"lagman" wrote in message
oups.com...

I just moved to the midwest from Texas, into a house with a basement.
The sump pump runs every 15-20 minutes when dry, and every few minutes
when raining (The previous owner installed a drain tile in the front
yard that empties into the sump, and the area I live in has a high
water table). The previous owner claimed that the pump ran even more
frequently before the tile was installed.

Your sump pump should not run on days when there has
been no rain. Your description suggests either (a) the
water table has risen (since the house was completed)
so the sump pumps runs every day, pumping water drawn
from the water table, or (b) underground drains are collecting
water from elsewhere and channeling it into your basement.
You need expert advice to remedy this. The cost of
electricity is less important than finding out whether your
bad drainage is likely to get worse.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)