Easy fix for a sump pump that will not shut off
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- www.thumbandha...
When our sump pump would not stop running, this was the quickest, easiest, most affordable fix. The keywords here are "quick" and "easy."
Sorry about my lame attempt at creativity in this video.
Music by dano at danosongs.com
This video saved our basement. A storm was bearing down on us and I noticed that the pump was running non stop. i knew the motor would burn out. I watched this video, ran to the hardware store, bought the float switch and installed it all in the space of about 30 minutes. The rain was starting to fall just as I finished. We got 3.75 inches of rain that night, and the basement stayed dry. Thank you!!
Happy it worked out for you.
Just as your video showed your pump starting, mine started . I had to listen to make sure it wasn’t some neat sound effect you had. Made me smile .🇨🇦
Your video saved the day for me. The float switch on my primary pump was not turning the pump off so I ran to Home Depot, bought one of these, installed, tested it (worked perfectly), all in under an hour from discovering the problem. Luckily, HD is 1/2 mike from my house. THANK YOU!
Thanks man. Trip to HD and 15 min tweaking it to the right spot got me back in business.
Glad it helped. Sometimes the best fix is a quick and easy fix when you need something fixed quickly and easily. That buys you time to find a more permanent solution.
T & H now that's the good ole American ingenuity I love witnessing. Well done. Tim.
timrhoades11 , or Canadian . Notice the Amazon.ca not .com
Thank you!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THHAAAAANNK YYOOOUUUU!!!!!
If only every descriptive CZcams video could be this simple, straightforward, and to the point. So perfectly demonstrated!
Thanks for letting me know.
Thank you, your explanation saved us from calling our plumber out for a simple fix
THANK YOU SO MUCH FROM AN OLD LADY WHO JUST FIXED IT BY HERSELF BECAUSE OF YOU!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
+s mills That's the point of this video-- this is the quickest easiest fix.
i know im just thankful
Ditto from another old broad who's stood ankle deep in water as wet cat watched litter box float by. putting in new sump, but will us this to repair old one for back up thanks.
Solved my problem and saved me some cash. Thank you.
Thank you so much, I didn't even know this thing existed until now, I put one in last night instead of replacing the pump 🎉
I thank you too. Man I purchased a new sump and a back up unit. Only had one plug so i attached a small extension cord with 4 outlets and plugged each piece into its own. Forgetting that i needed to plug the unit into the switched plug and keep the back up separate. Brand new and it kept running..... now its fixed....
The opposite is happening with single plug sump pump. If pump has to cycle three consecutive times the lever will click off and will have to be pushed manually. An additional pump switch does fix it but eventually the switch clicks off ,unless maybe there's a level it needs to be adjusted to that's different from the original switch?
I first used another pump with two plugs without connecting the pump part but the only way it was working without the regular switch clicking off was with the additional switch level with the water level but I think it may have burned that up since the current seemed to be mostly energized more. The basement watchdog says to disconnect old switch but that's impossible on a single plug pump.
Thank you for a very helpful and creatively done video!
Thanks for the positive comment. Might have been more helpful if it was less creative, though.
sheer brilliance
Thank you!!! You saved me $610.
Please, with the purple prose. Save the jokes for the end.
Thanks! Been having issues and I'm pretty sure it is my dual-float switch. Have one on order, but don't want to have to keep heading to the crawlspace to turn the pump on and off. This solution sounds like it will help me until the new switch comes in!
Thank you so much you just save my weekend.
Glad it helped.
Perfect voice for this type of video.
TheZlane Thank-you.
Thanks you saved me big bucks with this solution Johnny Baseball
Thanks for this! Apparently my sumb pump has the piggy back switch already but it's dead so I'm gonna attempt to replace using this guide
I had a similar issue but I choose a different type of switch. I bought a Levelguard switch 10 years ago and it’s still running reliably today. If you are in need of a reliable one I’d recommend it.
Thank you. It was a life saver.
Just fixed my problem. Thank you very much!
Great F'n idea. This is an easy fix. As u dont have to pull the pump. And i have a float switxh
You can hear that this float switch is too high. Hear the water running out of the pipes as the pump pumps down. Set the switch so that the perimeter drain pipes can always freely drain into the pit.
I thought the same thing. I wouldn't want water sitting in the pipe.
Thank you!!!!
We have a brand new sum pump. It is turning on every 2-3 minutes and drains for a few seconds. Why is it turning on every 2-3 minutes? We've had no rain and the pipe outside seem to be fine. There is nothing blocking the exit where the water flows out onto the grass. Any immediate suggestions would be great.
A Google search for "sump pump short cycling" may offer some suggestions. There are a number of reasons why this might be happening...
these float switches also fail and will usually do so when they are supposed to turn on so flood can still happen i have had 3 pumps with this type switch and all failed in exactly the same way took apart the last one and found that the arc that occurs when the metal ball contacts creates carbon tracks on the contact surfaces and prevents the switch from working i i would consider this switch as a temp fix only
Agreed.
According to the manufacturer, the switch on the pump should be replaced every two years. The mechanical float is not a perfect solution. First, It will only work if the pump switch is "on" or if you bypass the internal switch. Second, as you said, it too will eventually fail. The advantage of using the mechanical float switch is that it can be "installed" in minutes without having to remove the pump from the sump pit.
