Problem with new sump pump! (video link in post)

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Ragweed

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Just replaced a 1/2 hp Zoeller with a dead switch with the Ridgid 1 HP sump pump which I think is made my Wayne. I also have a 12V backup pump and battery. The whole system is set up like a wye with the Ridgid on a couple of pavers and the backup hanging freely. We have had some torrential rain and it is exposing some issues with our drainage that we are addressing, but the pump is also making an odd sound, any idea if this is normal? Also, it seems like it empties the pit more slowly than the Zoeller but I never timed them. The little leak is the air hole but apparently this style pump doesn't need one.

Here is a video of it:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4J5GYAmECJAVnX5S9
 
Thanks for the reply. There are 3 check valves going in the right direction, one on top of each pump, and one after the wye. Does this look better?:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3kq8edK4Ydju9JaFA

pumpspy-pump-adapters-fittings-psdpkit1-64_1000.jpg

3kq8edK4Ydju9JaFA
 
Ragweed said:
Just replaced a 1/2 hp Zoeller with a dead switch with the Ridgid 1 HP sump pump which I think is made my Wayne. I also have a 12V backup pump and battery. The whole system is set up like a wye with the Ridgid on a couple of pavers and the backup hanging freely. We have had some torrential rain and it is exposing some issues with our drainage that we are addressing, but the pump is also making an odd sound, any idea if this is normal? Also, it seems like it empties the pit more slowly than the Zoeller but I never timed them. The little leak is the air hole but apparently this style pump doesn't need one.

Here is a video of it:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4J5GYAmECJAVnX5S9
Click to expand...
Are you referring to that sound we hear on the video? It seems to happen when the check valve closes. I wonder if it's the check valve internal rubbing against the side wall when trying to seat. The tone makes it sound like it could be within the PVC piping. Maybe ask the manufacture what they think. Send them the video. The pump should have a 3 to 5 year warranty, but don't think it's that.

That fan shaped flow we see is coming from a pin hole?

Re: Empties pit more slowly. I don't know how many different 1/2 and 1 HP sump pumps the respective manufacture has, but comparing a 1/2 HP Zoeller sump pump against a 1 HP Wayne shows they have very similar flow vs head(pressure) characteristics. But you can't expect them to be exactly the same. Were you thinking the 1 HP should have a higher pumping rate? Doesn't work that way. They may have different type of impellers and/or different solids passing capabilities, which affect their efficiency and capacity.
If you have the literature for these pumps you should be able to compare their published capacity. They may or may not have provided a flow vs head characteristics curve.
The literature I looked at simply stated capacity at a particular head, which I plotted for both pumps I looked at and like I said they came pretty close to each other. Nothing to worry about unless you have frequent cases when the primary pump can't keep up with the incoming flow, in which case you'd probably should be considering a larger sump. But I dodn't think we want to get into that.
 
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At first look I thought maybe the water being pumped was back flowing back into sump indicating no check valve or faulty check valve.
If you look closer, the water is flowing in from both lines discharging into sump.

Is the battery pump switch set at a higher water level and intended to work as a back up if the primary fails
and only comes on when the water level is higher than the primary pump switch?
If you disconnect main pump power does the battery pump sound the same when it kicks in?
 
Looks to me that the other flows entering the sump are from the ground water lines, of which there appears to be a total of possibly 3.

Getting rid of the 3rd check valve crossed my mind as well. I know we have had application where we used a CV on the common line, as it is here, without any problems.

But I wouldn't discount the possibility that it may have some affect on the action of the first check valves.
 
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I've read plenty regarding check valves having knocks and funny sounds (including sucking and/or fart noises as they close). You could try a few things as others have mentioned: removing the 3rd (lower one could be 'fighting' with it), making sure all the check valves are operating properly, or replacing with quiet/"clunkless".

I'm speculating here, but if you simply plugged a new pump into an existing configuration, things could sound different just because it's a different pump. If you mention that the new Rigid pump doesn't require the weep hole (per instructions), did you try plugging the hole with your finger for several cycles to see if the noise changes or stops? The now 'unnecessary' weep hole could also dovetail your hunch that it's discharging slower than your Zoeller did...

From the looks of your video the water appears to be entering quickly -- like a 5 second cycle time which is particularly taxing over the long haul. Ultimately this could have led to the demise of your Zoeller cycle switch. For the moment, considering how fast water appears to be entering, I'm not sure how concerning the noise is. More important is removing water and keeping your house from flooding.

