I have a Pit Vipor Sump pump that when submurged it pumps well for about 5 minutes shuts off for about 5 minutes and start up again. Top of it says it is thermally protected. When it shuts down the units feels warm. Is there something wrong that it is heating up? How do fix it so it doesn't shut off? Is there a thermal part that needs replaceing? Ron

I have never seen a sump pump run for 5 straight minutes. Assuming the discharge line is clear, you are talking about a lot of water. Are you sure the discharge line is clear. Can you see the water going down? How fast does it fill up again?

Yeah, like Ma0641 said, check that the pump is lowering the water in the pit while it is on. If it isn't lowering the water level or it is lowering it real slowly then the check valve is caught up, the drain line is clogged or the sump pump has something stuck up inside the impeller.

I'm betting on the impeller having something caught up in it as this is pretty much the only time I see pumps go off on thermal protection. In this case, you need to pull the pump and inspect the impeller... ;)

Good luck!

Mark

Hi rhwhoyt and welcome to The Plumbing Page at AskMeHelpDesk.com.
My thoughts exactly Mark. I was thinking some debris in the impeller putting a load on the motor or perhaps a shorted motor winding.
Let's hope rhwhoyt clicks back and tells us what he finds. Good luck, Tom