A look at common backup sump pump systems [Capital (Annapolis, MD)]

When we have torrential rains and the power goes out (which it often does here even without a storm) my husband and I have to bail out our sump pump to avoid flooding our basement since we don't have a battery powered backup system. Our home was built in 1983 and has the original sump pump. During Irene, we bailed every 45 minutes all night long. What do you suggest we do? We've heard of water powered backup sump pump systems but don't know anything about them or should we have a battery powered backup installed. Help! We're worried that should we be out of town during an awful storm, we would have a catastrophe to deal with. Thank you for any ideas you may have.

The most common backup sump pump system is the battery powered type of which you are aware. It's a completely separate pump system that is positioned to kick on if the water in the sump pit rises to a preset level above the level the regular 1l0v house current pump would kick on. They are normally powered by a wet cell automotive battery that most have attached to a low current trickle charger to keep the battery constantly charged and at the ready. The amount of water these pumps can pump out on one battery charge is listed in the 6,000 gallon range and in most instances will do the trick and save the basement, hurricanes with days on end of power outages aside.

I tend to see battery backup sump pumps in houses with well water where the concept of a water driven pump wouldn't work because if the power's out so is the house's electric driven well pump. Battery backup type pump systems, excluding cost to install, such as the Basement Watchdog, start around $200, and go up from there if you want to add bells and whistles. Some systems have alarms that sound as they kick on to let you know what's going on. You can use the same discharge piping if you install check valves so that the backup system doesn't recycle the water back into the sump pit and vice versa with the main pump feeding water into the back up system. Not doing that is a mistake you'll only make once.

The water powered type are attached to a joist at the ceiling level of the basement over the sump pit. It's connected to the house water supply with a <0x00BE> inch connection and needs a minimum of about 40PSI water pressure to do you any good.

The pump has a pipe that extends down into the sump pit with a float valve attached to it that you set to your desired kick on level. The discharge line is an inch and a quarter that you pipe outside to positively drain the effluent away from the foundation. The manufacturers say that the pumps discharge two gallons of water for every one gallon of municipal water the pumps use to drive its centrifugal impeller. Because it uses a continuous power supply - the water system - these pumps have no limit to the time of operation or the number of times it will cycle on if needed. If the flooding is really intense they will work in tandem with your regular sump - if the power is still on.

Of course you're paying for the water that powers this system but the manufacturers pointedly remind potential customers that the cost of the water used is nothing compared to the cost and hassle involved in cleaning-up a flooded basement and I tend to agree with them. The least expensive model I saw was close to $500 and that doesn't include installation. That alone might be a reason I don't see them often. Usually when I see an elaborate back sump system or even braided stainless steel clothes washer hoses I can almost be sure that the homeowners who installed them suffered a water disaster that these devices could have prevented and they don't ever want to go through that again. The pump I most recently saw was the Water Commander by Pumpbiz and you can learn about that online and locate a local vendor. Wise folks hope for the best but prepare for the worst and a pump like one of these is cheap insurance in the long run.

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Keep the mail coming. If you've got a question, tip, or comment let me know. Write "On The Level," c/o The Capital, P.O. Box 3407, Annapolis, MD 21403 or e-mail me at jimrooney@jimrooneyonthelevel.com or inspektor@aol.com.