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  • Results 1 to 11 of 11

    Thread: Float activated pump for filter pit

    1. #1
      LobsterOfJustice is offline Senior Member
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      Float activated pump for filter pit

      Can someone point me towards a setup for a float switch activated pump to keep a filter pit dry? I don't have a filter pit but I have a valve barrel that keeps getting water collecting in it.


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    2. #2
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      rbarn is offline Senior Member
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      "sump pump" .... you can find them at Home Depot and Lowes too.
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      I use the one from Harbor Freight in both my pits.

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      I also use a harbor freight sump pump in my filter pit. Good cheap pump.
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    6. #6
      LobsterOfJustice is offline Senior Member
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      Went to harbor freight and got the sump pump. Having trouble getting the float to activate the pump at a reasonable level... The way it is designed it doesn't want to turn the pump on until it's under like 2' of water. I'd like to mount the float somehow to pump out as much water as possible. Any recommendations? Or pictures of other peoples applications?


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    7. #7
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      We had the same problem. If you have the type of float switch that works on a cord instead of a rod, then you can use a zip tie to tie the cord to the handle and pull the excess through the grommet and "shorten" the cord. This will make the float rise quicker. Also we turned the pump on it's side and that helped also. It's in a sump basin and turns on in about 8".

      Hope this helps.
      Tommy


    8. #8
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      Quote Originally Posted by Tommy B View Post
      We had the same problem. If you have the type of float switch that works on a cord instead of a rod, then you can use a zip tie to tie the cord to the handle and pull the excess through the grommet and "shorten" the cord. This will make the float rise quicker. Also we turned the pump on it's side and that helped also. It's in a sump basin and turns on in about 8".

      Hope this helps.
      I was going to post almost the exact same info. I prefer the floats that are on a rod. You can get them to turn on with as little 3-4" of water and they're much easier to fine adjust as well.
      Mike

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    9. #9
      LobsterOfJustice is offline Senior Member
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      Rained a lot this morning and the pit only had a few inches of water in the bottom, so it must have worked. Looked at lowes and saw they have a pump for $130 that has an internal float that will turn on with less than 2" of water and pump down to 1/4". I will probably eventually swap out the harbor freight pump for that one.

    10. #10
      LobsterOfJustice is offline Senior Member
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      Swapped out the pump, but this one is having trouble turning off once the water level is lowered... came out this morning and it was just running dry. This is such a pain...

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    11. #11
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      Are you worried about mosquitoes in the last 2" or so of water? You could just toss a "Mosquito Bits" pillow in there each month during mosquito season and you won't have to worry about it. Kills the larvae and nothing else.
      Regards,BarbJ
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