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I had a beautiful finished basement that was flooded out due to Irene. I never ended up losing power here in Oyster Bay. My pump died. Fast forward to now and I have tiled my basement, have a high powered Zoeller pump, and I purchased a gas powered generator. I have a spring under my home and my pump kicks on every 20 minutes. After a big rain, it can kick on every 7/8 minutes.
I need to have a back-up system installed and would like see what others have done. The best option obviously would be to get a standby generator, but it's a bit costly and I really can 't afford that at the moment. My other option is to get a battery back-up. I have heard these are pretty much useless and unreliable due to their short lifespan. The option I'm seriously considering is getting a water backed sump pump. These rely on you homes water pressure and do not need electric or batteries to operate. Tapping into your home's water main scares me a bit, but if a sturdy check valve is installed it should not be a problem.
My question is what have others done? Does anyone have any experience with a water backed sump pump. I'm honestly tired of worrying about power outages and flooding again. It's on my mind quite a bit, and I would love to stop worrying about it!!!!!
Thank you for any advice or story you could share. Also, if you know of a plumber who has experience with these water backed pumps, please let me know.
Actually my mom needs to get one. Her basement always gets at least 2 inches of water when there is heavy storms. This has been an on going problem for over 25 years, but my dad never wanted to spend the money to have it fixed.
I have a crawlspace basement, so it may be a bit different...but we got an electric sump pump through Healthy Basement Systems and then we have a battery backup that will run for a minimum of 16, but up to 25 hours after power is lost. This company is awesome! I recommend them to everyone, but you'll pay a bit for them.
Actually my mom needs to get one. Her basement always gets at least 2 inches of water when there is heavy storms. This has been an on going problem for over 25 years, but my dad never wanted to spend the money to have it fixed.
My mother-in-law had the same problem until I suggested she change the location of her downspouts. Now, instead of dropping in the back yard, next to the foundation (without leaders), they drop in the front driveway (with leaders) which then drains into the street.
The problem with hardware-store (or online) bought models, sold to general contractors and DIYers, is that they come with a generic battery, usually an adapted marine battery.
Not being developed for this purpose, these batteries can't withstand long periods of time without being used. If they remain unused for a year or so, they begin to lose power.
Well, a backup sump pump might not be needed for long periods of time, so with generic models, the battery might be dead when you need it most.
There are, however, battery backup sump pump models that come with a battery specifically developed for this purpose, that won't lose power when in idle, even if you don't use it for a number of years.
Water powered backup pumps aren't exactly fool proof either. For it to work, you need to have plenty of city water (if your water comes from a well, you can't use a water powered pump), and the city water needs to come at a pressure of at least 40 psi or higher, constantly. If there isn't enough pressure, the pump won't work.
There is also the fact that, to pump water, you need to spend water. The ratios of water used to pump water vary by manufacturer, but the best models use 1 gallon of water to pump out 2 gallons.
So I imagine that running a water backup pump during the wet season, specially in your case with the spring running under the house, can get really expensive.
For your specific home, which has a spring, I'd really suggest you consider a three sump pump system, if you want to protect your finished basement.
The main pump, to handle the day-to-day de-watering, a powerful electrical backup pump, to pickup the tab during heavy rains that may overwhelm and overwork the main pump, and a battery operated backup that will kick in when the power is out or there is something wrong with the electric pumps.
A good three sump pump system, installed complete, with three pump container, air tight lid and an alarm can be installed for a fraction of the cost of a an automatic generator.
Thanks for the info. CyFree - do you have any experience with water backed sump pumps? Have you used one? I have city water, and strong water pressure.
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