Sump Pump Runs

A sump pump runs frequently if there is a broken check valve (a valve that only lets water go one way) and water is flowing back down the pipe, or even from the yard, and into the pit causing the pump to cycle. Watch the water in the sump pit as the pump is running. When the motor stops, do you see water gushing back out of the pump? That would indicate a bad check valve.

The sump pump can run frequently.  It will run for 30 seconds and then shut off and you can here the water gushing through the pipe, just to run again in a minute or less.

Another problem is the standing water around the house. It is probably flowing back towards the house to the drain tile and into the sump pit. Your pump is cycling from the water in the yard that is flowing back to the pump. One reason for this could be a frozen discharge pipe that used to carry the water further into the yard. Now frozen, the water does not flow far enough away from the house.

If you can get under the deck and find a broken pipe, you can discharge that water away from the house. Cut the pipe before the break; use a Fernco (rubber coupler) to attach a 1 1/4″ flexible discharge hose that you can run 25 feet away from the house. That should get you through the winter until the ground thaws and the job can be repaired properly.