On Aug 3, 11:25 am, "Steve Barker"
wrote:
To say "Your sump pump should not run on days when there has
been no rain." is just rediculous. It all depends on where your are. I
have two, and both run every 12 - 15 minutes during a drought. I have a
spring under me. Simple. If the pump runs, it needs to. Don't worry about
it. That's why it (they) are there.


Agree that many sump pumps run on days when there has been no rain.
Most common is for it to start running during a heavy rain, then
continue for days afterward. In areas with a high water table, sump
pumps can run even when there has been no rain for quite awhile.

But, what I don't understand is what kind of system has water from
outside in the front yard routed to the sump inside. Agree with EXT
on this one. If this is a perimeter drain system at footer level
routed to the sump, then it makes sense. If it's some system that
takes surface water and sends it into the basement sump, that is a
prescription for disaster.







steve

"lagman" wrote in message

oups.com...



All,

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. The pump empties into a
city owned french drain. It has a backup battery powered pump that I
have tested and works fine. Since basements are new to me, I have a
few questions:

With the amount of use this pump is getting, what is its life
expectancy? Are there any warning signs I can look for that will tell
me its time to get a new pump (other than a flooded basement)?

How much electricity do these things use? Would it be worth looking
for a more energy efficient solution?

Do you think it will run this often during the winter (I am in Iowa)?
Will the pump be able to keep up when the snow melts in the spring?

If the worst were to happen and the pump and backup pump were to fail,
there is a drain in the basement located about 6 feet from the pump.
I checked to see if it empties into the sump crock and it does not, so
I assume it empties into the sewer. Would all the water just go down
the drain?

Thanks,
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