Sump pump frequency / volume

[JuJo]

During the winter thaw and all spring, my sump pump goes off literally every 2 minutes. A drainage specialist mentioned possibly raising the pump so that the float would trigger when it was about an inch or two above the bottom of the drains leading into my pump. His theory was that water would slowly accumulate in the drains thus taking more time to trigger the float.
This seems to make sense, but by reducing the frequency of the pump going off, each discharge would add more volume of water (since much more would have accumulated in the drains). My question is, what takes more of a toll on a sump pump's longevity: going off more frequently with less water OR pumping less frequently with more water in each discharge?
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. I just want to make sure I'm doing what's best for the longevity of the pump.
Thank you.

 

[ESTIMATOR]

Have you added a check valve to your vertical run discharge above the sump pump pit?

 

[JuJo]

Yes, I have a Zoeller check valve above the sump pump on the vertical line.

 

[MicEd69]

Need a little more information, like what kind of pump, what is the flow rate, what kind of float switch, what is the discharge piping configuration, and check valve location as ESTIMATOR mentioned.

If it is a submersible sump pump with an integral float switch, moving the pump up will simply result in more water remaining in the sump as the pump will not pump out the water below it, and the pump will continue to cycle just like it is now.

But to answer your question, it is better for the pump to NOT cycle as much and pump more volume each time it pumps. So, if you mean raising the switch higher so the pump will come on after the sump is fuller and then turn off when the sump is at its lowest level, then that would be good.

 

[Twowaxhack]

A pump basin twice as big would help the pump run 1/2 as much.

A pump basin three times as big would help the pump run 1/3 as much.

You get the idea.

On/off cycles kill a pump.

 

[mark3885]

I had the same problem in a previous house I owned. I replaced the submersible pump with a pedestal pump , which allows the drainage lines to fill and then partially fills the sump pit . When the pump runs, it runs for a longer time but then it runs less often.

 

[wpns]

Some sump pumps allow you to move the stops on the rod that the float rides on. Setting them as far apart as possible will give you longer runtimes (more hysteresis).