Can the mechanical float switch fail? I assume it can. I think mine failed. It’s not turning off the pump
What do you do if the sump pump is in the off position. When I plug the pump in directly it turns on. Can I still use this fix ? Seems a lot easier than having to remove and replace my current float. Current float is sort of like yours in the pic with the piggy back switch
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I was on vacation. I am not quite sure I understand your problem. If the pump turns on when you plug it in, that indicates that the switch is stuck in the on position. This solution will work in that case.
If you have an internal switch stuck in the off position, I believe that you will have to remove the pump from the pit and open it up to bypass the internal switch. This link may help:
www.flotecpump.com/residentialpage_resource_starthere_sump_fltswtch.aspx
Not the quick and dirty fix that I describe here, but it makes future replacement easy. I would consider replacing the switch with an OEM one since the pump has to be removed anyway.
Thanks for the response. I replaced the float switch with the quick fix and it worked. The old one was stuck in the off position but it didn't seem to matter. All good now.
Sump pump stuck on on. I unplugged the Sump pump for a half hour then plug it back in. When I raise the switch up to turn it back on again, this time it shut off. Also I did the bucket test as well after waiting another half hour. Should I be thinking about replacing the Sump pump switch or even the entire pump? I just had it replaced maybe 4 years ago.
OMG I LOVE YOU. ❤🥰
That is a great idea. Thank you!
Will this solution still work if the stuck float switch problem is intermittent? Will the new float switch override the old if the old decides to work?
We have an old Goulds sump pump probably from the 50's. We really like it however there is some kind of magnet in the little box at the top of the float that comes unstuck every couple weeks when in high usage. The problem starts with it stopping and starting and eventually gets stuck on. My husband will restick the magnet and its ok for a few weeks but I'm worried when we are not home if the motor with overheat and cause fire. Will your product help us? Can we fix this ourselves? We really don't want to replace the whole pump.
+eeb7dmb Yes you can,you would have to bypass the pump switch or make it so it's always on & use an alternate float/switch such as this one in the video.Pumps are really inexpensive & yours is 50 years old, don't you worry about not being there & flooding ?
+eeb7dmb Sorry I missed your question. And thank-you +Tjfreak for your answer. The float switch works well as a temporary solution, but you should consider proper repair or replacement of the pump. In your case, when the pump is 50 or 60 years old, it makes sense to replace it. You might also want to consider installing an additional battery operated back-up pump at the same time for peace of mind should there be a power failure, or in the event that your main pump is unable to keep up during heavy demand situations.
Thanks! This worked for me.
Glad it worked for you. Thanks for the feedback.
GOD DAMN SUMP PUMPS *SHAKES FIST*
Does this totally bypass the old float that is messed up?Mine comes on at a certain level and pumps it out but not completely out (unless I lift the float).It turns off when the water is gone. I want to use a product like you have in this video but was wondering if we have to do anything with the old float (to bypass it).
I can only speak from my experience where it was the switch that had gone bad and was stuck "on." The tethered mechanical float switch has a piggyback plug that the sump plugs into, so it effectively replaces the defective switch. I did a little cursory research and it seems that vertical floats (which I assume you have) are not very adjustable. In this case, you could probably find a way to keep your switch in the "on" position-- prevent the float from traveling down with the water level-- and then use the tethered float switch.
But check your owner's manual first to see if you make any adjustments to your pump before you spend money on another switch.
great video!
How did you do the connections to the wall outlet? Did you need to integrate it with old float switch?
The float switch has a piggyback plug.
so was your float/switch defective?
This doesnt help someone will water coming in.. :-&
the same exact thing is happening with our sump pump too! and its also making a strange noise too but i don't know if its because its supposed to be making that noise or if there's something wrong with it. please help me!
A "strange noise" is difficult to identify without hearing it... A pedestal pump will be louder than a submersible one. It could be an issue with debris. You should be doing regular maintenance to keep the pump and the pit clean. I recommend this video: Simple Sump Pump Maintenance. Finally, if your pump is not shutting off at all then replacing the switch is the most likely solution.
thumbandhammer could you please explain what a submersible and a pedestal pump is?
gracie daly A submersible sump pump, like the one in the video, has a sealed motor that is cooled by the water it sits in. The motor of a pedestal (or column) sump pump is, well, on a pedestal-- a rod or pipe that raises it above the water level. The motor is air cooled, and since it is outside of the pit, it's louder than a submersible. This link may help you out: www.basementsystems.ca/sump-pump/reviews.html
we have a submersible pump and thank you for the link. I'll have to try it!
Ok so my sub pump turns on soon as I plug it in. I replaced it in August brand new. vould it just be stuck in the on position, if so how can I tell?
The float operates the switch. If you have water in the pit the float will trip the switch into the on position. The float drops with the water level as it goes down until it trips the switch into the off position. So, if you have water in your sump pit, the pump should come on when you plug it in. You only have a problem if the pump continues running after the water is pumped out. If that's the case, make sure that the float is able to move freely.
Help my sump pump is constantly running !
Not a good idea. Floating switches get stuck on the basket or other items in the basket disallowing the sump to turn on. This is why most good sumps use fixed switches.
where do i get this
+s mills Any store that sells sump pumps (hardware stores, building centers, Lowes, Home Depot) should sell float switches. You can also find them online at Amazon (if you click through the link on my website, I get a small commission).
Cutesy video. barf
Agreed. Major cringe. But it seems to help some people which is why I leave it up. Thanks for your comment. I will take your feedback into consideration when I produce future videos. Cheers!