terkio wrote: ↑Fri May 14, 2021 1:23 pm
I have a power meter and see a difference between pulling air and pulling water
This could be a nice way to detect water low enough to turn the pump off.
The power difference with the old 1/2 hp pump was measurable but not as definitive as I would like. I don't have much measurement data from new 1/4 hp sump pump but oddly it looks like maybe higher (?) power draw than 1/2 hp pump.
Nice because this is free from float switch issues and keeps pumping at the lowest possible water level.
Somewhere I have a flow detector that I considered using as another time to shut off detector. Of course it does not tell me when to turn on. With a micro I could turn on briefly to sample for water present. If no water is present the interval could double every time until it only samples once a day... running dry for a couple seconds once a day should not harm the pump.
The float assembly actually has two float switches inside, I guess in case the lower float is stuck in mud.
How is high water level detected to turn the pump on ?
I imagine, the two float switches work this way: The low one stops pumping and the high one restarts pumping. A two state system with an appropriate hysteresis to avoid too frequent short cycles.
Logical but not how it works... the low float turns it on/off and the high float is some kind of a secondary back up in case the first one doesn't turn on. They have been making and selling these for decades so I ASSume they have a valid rationale for their design decisions.
This was working trouble free for over a year before the lightning damage. I am pretty close to getting this dialed in again.
The original sump when I bought this house had the pump sitting in a galvanized steel bucket... That bucket has since rusted out and been discarded.
In an ideal world the level detection would be incorporated inside the pump housing. I guess the concern about internal is that the works could get gummed up with mud or whatever. I can imagine a water proximity sensor that could be shielded from mud. The pump manufacturer could easily know load expectations etc.
Life is short, I am close to sticking a fork in this.
JR
Cancel the "cancel culture", do not support mob hatred.