Fred as a new home owner thank you so much for your help. I was completely clueless on what was going on and you saved me hundreds between hiring a plumber and buying a new sump pump! Thank you again!
I just changed my pump at 5:30 this morning. I had a new one waiting. I found this vid and I had no idea the float could be changed. Now that I look at it's float, it looks just like the one you put on! LOL! So, I'll be getting another new float. Thanx for posting. Saved me about $120 bucks.
Side note, when you buy a piggyback float, switch the float switch cancels out the old one so only the piggyback one will work. In the video. You said it will just be the shutoff. It will actually do both turn on and turn off
I had the exact same problem and it looks like the exact same pump. The switch discontinued, so doing an exact replacement not possible. The lunkheads that put the PVC discharge water pipe into the sump pit only allows the pump to be on one far end of the sump basin. Too close to the pit wall for some floats to be installed without them hitting the side, not good. The discharge pipe is also cemented into the foundation WTH. I "fixed" the old switch at first, by cleaning it from gunk and (blindly) spraying electrical contact spray inside where the contact pad (or whatever it's called) is located. The switch has to make electrical contact to work. Since it's located inside the sealed housing it's hard to tell if I hit the right spots. It worked for about a day and a half cycling nicely. Then again, it went back to the problem and would not shut off. I wonder though WHY a switch goes bad. Do the contacts just get soiled or do they simply burn out and lose the ability to transfer an electric charge and become irreparable in time?
Hi, I rent a cottage and my landlord is an old lady so I want to offer a possible explanation and/or solution. So, there’s no melting snow just on and off rain but there’s no water in my basement and my area outside does not flood or have standing water. It’s been running all night keeping me awake. Whatcha think?
The good thing?? The switch stuck in run position!! Worse is when it's the other way an your waddling in knee deep water changing a pump ..an I am betting you have had that experience by the volume of run off coming in them two 4 inch ..but was a great idea coz are thousands who have no idea you can replace just the switch...
Be sure to have the two plugs plugged into eachother, otherwise the pump won't auto shut off. I bought a replacement pump and plugged the two plugs in seperate and it just kept running. Had to have the two connected, and then the auto shut off worked. Dunno why
Hi I’m not the home owner but had to see what the problem was keeping me up all night. Also, it’s not snowing yet so there’s none to melt. Could be rain but my area does not flood. It’s been raining on and off. My landlord is an old lady and I want to offer her a solution or explanation. Whatcha think?
Does anyone know why the same water flows back into my sump pump in the basement right after it expels it? I can see it pouring back from the bilge, then it expels water, stops, fills up in 3 minutes again, and recirculates the same water all over again. The lawn outside is like a swamp. If I unplug the sump pump, the pit fills up, but the water stops at the very edge of the pit and doesn't overflow. Mysterious situation.
Don't forget to put a check valve in that sump pump line so that backwash isn't occurring. Regarding the lawn being like a swamp, I suggest installing some sort of trench system that permits runoff away from your foundation. You may need some outside help with that.
Without more info it's hard to give a germane answer but... make sure your expelled water goes and flows away quite far from your home by extending the outside pipe or by installing some sort long water diverter like those used at the end of gutter downspouts. Another idea is labor intensive. Dig a French drain trench in the proper way to divert that yard water to somewhere away from from your foundation drain (weeping tile pipe) system.
You install a new sump pump in the house basement then the pvc up turn across the ceiling in the basement then out of the house 🏡 once outside, heat tape pvc plumbing and cap the french drain off to nullify that existing system. once you have the heat tape installed run it ten feet away from the house and elevate it on decorative white stones and a gutter spout triangle to support the pvc, this is the first year I didn’t have water in my basement, also installing a furnace horizontally instead of vertically will keep your house warm without a chance for water to eliminate the furnace filter
I often am surprised by the amount of trouble and strife all the snow causes. I had no idea anyone had to have a pump in their basement, I mean, I thought some people built in their basement like another room. Wouldn’t all the water make it rather moist and moldy down there? Can’t that area be sealed off from the water? I have no clue because I have never lived where it snows like that. ...well I don’t think we have basements here so absolute ignorance on my behalf. I don’t think attic’s are a thing here either come to think of it.
Sump pump basins are always in utility rooms, partnered with a cover which prevents the high humidity :) My property is particularly wet, even though my house is 10 higher than the road, we have seasonal high water. :)
@@FrederickDunn 10 times higher and you still get that amount of runoff! Is it still wet (maybe not as much) in midsummer? I get that it is majorly snow based runoff but it seems like a lot of water running in. I will have to google sump pumps etc for more info.
Fred the problem is when the rest of your orginal switch continues to degrade and opens internally then the pump will not come cut the wire at the orginal float and tie those circuits together and make the repair water tight . Here is the concern your counting on a fail switch to continue to fail in the on position I would not take that chance because u said it the new float does not turn on the pump it just shuts it off just food for thought
@@FrederickDunn Fred u are a so professional I love your stuff always well thought out . Your bee stuff over the top please don't change your format as its right on target .I will tell u this the professional bee keepers watch your show .I watched a lot of them and they reference your info on a subject because you do way more research . To me you can't get a better compliment than that.From the very cold state of Michigan just a warm thank you for your dedication !!
I beg to differ, if the new float turns the power off, what turns it back on? Obviously the new float will turn it back on when it reaches the top. I'm surprised none of your commenters picked up on that.
@@Wasaga1951 The faulty float in the video is in a failed open position, meaning it stays perpetually on, alternatively, it could have a fault where the switch is failed closed like a broken circuit and not pass current to complete the circuit making the pump stay off. This was my case. It was a dumb design is what it was. It should have been a piggyback style setup like most other pumps. I paid a lot of money for this pump and was very disappointed when it failed on me in a couple of years max. For me it had failed closed so the pump wouldn't turn on at all. In fact, I found that wiggling the shaft would suddenly turn it on. So this sensor can fail in weird ways and is a horrible design. I ended up replacing it with a different brand that was half the price and had a float switch that was not integrated. I purposefully chose this old and time tested design so I don't have to throw an otherwise perfectly working pump in the trash as I had to. Felt like I may have tried what this person tried but it may not have worked in my case, but I can't recall clearly. Worth a shot for others.
You should just disable the built in switch so that the pump is always on - if the switch that is integral to the pump fails to turn it on someday, you'll be swimming.
Huh? 😳 This is a non issue in Sweden, the land of lots of snow.. 😜 We put all the drainage on the outside, and basements (and every other part of a house that's below ground level) is sealed with waterproof material.
