller on April 20, 2007, 11:13 pm



> Hi, I'm from CT and we had about 5-8 inches of rain earlier this week.
> I just got back home and everything is well in the basement but I've
> been timing the minutes between my sump pump turning on and it was
> about 6 minutes earlier today and now it's going off about every 2.5
> minutes. It normally doesn't go on at all unless it's raining or just
> stopped raining - it hasn't rained here for 2 days but we did have a
> massive Noreaster here on the east coast so I guess I'm asking if I
> should be alarmed that the time periods between sump evacuations are
> increasing rather than decreasing. What could be the reason for that?
> I'm a little worried that my 1/2 HP is going to give out tonight while
> I sleep due to overexertion.
>
At my old house the pump would run almost constantly. It didn't fail until
the switch broke and it ran while "dry".
Naturally they wear out eventually, and a battery powered backup will help
you sleep. If you do your own plumbing, it would also help to have a spare
pump on the shelf.

I am in Rochester NY and we had much less rain than you did, but I got the
most water in my sump since I moved here 14 years ago. Not high enough to
start the pump, but almost. It hasn't gone down, though we haven't had rain
in a couple days. Everything is so saturated, it just takes time to clear
out.



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