All,

The sump pump in the house we just moved into runs about every 20-30
minutes when dry, but every couple minutes when we get a hard rain.
The previous owners installed an "Ace in the Hole" battery backup sump
pump. They assured me the battery was brand new.

I tried testing the system by unplugging the main AC pump. When the
water level reached the battery backup pump's sensor, it kicked on,
but the water level did not recede. I continued to hear the pump
running, but it did not seem to be pumping any water out.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dan

lagman wrote:

All,

The sump pump in the house we just moved into runs about every 20-30
minutes when dry, but every couple minutes when we get a hard rain.
The previous owners installed an "Ace in the Hole" battery backup sump
pump. They assured me the battery was brand new.

I tried testing the system by unplugging the main AC pump. When the
water level reached the battery backup pump's sensor, it kicked on,
but the water level did not recede. I continued to hear the pump
running, but it did not seem to be pumping any water out.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dan


Clogged inlet?

Connected to same outlet pipe as main pump, without check valve(s) and
water is flowing back into the sump through the impeller of non rumnning
main pump?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

On Jul 17, 6:58 am, lagman wrote:
All,

The sump pump in the house we just moved into runs about every 20-30
minutes when dry, but every couple minutes when we get a hard rain.
The previous owners installed an "Ace in the Hole" battery backup sump
pump. They assured me the battery was brand new.

I tried testing the system by unplugging the main AC pump. When the
water level reached the battery backup pump's sensor, it kicked on,
but the water level did not recede. I continued to hear the pump
running, but it did not seem to be pumping any water out.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dan

Maybe it never was tested, , take it out and put it in a bucket and
test it

In article .com,
says...
All,

The sump pump in the house we just moved into runs about every 20-30
minutes when dry, but every couple minutes when we get a hard rain.
The previous owners installed an "Ace in the Hole" battery backup sump
pump. They assured me the battery was brand new.

I tried testing the system by unplugging the main AC pump. When the
water level reached the battery backup pump's sensor, it kicked on,
but the water level did not recede. I continued to hear the pump
running, but it did not seem to be pumping any water out.

If you hear the pump running, they were right about the battery.

Is the inlet plugged?

Is the outfall plugged?

Does it have damaged seals?

Is the backup pump's output running back down through the main pump?
(Common output and no check valve?)

Detach the output of the backup pump and make sure it's really pumping
water. If not, check pump-related problems.

If it is pumping water, then try to figure out where its water goes.

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Updated Infrared Photography Gallery:
http://www.phred.org/~josh/photo/ir.html

Perhaps a clogged inlet to the auxiliary pump??

On Jul 17, 9:58?am, lagman wrote:
All,

The sump pump in the house we just moved into runs about every 20-30
minutes when dry, but every couple minutes when we get a hard rain.
The previous owners installed an "Ace in the Hole" battery backup sump
pump. They assured me the battery was brand new.

I tried testing the system by unplugging the main AC pump. When the
water level reached the battery backup pump's sensor, it kicked on,
but the water level did not recede. I continued to hear the pump
running, but it did not seem to be pumping any water out.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dan

definetely get that fixed, backup pump may be defective.

any chance of running a physical drain line to daylight somehow so
gravity can do the job in a power failure?