"John" wrote in message

The sump pump was going off about every 90 seconds, running for about 15
or
20 seconds each time. I thought that was way too much.

Yes, you thought right.




1 Is there any reason that it has to run and try to keep the water
*below*
the lip of the feeder pipe?

Not that I'm aware of.


2 Considering how long it was able to go without running during the rain
to
get the water level up to the top of the feeder pipe (which is still 8"
below
the lip of the well), is there anything wrong with setting it to run far
less
often, but just for longer? I'd rather have it fire off every four or five
hours during a storm and run for 5 minutes or something than have it do
the
every 90 seconds running. That frequency just seems like it's begging for
a
burned out motor.

Every motor has a duty cycle. Most have a maximum number or starts per hour.
If you can have it start less often, that would prolong the life.



3 Is there any level I should not be comfortable with it rising to
before
it kicks off the sump pump?

If your feet get wet, it is starting too late.


4 I hear a thump a bit when the backup valve engages after the pump is
done
(as well as the rattling a bit of the pipe going through the floor joists
without any padding there - gotta fix that). They have the valve about 5
or 6
inches *above* floor level, so when it stops, the bottom of the pipe below
that valve empties back, and fills with air. So the next time the pump
kicks
off, there's 16 inches of air in the pipe, and you can hear the air as it
bubbles through when the pump starts. Should I have that valve lower, like
right off the top of the pump, so that there's no air in the pipe? Or does
that one way valve have to be above the lip for some reason?

All the pumps in our shop have a foot valve. As the name implies, it is on
the bottom and keeps the column of water above it. Never a dry start for
hte pump (unless the foot check valve fails)


5 It rises about 10 feet before going horizontal out of the house. And
with
the rate of water I cited above, what should I look at for a replacement?
I
had an issue with the float valve being kind of "sticky" yesterday when I
was
testing things out, and I'm sure it's just one of the cheaper ones that
builders use to maximize their profits. I'd like to replace it with
something
quiet. Considering the rate of flow once the bottom of the unit fills up,
I'm
hoping I can get away with one of the smaller HP units that I would assume
are more likely to be quieter? With the description above, does anyone
have
any suggestions for what I could get that would be more silent than this
one
I have now?

We use both Zoeler and Teal submerisbles that are very quiet. I have one
Teal that is above the water and screams like hell when it starts, screams a
bit less once it is pumping. OK in a boiler room, but not in a house. Lok
at www.grainger.com or www.mcmaster.com for some other styles.