Could this sewage pump be short cycling?

[Taulant1995]

Ok so I have purchased a Simer 3963 1/2 HP cast iron sewage pump and have already installed it in the pit. I measured the diameter and depth of the pit. So the diameter of the pit is about 19.5 inches and it's about 25 inches deep. My dad had to shorten the length of the float switch a little so it doesn't get hung up on the wall of the pit. When the pump turns on, it stays on for 4-7 seconds before shutting off. I have to do a test one more time with the timer and see how many seconds it stays on before it shuts off again. Does it count as short cycling if it stays on between 4-7 seconds? I'll update this post God willing when I get an accurate time of how long it stays on.

I have attached a picture of this set up. The bathroom hasn't been used in a while and we also went through a storm last Friday which "cleaned" the pit up leaving just water. It's only been used to test how the new pump would work. It's not the usual type of sewage pit with two pipes coming out of it. This one is located under the bathroom sink and we found the pit like this when we bought the house in 2003. This pit does have holes on the sides but we never smelt any sewer gases or seen any sewage leaking from the pit(there is a small opening in the laundry where it lets me check under this bathroom with the pit and it's always been dry). Maybe the holes aren't drilled all the way through.

 

[BasicPoke]

I don't know the answer to your question, but could you rotate the pump clockwise, unscrewing it slightly from the pipe, to give you some room to let out some cable?
Ron

 

[Geofd]

I can't see a float (maybe its my device)or is it an internal float
If it is internal it's not gonna take much water to turn on the pump

Let us know

If that pipe with the rubber coupling is the discharge
it's piped wrong normally it discharges out of the top
with a check valve and ball valve to isolate the system
The tank is also vented to the plumbing system.water
is probably draining back into the pit because of the piping
and no check valve if this is supposed to be the drain for a bathroom
you would nneed a grinder pump for solids

so that pipe show coming off of the pump and going thru
the side of the tank is the discharge???? Then if comes up,???
Is that just a dewatering pump or a sewerage pump ?????

 

[Taulant1995]

I don't know the answer to your question, but could you rotate the pump clockwise, unscrewing it slightly from the pipe, to give you some room to let out some cable?
Ron

Yeah, I'm thinking about doing that today. I thought about it last night but didn't have the time to do it.

 

[Taulant1995]

I can't see a float (maybe its my device)or is it an internal float
If it is internal it's not gonna take much water to turn on the pump

Let us know

If that pipe with the rubber coupling is the discharge
it's piped wrong normally it discharges out of the top
with a check valve and ball valve to isolate the system
The tank is also vented to the plumbing system.water
is probably draining back into the pit because of the piping
and no check valve if this is supposed to be the drain for a bathroom
you would nneed a grinder pump for solids

It does have a check valve but its located about 3 feet away from the pit. The pipe comes up behind the water heater and that's where the check valve is located. There isn't much space in this part of the house.

 

[TomFOhio]

What size pipe is there. Is it 2" or 11/2" ???

 

[Mr_David]

The check valve should be closer to the pump to prevent discharged water not being captured by the check valve from draining back into the sump.

 

[Taulant1995]

What size pipe is there. Is it 2" or 11/2" ???

It is 2 inch pipe

 

[Taulant1995]

The check valve should be closer to the pump to prevent discharged water not being captured by the check valve from draining back into the sump.

Yeah I agree, The perfect place for a check valve would be where that 2 inch coupling is but I don't know how 2 check valves would affect the pump's performance. We did originally think about adding a second check valve at the pit to serve as a disconnect point but then we changed our minds and added a coupling instead.

 

[Geofd]

I think your short cycling becaude like other posters have said
if its 3 ft away you have 3 ft of 2"full of water draining back into your pit