Sump pump died, got new one installed, running but not draining cellar.

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I just measured my basement and I have five and a half inches of water in my basement. Much more and my furnace is at risk. My pedestal sump pump died, about twenty years old, I wasn't sure how much water, I thought about 2-4 inches when I first noticed the problem. I tried to get the old pedestal sump pump to work, outlet worked but when I hit float switch wouldn't turn on.

I panicked and called a professional as soon as open, 7:35am. They say will be $76 an hour and $400-500 for sump pump. Say will only do submersible sump pump. The plumber installs the submersible pump and seems to work at first. Arrived at 9:15 was done by 10 am. The pump has now been on for over 14 hours and the water level seems about the same.

The technician said should take most of the day to drain. I haven't seen a noticeable budge. Worse yet, I am not sure if the water is even moving. I am feeling nauseous from stress. I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong area to post this thread.

What do I do? Do I do nothing and hope the pump eventually pumps out the water? How long should a basement in an average home take to pump out that's 5 and a half inches deep? Do I call the same plumber company? Do I call a different plumber? I am scared. I don't want to get electrocuted, lose the furnace, nor lose my electrical wiring.

I also don't have much money. But have some, the plumber that installed the submersible says they take deferred payment plans. Sorry, to lay this all on, I am just in panic/stressed out mode. There is some freezing rain outside. Thank you in advance.
 
Yes call him back but under warranty. You paid him to fix the problem. Not throw money at it. If they don’t agree on phone. Then explain how they just lost a customer. Plus however many neighbors you can tell. I dunno how big your basement is. But a sump can pump like 25 gallons a minute. So. You should’ve seen a difference by now. Be nice and don’t panic. We do make mistakes. The best of us fix those mistakes. See if your guy is human and admits a boo boo. Then you have permission (lol) to cuss him up one side and down the other.

Have him check for clogged line that could’ve burned up old pump. Simple to overlook with a flood
 
can you go outside and see where it is draining too? Maybe it is just running outside and right back into the ground near your house and going back into the basement. Call the same plumber. Hold your payment plan over his head as leverage.
 
You paid him to replace sump pump. That is done. You need to figure out where the water is coming in from. It is obviously coming in faster than it is going out. Underground water leak maybe?
 
Can you see the water flowing out of the end of you discharge pipe?
Size and length of discharge pipe? Approximate height of point of discharge above flood slab?
Find out what pump they gave you. Name, model, capacity(GPM vs. Discharge Head.)
Assuming it's pumping, measure water depth and repeat (at same location) for a couple hours or so to determine if you're making any progress or if you're just keeping up with the inflow.
Has it been raining? Is it still raining? What's the forecast?
 
Apparently, the sump pump needed to be burped despise having an air duct. The plumber unplugged and plugged in the pump and it start discharging. Also, I found the discharge pipe both inside and outside and can see that a lot of water is being discharged. Thanks for the replies.

To recap, a new sump pump replaces the old. The pump gets some air after pumping some water and stops discharging. The pump runs for over 24 hours without discharging. Then, the plumber burbs the pump by plugging in and unplugging the pump. To the best of my knowledge the pump is still discharging. Yes, just checked the pump is discharging, less than two inches left in basement. Pumping out over an inch an hour!
 
Apparently, the sump pump needed to be burped despise having an air duct. The plumber unplugged and plugged in the pump and it start discharging. Also, I found the discharge pipe both inside and outside and can see that a lot of water is being discharged. Thanks for the replies.

To recap, a new sump pump replaces the old. The pump gets some air after pumping some water and stops discharging. The pump runs for over 24 hours without discharging. Then, the plumber burbs the pump by plugging in and unplugging the pump. To the best of my knowledge the pump is still discharging. Yes, just checked the pump is discharging, less than two inches left in basement. Pumping out over an inch an hour!
Glad to hear something positive.
 
sounds like it may have vapor locked. depending on pump some need a 3/16 in hole drilled below check valve to prevent air lock. never seen a sump pump have to be" burped"
 
sounds like it may have vapor locked. depending on pump some need a 3/16 in hole drilled below check valve to prevent air lock. never seen a sump pump have to be" burped"

It is vapor lock. You need that hole like Mike said.

I thought his statement, "Apparently, the sump pump needed to be burped despite having an air duct." implied it has an air vent.??

Not to mention that if the pump was pumping before the plumber left, the water level never went low enough to to cycle the pump off and on again. ???
Have to assume it was actually pumping when the plumber was there the first time.

It's a mystery!
 
Thank you for all the responses. Everything is great now, the basement is its usual wetness level. I'll look into the vapor lock like you said. I will also ask questions about a vapor lock next time I talk to my plumber. How much would you expect a vapor lock hole to cost? Finally, I really hate the stress of worrying about my basement flooding, is there some sort of alarm like a smoke detector, except for water level when my basement floor reaches over an inch of water or so? I really do not want to lose the circuit breaker and furnace down there, I would like some peace of mind. Thanks in advance.
 
You should of gotten a manual with your pump. If it needs a hole put in, it should have been done while the guy was there. Its
his job to no whether it needs a hole or not. Shouldn't cost you a CENT to get this done correctly. What brand of pump did they
put in?
 

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