I have a Zoeller M-53 sump pump and I'm considering using a float switch to stop the pump from cycling too frequently. Here's the situation…
The water level is pretty high where I live. The sump pit is really an old, rather shallow brick-lined pit. The pump is working fine, but there are many times of the year that the pump just goes off too much. I'm afraid that the pump's life will be limited by this constant cycling. There are times that I know the water level won't climb out of the pit, but the pump's built-in switch triggers the pump anyway. I don't need the water to be that low.
Note: I cannot raise the pump higher than it is because of how shallow the pit is already. Plus, I have a battery backup pump that is on top of this that just sits at the absolute top of the pit.
Is it ok to do this to my pump, or would the pump being covered in water cause more damage?
Best Answer
As kkeilman points out, your pump is fully submersible, so that part should be no problem.
You can easily just piggy-back a float switch like this one on your existing pump. It has a special plug that you plug the existing sump pump into (no wiring necessary), and this one in particular handles up to 1/2 HP, which is more than enough for your 0.3 HP Zoeller.
The nice thing about these tether floats is you can adjust the heights depending on where you attach it, and how much tether you give it. Just be sure to test it manually moving up and down to be sure it's at the right heights, and it's not going to get hung up on anything (causing it to either stay on, or not turn on when needed). I highly recommend you secure all the wires going into the pit with zip ties or electrical tape to be sure they're not going to fall down in the future.
You can leave the existing float working, which is fine - it will act as an extra safety to shut it off if the pit is dry, but also be sure this one doesn't get hung up - because both floats will have to be "on" to make the pump turn on -- if either is off, the pump is off.
If you don't want to use the existing float, there may be a way to bypass it internally by rewiring the pump, or you can simply zip tie it "up" so it is in the on position all the time.