Please help!!

I have a 4 year old submersible sump pump - two nights ago we heard it running and would not stop. Upon investigation, we found the float stuck in the 'up' position... did not sink as water was pumped out. We tapped the float, it turned off, we added some water (pit was very low). 7 hours later this happened again - this time we 'lubed' the rod with some cooking spray, added some water and this time it stopped for about 24 hours. But at 5:00 this morning - it happened again.

I should say we had a blizzard two days ago and received 10 inches of snow - the temp outside had not reached 30 degrees since. We were also just informed that our sewer into the main sewer line collapsed 4 days ago - are waiting on a plumber to fix that issue... holidays.


What's the next step? Do I have to replace the sump pump again? Is there an easier, permanent fix?

Thanks for any advice!!

You can replace just the float switch. An OEM would be the best option but you can use an add-on after market switch that plugs into the receptacle and the pump plugs into it. replacement sump pump switch - Google Product Search (http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&source=hp&q=replacement+sump+pump+switch&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=j5Y3S7njI82glAfgiMRO&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CB4QrQQwAg)