2007-03-17 09:13:07 · 6 answers · asked by hs 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Either you have a flood, or the float switch is stuck.
2007-03-17 09:17:26 · answer #1 · answered by Randy S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Open the sump and look inside to see what is happening. Either the float switch is stuck or there really is water entering the sump fast enough to keep the pump running (or alternatively, the suction inlet is clogged). I used to live in a house with a basement with a sump pump and one time during some really heave rain, it went on and stayed on too long. Normally it shut off after about 40 seconds at most. When I went downstairs, the sump was almost overflowing. It seems a rag had fallen into the sump (the laundry was right next to the sump and it didn't have much of a cover, just a couple of boards), and the rag plugged up the suction enough that it wasn't working very well. Check and see if you have a screen on the pump suction and clean it. And of course, there always the possibility the ware is coming in fast enough to keep the pump on, and if that is the case, you have a bigger problem looming, a flooded basement...
2007-03-17 16:32:19 · answer #2 · answered by rowlfe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Interesting! My sump pump was running for, it seems, for days as water in the sump was at boiling hot and the steam set off the wet basement alarm. I switched off the pump and called a plumber. He gave me the following explanation: In Minnesota (where I live) there wasn't enough ground cover this winter hence the the outlet pipe froze ( my outlet pipe is buried and drains into a pond). The water in the sump bucket was not being drained hence the pump never switched off and heated the water.( he said the float was working fine and was not stuck) Solution: drill a 1/4 inch hole at the bottom of the outlet pipe where comes out of the house. I am not sure what is your situation but as commented by others, stuck float is the commonest cause.
2007-03-19 23:53:34 · answer #3 · answered by Daktari 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you don't have a flood pull the plug! literally just pull the plug to your sump pump and then only then, reach down and see if the latch is stuck. The little latch is attached to a float and may be stuck. You might spray a little WD-40 on the latch where it is attached to the swivel. Reach down in the hole and remove any debris they may be stopping up the inlet drain. If this seems to be the problem then you should be ok to plug the sump pump back in.
That should clear it up!
2007-03-17 16:48:41 · answer #4 · answered by telwidit 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your float may be stuck...give it a tap to loosen it. If that's the problem then you'll need to find out why it stuck so it doesn't happen again....Rick
2007-03-17 16:24:59 · answer #5 · answered by RickinAlaska 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Either you have a hell of a leak or the float is stuck
2007-03-17 17:23:13 · answer #6 · answered by buzzwaltz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