Not boating related at all....

Bottom Line

Well-Known Member
Oct 6, 2006
1,807
Table Rock Lake(Branson MO)
Boat Info
2003 360 DA
2002 Sea Doo GTI (sold)
2002 300 DA (sold)
Engines
Twin Mercruiser 8.1L
Westerbeke Generator
There is such a wealth of knowledge on this board...I thought I would throw this out. I have a Zoeller sewage/lift pump in my basement, in which the washing machine and a bathroom(toilet and shower) drain into the tank with the Zoeller pump. Normally, once the tank gets fairly full, the pump will kick on and empty the entire tank out. Last night the pump started to cycle on before the tank was full and would only stay on 1 or 2 seconds and then kick off. Anyone have ideas of why the pump is only cycling on 1 or 2 seconds at a time know? And why the pump is cycling on before the tank gets full? Thanks for the input.
 
I don't know what kind of limit switches it has, most are little ball floats. Sometimes they get tangled up and stuck together. That might cause them to cycle like that. We had a similar problem and when I opened the access door and looked in, they had twisted around each other. I untangled them and they work fine now.
 
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WOW. this is freaky. i am in the process of changing my sewage pump in the basement. sundancer is right. there is a float with a metal marble in it. when the water height is up enough, the ball rolls and completes the circuit and kicks the pump on. when the level drops, the ball rolls back and pump shuts. mine crapped out b/c the float switch worked intermittently - meaning when the water level dropped, the ball wouldnt roll and the pump stayed on. these pumps have a thermal safety cut off, so when the pump runs dry (b/c the water is pumped below the impeller), it heats up and then shut down til it cools. once it cools, the pump will kick back on (b/c the faulty float is still stuck) and runs dry some more, til the safety shuts it off. mine was doing this unbeknownst to me and eventually the pump fried. new one is about $250, but i am learning, after much CURSING, that there are different types of switches! the switch i had, which was designed for my tank, was a 30 degree switch. the replacement pump i bought came with a 90 degree switch (the damn product description made NO mention of the angle of operation of the switch), which means the float has to be VERTICAL to kick the pump on. problem with the design of my tank is that once the float elevates past about 45 degrees, the tank overflows throught the toilet flange. YUCK! (luckily we never use that toilet - our tank collects sink water and furnace condensate). the pic below shows a 90 degree float in action. this is NOT the type of tank that i have. my water level cant exceed much more than 5 inches or i'm in trouble.
pumpinfo.gif


if you're lucky, you just have to replace your float switch. if the switch is stuck, than it's on it's way OUT - dont mess with it. yeah, if you jiggle it you'll get it working again temporarily - but take it from me, dont take the chance. it is very easy to replace - it is just a float with a wire coming out that gets piggybacked to the 110 volt plug of the pump at the wall outlet. if you can plug in a tv, you can replace the switch. BUT you have to dissassemble the tank to get to the float.

i havent had any luck finding a 30 degree float switch, but if yours is a 90 degree, i've got one, brand new!
 
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I had a similar setup, but it had two floats. One for high level and one for low lever. One of the clips came off and they were all twisted causing similar problems. Ours just collects waste water to keep a basement from flooding and it kicks on once or twice a day. I happen to be home when it started and fixed it in short order. I replace mine every 5 years and keep the last one on hand as a spare. I think we paid a little less, but the lift/cycle duty is probably different than yours too.

Sometimes it's nice to be able to ask a random question! When you fix something your family is in awe! OK, maybe not awe, they are just glad I'm not cussing like I normally do! :grin:
 
this pump is capable of handling "solids" and has a macerator. i could get away with just a water pump (cheaper) but then i have to be absolutely sure no one uses that toilet for number 2. not sure if that's possible, and if someone makes a mistake, i'm in trouble! the advantage of this pump system is that the pump motor stays ABOVE the water level at all times, so it SHOULD last longer. mine died after about 6 years, but it was a switch problem, not a pump problem.
 
Guys...thanks for the input...it has me confused...which doesnt take much, but I like to try to figure stuff out. Here is my pump...

http://zoeller.thomasnet.com/viewit...cast-iron-series-submersible-pump?&forward=1#

Maybe the unit is just worn out...it is about 14 years old. The only problem I have is one of my kids using waaaay too much toilet paper..and it got tangled up aroung the float....so I make a rule..no #2 in the basement toilet.
 
Bottom Line,
I think Ron made very nice write up. It makes sense to me. I would make couple of tests with the float switch to make sure it functions. Check if its level has changed, may be it sits lower than originally. If it didn't move, there's still something that has to trigger it. May be the position of the float. This way you'll know if it's the switch issue. In order to do a proof of consept on theory of pump overheating and shuting off I would raise the switch to allow more water in to the pump. I guess, the other simplest way would be to hold the switch down and release when you feel that the right water level has reached. I would think that even extra powerfull pump should stay on for at least 5-10 seconds. If with the higer water level the pump shuts off in the same 2 seconds, I think there must be something wrong with the pump.

Good luck,
Alex.
 
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Maybe the unit is just worn out...it is about 14 years old.

If the pump is 14 years old, I'd say replace it! It's probably had a good life and is looking forward to retirement!
 
Just an update....the pump is being replaced. Yesterday the pump would not kick off, without being unplugged. So I pulled it out of the tank, plugged it back in and manually moved the switch/float...and it would not shut off. I have a friend in home construction, so I called his plumber this morning and told him about the situation....so at lunch I am going to his shop and picking up a new pump...and saving a few bucks buying it directly from him.
 
jeff
i checked out your pump link. that is almost identical to what i had, in hp and size. only difference is your "ON POINT" is 12 inches and the OFF POINT is 4". with the setup i have, the on point needs to be about 4.5" and the off point is probably 2.5". you must have the "trash can" type holding tank. if your new pump does NOT come with a tether float switch, let me know! good luck.
ron
 

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