Best idea for a BACKUP sump pump

[Ignoramus13024]

I have a regular sump. My regular sump pump is a 1/2 HP Zoeller M137 pump. It works very well and I am not complaining. I bought it, by the way, based on Edwin's advice on this newsgroup.

My question is about a good selection for a backup. I have a nice finished basement. I want to have a well thought out backup system.

1) I would like it to operate from both a battery as well as 120v, meaning that if it runs off a battery, and 120v is available, the charger should keep up with keeping battery charged as the pump is running. In other words, it should be able to operate indefinitely if 120v is available. I also want it to be able to use extra batteries (I have three marine batteries that I may as well hook up to this system).

2) I want it to be very well made, not like cheap "homeowner backup" stuff that is never seriously meant to be used

3) I would like it to have some diagnostic features like warning me about battery condition or about the fact that it is running.

I am aware of brands such as "basement watchdog" etc, but what I want to know which one is a very honestly made system that has a lot of reliability features.

i

[Pete C.]

If you have city water you might investigate the water powered backup sump pumps. They waste a bit of water on the odd occasion they have to operate, but during the 99.999% of the time they don't need to operate they require no power, attention or maintenance.

Pete C.

[Ignoramus13024]

I like this idea. I cannot recall a single moment in the last few years when we did not have city water.

i

[Pete C.]

They did an install of one recently on Ask This Old House I think. Can probably find more info on their site.

Pete C.

[mm]

The basement watchdog has 5 separte indicator lights and a buzzer that goes off for several reasons, including battery electrolyte level. Not sure what reliability feature one could think of that it doesn't have.

I suspect they are very honestly made, but of course if one spends more, he may be able to find something made better.

[Congoleum Breckenridge]

Check out Wayne AC/DC pump system, ISP40. Runs off 2 12v batteries (24v).

?storeId=6970&productId=200311409&R=200311409&cm_ven=TL&cm_pla=DF&cm_ite=pump

[hallerb]

any chance of draining sump to daylight? gravity tends to be highly reliable

[PaPaPeng]

My reading of your anxiety is a case where there is a heavy rainstorm, your basement is in danger of flooding and the primary pump is overwhelmed or the main power down. I would think what you really need is a gas powered pump.

[hallerb]

the backup pump should have its own discharge line to prevent a wierd clog from causing a disaster.

buy flood insurance too for when things go wrong.........

[hallerb]

might be better to add a second sump with big pump set a little higher than primary pump exhausting water directly out of building for flood conditions.

ask your nighbors what they have done most likely they all have the same trouble.

gravity to dayl;ight is best though

[Ignoramus26684]

Very nice. I have a wayne pump powering my homemade water slide, it works very well.

It is now in its third year of operation.

The above website got hacked though. A reminder to not use Microsoft Windows.

i

[Ignoramus26684]

Are you suggesting to put a gas powered pump in the basement??

i

[trader4]

I was wondering who was going to be there to start it. There are multiple approaches and avenues of solution. IMO, most basic is having a second sump pump there to kick in automatically if the first one fails. That is a very common failure mode. A second pump is simple and cheap. Next would be to consider making that one either water powered or battery backed up. At the next level, would be a generator, either manual start or automatic.

And maybe most important of all, is if you have a basement with a sump pump that runs a lot, I'd think real hard before I finished it off or put anything of much value down there, etc.

[Ignoramus27317]

My sump pump runs relatively little, except in very heavy rain. My house is on a little hill. Nevertheless, in a confluence of bad crcumstances, its failure would mean that my finished basement would flood.

I also have a generator.

The reasons for my basement flooding, therefore, could be:

1) I am not home to start the generator when electricity goes out, or the generator malfunctions.

2) My primary sump pump fails

3) something else happens and we do not notice basement flooding.

So, I think that I should get two things:

*) a good backup sump pump based on both 12v and 120v.

*) a basement flood warning system that is independent from 120v.

Personally, I would prefer to have two connected sumps and two full size pumps.

i

[Ed]

Basement Watchdog is a good brand with warning signals. I have had an AquaNot for over 10 years which has saved us several times. It runs on

110v or a marine battery when the power is out. we get a lot of water during a storm and this pump has kept up with it well.