Battery Operated Sump Pumps

Is anyone familiar with these battery operated sump pumps? What do they use for batteries? What voltage? Are the bateries always being charged when the power is on, or must they be connected to a charger manually? Can more than one battery be connected in parallel so they pump longer? Can they be run off a car battery in an emergency?

Reply to
maradcliff
Loading thread data ...

Water powered are 10x better, Batteries dont last.

formatting link
formatting link

Reply to
m Ransley

I believe you will find most are 12V and will run off a car battery, but they likely come with a NiCad type battery. I would suggest that unless you expect short outages or only need it when it is not all that wet, that the battery may go out before the water stops rising. After all, most power outages happen during storms and that is when the pump is needed the most.

I like the idea of a water powered backup, unless you have a well. Even when the electric goes out, you usually have water pressure on city water system.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

They run off boat batteries (oddly, I can't come up with the proper term right now, but the kind used for trolling motors...) and charge while you have power. I ran one off my car battery (using 60' jumper cables) for several hours once, until the water started coming in too fast for the pump. (I wound up with 5' of water in my basement, so it was a little unusual). The box will give you an idea of how much it will pump on a charge; it is heavily dependent on how high it has to pump the water.

I have installed two water powered pumps, and they were both crap that I wouldn't want in my basement. If there is a good one, I haven't seen it. But in principle the water powered ones are pretty good.

Reply to
Bewildered

Check out

formatting link
You can download the user manuals and get all the info you need.

As others have pointed out, water driven backups are attractive if you have reliable city water (I have a well).

I have the largest Basement Watchdog system installed and it has saved my basement several times already. When the battery is new, it will run the pump for 6-7 hours continuously, much longer if the pump cycles on and off. It uses a deep cycle marine type battery, 12 volts. You can connect two in parallel for longer run time. You can run off a car battery (or even a car; with long leads) in an emergency.

I have a generator for long outages, but if I'm not home, the battery unit will keep the basement dry until I can get home and fire up the generator. An automatic starting backup set is on the wish list, but...

I think the concern over limited battery life is overblown. A battery is $100. if you just replace it every four years it's $25 / year for reliable backup.

The control unit tests the pump every day, and even monitors the water level of the battery.

HTH,

Paul

Reply to
Paul Franklin

I have installed a pair of Basement Watchdog systems. They use 12V batteries that look like car batteries, but are actually of their proprietary design optimized for the load of their pump. The system includes a charger and a redundant pump.

formatting link
Additional batteries are available for the system for longer runtime, but the one battery system supports runtime specs that seem pretty impressive. I imagine they could be run off a car battery in an emergency, but given the construction of car batteries, you will do a good bit of damage to that battery in a deep cycle discharge. Of course to keep your basement dry, you likely don't care!

Basement Watchdog for what it's worth seems to be gratly preferred by all the plumbers nad home infectors, er inspectors versus Ace in the Hole, which seems to be the other type of system seen most in this area.

Best REgards,

Reply to
Todd H.

But water powered pumps have relatively pathetic flow rates is the typical criticism I hear. I have no direct experience though, but someone chased me off of water powered redundants long ago.

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.

formatting link

Reply to
Todd H.

I should add a couple of notes. 12V nor water powered pumps seldom if ever have the pump capacity of the typical sump pump. In an emergency they may work, but if there is a lot of water to pump they may not be able to keep up.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

I looked at this one and am considering it.

Too late when I saw it, but someone was selling a used basepump. He said he bought a backup generator and didnt' need it anymore. Does that sound reasonable to you? A back up generator can break too. Why not leave the basepump in place. Once it's installed it takes no maintenance and probably no space.

I found this page, but it seemed like just a portal. At any rate, I couldn't find the water powered pump you meant.

Reply to
mm

Yes.

The ones sold at Home Depot, no, the manual or the webpage says.

Probably but it wouldn't run quite as long, just guessing 80% what the deep discharge batteries of similar rating can do.

PaUl got it. HD sells

formatting link
at least in Baltimore.

Reply to
mm

I am not the OP. I haven't yet compared the capacities. Although the

12 v sounded pretty high, that really means nothing until I compare with the 110v.

The manual or the webpage for the HD model said it would run for 4 or

6 or 8 hours, I forget which. I have a very bad memory for numbers unless I can find a logical relationship.

In my case, the flooding that overwhelmed my 110v sump pump only lasted an hour or two, or less. I guess I really don't know how many times the basement would have flooded, or for how long each time, if there had been no 110volt pump, because it only broke once, and I replaced it before there was any flooding. In the last year or so, I can sit at my desk on the second floor and hear the pump whenever it goes on. So based on that, I tend to think 4 to 8 hours would be enough. I don't remember ever hearing the pump in the 21 years prior to this, and when I'm in the basement it sounds the same as it always did. Isn't that strange?

Reply to
mm

Since it's for backup anyway, what does flow rate matter? The whole point is to make sure your basement doesn't flood.

Reply to
Larry Bud

If the flow rate is lower than the rate water is coming in during a very heavy rain, it certainly does.

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.

formatting link

Reply to
Todd H.

I have a well !!!!! This is a farm. On the other hand, there are always several cars, trucks, and tractors that have charged batteries available. There's always a vehicle that can recharge them too. I could see parking my tractor nearby and running wires directly from the alternator to keep it charged and keep the pump running.

Thanks Mark

Reply to
maradcliff

Given that you have a reliable tractor you have much of a rather powerful engine generator set already. A PTO generator will cost you less then half of what others have to pay for a regular generator. Most full size farm tractors can produce enough power to run an entire farm.

Reply to
Tom Horne, Electrician

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.