Sump Pump Issues

Today's basement issue is the sump pump outside the basement door. It has been running at odd times and is increasingly noisy and vibrate-y. Since it hasn't been raining, I finally went to investigate, and sure enough, the pump seems like it's running dry, which is very bad for pumps.

The sump is a 12 x 12 x 12 box in the concrete landing. It also accepts drainage from a pipe coming from under the deck. The box and the grate on top of it are plastic, but it seems in fine condition.

The pump is a 1/3-HP cast-iron submersible sump pump made by Utilitech. It has a 120V wire going into the top of it, and another 120V wire that ends in a float thing. The powered float seems odd to me. Both wires run under the basement door and plug in to an ordinary outlet behind the door. A flexible hose connects to the 1-1/2 NPT discharge on the pump, allowing it to be pulled out of the sump. From there, it connects to a rigid pipe with a backflow preventer and a rigid pipe to drain that runs under the deck and daylights on the bank.

Update: I found an older model that looks like mine, with two 120V wires. The trick is, you have to plug the pump into the float switch plug, which is one of those "through" plugs. Obviously, the float switch interrupts power to the pump, except when the water is high enough.

First inspection showed 3 or 4 inches of debris in the sump and the float was resting on the debris. I cleaned that out, reassembled the kit, and now the pump doesn't want to shut off. The internet thinks that float valves go bad every four years or so.

I don't know when the pump got plugged in to the normal outlet, but perhaps it has been running that way for a week (since the water heater installation) and it only turns off when the motor gets too hot. Or maybe I plugged it in wrong when I started investigating and now its burned out because of me.

Maybe it's time for a new pump.

Home Depot offers one from Wayne for $120. This model, also from Wayne, features a "tether float switch" that looks more like the Utilitech model. It is $128.

Lowe's sells a newer Utilitech model for $99. It seems to have a 120V wire going to the float, but just a single wire going to the outlet.

Amazon sells Wayne and other brands, but not Utilitech. I liked this Liberty Pump because it's smaller and seems to have a more reliable float. It's $133.