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I decided to get it in my basement finally. I have a regular 120 VAC sump pump already.
The plumber is pushing Zoeller AquaNot system for $1000. He said Watch Dog from Home Depot is not reliable and has no warranty on it (?). He estimates his labor as $450.
This info sounds fishy to me.
Which system do I install? What is the reasonable pricing?
Battery backup sump pumps suffer from one major flaw - the battery. An average deep cell 12 volt battery contains the energy equivalent of about one CUP of gasoline. In addition, if a battery is drained to beyond 50% of the energy storage, you might as well recycle it, because you will have damaged it irreparably.
IF you have a reliable municipal water supply, with a standpipe or generator power for the pumps, a water powered pump is cheaper and more reliable. It will, on average, pump five gallons of water per each gallon of city water used.
If your water is from a well or the pressure is unreliable, then invest the money in a generator with automatic switch over.
I made a battery powered emergency sump pump once that used an RV water pump to minimize battery drain. After blowing through a battery, I installed a water powered one.
Cost on installation can be all over the place. I agree with snebarekim, get three bids and make sure that cost of any permits are included.
I decided to get it in my basement finally. I have a regular 120 VAC sump pump already. The plumber is pushing Zoeller AquaNot system for $1000. He said Watch Dog from Home Depot is not reliable and has no warranty on it (?). He estimates his labor as $450.
This info sounds fishy to me.
Which system do I install? What is the reasonable pricing?
No idea, but if your situation is that critical check your homeowners insurance and invest in a home equipment warranty.
Battery powered pump is at best temp fix to help keep water levels in check while you fix the main pump and/or restore electric quickly.
If you are on city water they have pumps that operate off of the water pressure. This does not have the issues associated with battery backup. One thing to be careful with is compare the GPM.
At my old house ,I had a battery-powered back-up sump system installed for $900 I think. It's good insurance in case when you main pump fails or you lose power. The battery is a deep-marine type. The installer claimed the battery could run the pump for about 8 hours straight if need be. Doubt it would ever run continuously, but it might run for a full day if you had a lot of water.
I recently replaced my old sump pump with a newer system I purchased online. The new system came completely pre-assembled. It has the standard pump that is plugged into the wall. But it also includes a secondary pump that will kick in if the primary pump fails (also powered by the wall outlet or battery backup if the electricity fails). The primary pump is rated at 4200 gallons per hour; the back-up pump is rated at 3300 gallons per hour. The battery I am using is a deep cycle, sealed AGM battery rated at 50 amp/hr that will provide several hours of energy. Everything is warranted for 5 years and cost me a total of $461 and change.
I decided to get it in my basement finally. I have a regular 120 VAC sump pump already.
The plumber is pushing Zoeller AquaNot system for $1000. He said Watch Dog from Home Depot is not reliable and has no warranty on it (?). He estimates his labor as $450.
This info sounds fishy to me.
Which system do I install? What is the reasonable pricing?
The reason the plumber is "pushing" something may have something to do with either his confidence in the product OR his desire to make more money.
I have used the Zoeller system and it is pretty good. I am not sure it is really all that much better than other system but it is more costly than the stuff from "Basement Watchdog" which is kind of low end.
Installed by an honest handyman that would still be about $1000 as I think it is fair to pay closer to $250 for installation but maybe labor costs are especially high in your area.
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