Sump Pump Monitor ?

icsigns

I have a basement the i have had trouble with the sump pump and water backup in.
i would like a monitor that would show me a light or a graph that would show me the pump is now on,( maybe a light on the wall upstairs).
the water under the floor never seems to completely dry up and pumps water all the time anymore.
thanks
Steve

Bob Mariani

if the pump is always on you may have too small of a tank. Alarms for these units are available at your local plumbing supplier and can be wired to another location. Or you can have an electrician add a contactor to handle this request.

icsigns

There is no Tank, its in a sump hole. has been there for 30 years.
all i am looking for is some kind of device that i can monitor when the
pump is on and off from Upstairs.
I don't think i would need a contractor to install such a device.
but I may be wrong. I have been before.
thanks

icsigns

sorry, i can't read either.
i thought it read I could have an electrician get a CONTRACTOR.
Sorry.
I guess i can't read either

Billy_Bob

This is possible, however not easy to do and also be safe...

You would need to connect to the wiring inside the sump pump and the existing wiring would be designed to be water tight (so no water would get into the electrical part of the pump). Adding additional wiring and also sealing the pump again might be quite difficult.

And because your indicator would just show that the pump was switched on, this would not necessarily mean that the pump was operating. The indicator would show the pump was "on" even if the motor was burned out or if there was a clog and no water could flow.

Anyway what might be better is a "flow switch". This switches on when water is flowing through it. So you could stick a gizmo like this on the output pipe of the sump pump and connect it to an indicator light, then when water was flowing through the pipe, the light would be on. If the motor burned out, the light would be off (no water flowing). If there was a clog, the light would be off (no water flowing).

There are all sorts of different types of flow switches. And different flow switches for different sizes of pipe. Here are a couple of links...

http://www.1800pools.com/206_PVC_NOS...1_1_2Slip.html

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...ql=&aqi=g10&oq=

FYI - The boating world has all sorts of "bilge pump" monitors and alarms, however the electrical power for these devices would probably be DC (not house electricity)...

Like this...



http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...4&ci_sku=65226

http://www.google.com/search?q=bilge...en&sa=N&tab=fw

fetzer85

I think an audible alarm would make more sense than a visible one. If you're not staring in the direction of the light then it's really not going to do you any good. For example, if you're sleeping, watching TV, or just not in that specific room then you're unable to see it. The audible alarm (assuming you don't have any hearing problems) would be a more dependable source.

antlerdancer

I might be wrong,but wouldnt an audible alarm drive you crazy?

antlerdancer

You cuold get a moisture sensor that consists of two "electrodes" which you could mount in the "hole" that would tell you if the water level gets too high. This can be hooked to audio or visual alerts. Years ago I got one from my HVAC guy for a condensate pan.

icsigns

The moisture sensor sounds like what i am looking for
a small led light and a beep went it started to pump would be nice.
just a toggle for the sound to beep and a steady light while it was
pumping.
the pump works quite a bite at times and other times hardly at all
i have had the pump fail a couple of times and always happens when i think
all is working okay, until i discover water in the basement.
i don't go down there much but it is finished, so i get quite a mess each time
it has happened.

Pumpguy

Your best bet would be a backup sump pump system, either water poewred or battery powered that would also have an alarm included. That way, if the pump operates properly, the water is being pumped away...no problem. If it quits for some reason, the backup pump kicks in and still keeps you dry and at the same time, you hear the alarm and know something is wrong.

See www.basepump.com

AllanJ

Depending on weather conditions (rain soaked ground etc.), water may be trickling into the pit all the time.

It is usually better to adjust the pump switch and float so the pump comes on only when the water level is within a few inches of overflowing onto the floor, and switch off when the water level is about two inches from the bottom.

Some of the time the pit may refill halfway quite rapidly but take awhile for the water level to get near the top. If you set the pump to come on at halfway, it will be pumping a lot but if you set the pump to come on only near the top the pump might come on only once every few hours.

I would find a water level light to be quite useful. Rig up an additional float and switch in the pit to do nothing more than turn a light on and off.

__________________
The average homeowner who lost his house in the Oklahoma tornadoes should move for good and not rebuild. Too much complexity watchdogging the contractor. Too much a chance to be defrauded.

Pumpguy

Okay, if you really really want to see alight go on each and every time the sump pump runs, then rig up a light connected to the switch that turns on the pump. I quection the importance of this because you pump may run quite a bit and the light would be going on and off a lot and you may become immune to it. Why not just have an alarm to tell you it is needed and NOT working, like the water is above normal? A backup sump pump or a simple water alarm from www.basepump.com would solve both problems. It would take out the water automatically AND warn you that there is a problem with your sump pump.

AndrewF

Or go get one of these, and plug a bell, buzzer, lamp or whatever you want in it.

When the Sump pump comes on, whatever you plugged into the other outlet will come on.


http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00924031000P

More info here:

http://toolmonger.com/2007/04/16/20-...ollection-vac/

__________________
-Andrew
DIY hobbiest

Wildie

On my fish pond, I have a float switch to shut the circulation pump off if the water level gets too low!
it was designed to work with a sump pump!

The switch itself is contained in a capsule that has the same shape as an incandescent light bulb. Its rubber covered and has a ten foot cord attached! It is hung down into the sump pit!
At the end of the cord is a combination plug and receptacle.
This is plugged into a standard 120 volt outlet! Then the pump is plugged into it!
In your case, rather than plug a pump into it, you could use a warning device, such as a lamp or a horn or both.
I bought mine at TSC, a farm supply store!

Red Squirrel

If there is that much water, I would maybe look into having two pumps (on two separate circuits), that way they go faster, but also if one fails you have redundancy. Once it reaches higher then your sump pit level, then you're in for lot of damage.