Sump pump question

[plumbingbuttercup]

Please help.

Should sump pumps make noises every ten minutes or so to push water away? I live in a marshy area.

My plumber put a new sump pump in to replace an old one that was smoking.

It looks great except it never runs, even when it's raining..

The other one ran around the clock every five to ten minutes - a gushing sound

This new one never makes noises

He is a young plumber and says this is normal NOT to make noises. But I had a sump pump professional tell me they all make noises and gurgling to draw all what perpetually away from the home.

The new plumber says it will only work if the water level rises.

Well it rained a lot and the perimeter of the basement is dark from rain - it never gets dark with rain and it is still dark.

What do you think?

Should my sump pump be making noises perpetually or not?

Thanks.

 

[GReynolds929]

They make noise when they are pumping. Is the water level in the basin rising high enough to trip the float?

 

[Twowaxhack]

You could look in the pit and see if it’s full of water. Be careful and don’t get electrocuted. You might should just call the plumber back and let him check it.

 

[plumbingbuttercup]

They make noise when they are pumping. Is the water level in the basin rising high enough to trip the float?

Hi no, but wouldn't the water need to be continually pumped? I had a specialist come out 6 years ago to inspect it. He said it was fine and at the time chose not to replace it, even though last month it started smoking and it was 30 years old at the time.

A landscaper told me not to bother keeping brus out front. I had weeded everything and put rose bushes in. He said there is naturally lots of water in the ground all the time and weeds or brush won't keep it at bay.

So it was my understanding that water would be everywhere all the time and need to be continually flushed. I live in Massachusetts and there is a lot of rain here.

I just want to make sure it's working. I am a happy to find a nice plumber and the sump pump is kind of nice looking. But I didn't know if it was working.

Thanks for your input.

 

[plumbingbuttercup]

You could look in the pit and see if it’s full of water. Be careful and don’t get electrocuted. You might should just call the plumber back and let him check it.

Thanks for the warning.

I haven't touched it or gone near it and now I definitely won't.

He's going to test it when he comes back next week.

The older one ran constantly.

 

[MicEd69]

The sump pump only works when the water level in the sump pit raises. It is not normal for a sump pump to run every 5 to 10 minutes 24-7 even in marshy areas. And as your previous pump lasted 30 years, I'm guessing you are misremembering that it ran that often. A good sump pump will not make much of a noise.

When the pump was changed, did the plumber change any of the piping or add/change a check valve? Sometimes, if a check valve is faulty or missing, water will drain back into the sump after it has been pumped into the pipe and refills the pit. Then the pump just pumps water into the pipe without it exiting to the discharge point. The water drains back into pit and causes the level to rise, and the pump comes back on. This cycle then continues. The sump pump is simply pumping the same water into the pipe without discharging it to wherever the water is supposed to go. The water drains back into the pit, then it is pumped into the pipe, then it drains back into the pit, then it is pumped into the pipe.........