On that topic -- as best you can tell, do you believe the sump filling to be all drain water from the ground/tile, etc -- and no back flow from the head? You'd hate for the pump to be fast cycling unnecessarily.

I can see from the video that the rigid is pumping water through some discharge at a rate high enough to trip the lower limit switch, stop pumping, and then generate your noise (my guess is one of the check valves closing). What happens after is a very quick fill of the sump. It's tough to know without understanding your sump history over time and weather patterns if you simply have a ton of water coming in or if you're seeing blow-back.

Do you have access to the discharge or is it underground? Is the volume of water coming out the discharge each cycle indicative of the theoretical volume removed from the sump every cycle? At a 5 second cycle that may be next to impossible to measure.

Just for troubleshooting blow back and other things -- in the past I've hooked my AC and/or my 12v pump up to just a black discharge hose into the yard or utility sink for a few minutes. I know this can be somewhat difficult with the water coming in as quickly as it is, but you might find something out.

Lots of stuff there, most of mine is uneducated rambling. Best of luck.
 
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It's tough to see from the pictures since the float is hidden -- but -- I'd put my money on the Rigid having a fixed float switch. (unless Frodo is referencing the 12v backup pump?).

Typically these/Wayne's have about a 5" travel and are factory set -- unadjustable without some sort of rigging. .......You could trip the lever switch by hand at the right time (about 2.5 seconds from off by my stopwatch), though, if that accomplishes frodo's suggestion.
 
bds85466 said:
It's tough to see from the pictures since the float is hidden -- but -- I'd put my money on the Rigid having a fixed float switch. (unless Frodo is referencing the 12v backup pump?).

Typically these/Wayne's have about a 5" travel and are factory set -- unadjustable without some sort of rigging. .......You could trip the lever switch by hand at the right time (about 2.5 seconds from off by my stopwatch), though, if that accomplishes frodo's suggestion.
Click to expand...

I've had excellent results using a HydroCheck HC6000 "Hi-Lo Sump Pump Controller" with a manual pump. No floats to hang up and no mechanical switches to go bad. There are two sensors so you can set the on/off height where it works best for your situation and to reduce short cycling.
 
this is my final answer, i do not need to phone a friend

the check valve that is on your pump is not spring activated, it is a gravity type vertical check that uses the water weight above it to close.
in my opinion, , the 3rd check above the double wye is not letting the checks close
due to lack of water weight on the check.
this is just a guess
 
frodo said:
this is my final answer, i do not need to phone a friend

the check valve that is on your pump is not spring activated, it is a gravity type vertical check that uses the water weight above it to close.
in my opinion, , the 3rd check above the double wye is not letting the checks close
due to lack of water weight on the check.
this is just a guess
Click to expand...
I would say that was more then "just a guess". At a minimum an "educated guess"!
I'd be inclined to agree with that, however, I wouldn't do float switches AND check valve together. Then you won't be sure which it was. Although I believe the float travel is limited, as mentioned above. (Integrated Vertical Float Switch with Solid, Leak Free Polypropylene Float for automatic operation; 9 in. ON level and 4 in. OFF level) But he certainly could use a longer cycle time. With that kind of inflow a larger sump would have helped of course.
 
pump.JPG
bds85466 said:
It's tough to see from the pictures since the float is hidden -- but -- I'd put my money on the Rigid having a fixed float switch. .
Click to expand...


The main Ridgid pump as a white float on a lever switch. You can see it go up and down if you
look closer.

looks like the battery pump as 2 small sensor switches mount to the discharge line near check valve
 
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lol

if it has 2 floats, one should be high and one low
the first kicks on the emergency pump
the second either kicks on a second pump
or a high water alarm or both
but idunno what system it is

I sure would like to know exactly what pump is being used, all he has said is Ridgid 1 HP sump pump which I think is made my Wayne.
 
Sorry guys, I truly appreciate the input, we had another torrential rain today with flash flooding in the street in front of our house, the backup pump actually turned on for a few minutes which is too close for comfort, especially if either pump decided to fail. I am trying to think of upgrading to a better system, perhaps a larger 2 pump system with inverter and larger battery backup, because I think I'm screwed if all I have is the small battery backup pump left in an emergency. Of course we finished the basement this year..:eek:
 
The pump is a ridgid 1000rs and the 12v back up system is called pumpspy.
 
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