Sump pump pit water level --- problem

handy man88

For the most part, float activation is not recommended to be adjusted.

If one wants their pump to activate sooner....below the drain tile, they should consider a sump pump with a vertical float vice tethered float.

AllanJ

In order to give the sump pump a reasonable running time and a reasonable rest between runs, either you need a straight sided pit with a large surface area or a pump with a large start height / stop height adjustment together with a pit that is reasonably deep.

If the check valve in the outlet pipe leaks a little, it is not performing its function and water in the outlet pipe is falling back down. This consumes some of the space in the pit so less new water is needed to start the pump again (undesirable).

To reduce basement humidity that may be caused by the sump pump, you would put a lid on the pit. Whether the pit is almost empty or almost full does not affect the humidity.

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The disadvantages of crab apple trees. In summer, the apples are too sour to pick and eat. In winter the birds come and leave dropping all over the place.

handy man88

Pumps in general operate on a timer. Once the tethered float initiates the pump when the water level reaches the activation height, as soon as the circuit is open within the float as the water level drops, the pump will shut off in x seconds whether the pit is empty or not. I think this is a design feature that prevents the pump from continously pumping dry.

This is the same for vertical float pumps where the pump is activated as soon as the float hits the high point and then a timer determines when the pump stops no matter where the float is.

AllanJ

I didn't know that any sump pumps operate on a timer but if they did, then certain conditions can result in unnecessarily short on off cycles. If that model of pump is not adversely affected by short cycles then that is okay.

__________________
The disadvantages of crab apple trees. In summer, the apples are too sour to pick and eat. In winter the birds come and leave dropping all over the place.

handy man88

If you have a tethered float, that float has a metal ball inside that acts like a relay switch. The pump is activated when the float is at an angle (based on the water level) such that the metal ball falls backwards and completes the circuit that activates the pump.

Once the water level starts to drop, the ball slides the opposite way. In fact, it's probably not a timer, but just a simple relay switch that opens and closes depending on the position of the ball which depends on the water level in the pit.