1
Is there any reason that it has to run and try to keep the water
*below*
the lip of the feeder pipe?
If your basement drains okay it shouldn't matter.
My old basement used to flood in some areas if I didn't keep the level low
in the crock.
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.
Seems like a good idea. If you want to raise the whole pump, you could
probably do that also.
3 Is there any level I should not be comfortable with it rising to
before
it kicks off the sump pump?
Whatever level keeps your basement dry.
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?
The pump has to push against that weight, which can be difficult when the
pump is just starting up and torque is low.
I had a pump that actually required a small hole in the pipe or the pump
couldn't start. The advantage was that the starting current was very low
and more generator friendly. I suspect it also had a longer life.
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?
You get a fair amount of water. Having had problems in the past (solved by
moving to a house that doesn't need a sump pump...) I wouldn't press my
luck.
Thanks for any help. I'm also going to be dealing with a backup unit (one
of
the battery ones most likely) next spring to make sure I'm covered when
spring hits, since it's not unheard of to lose power around here
(southeast
wisconsin).
Absolutely. Unless your current experience is as bad as it gets, a backup
is pretty essential. It also protects you in case your pump breaks, which
they do.