What kind of sump pump backup to get?
January 28, 2020 6:55 AM   Subscribe

On day 17 after buying my house, my sump pump failed. Thankfully the water entry in my finished basement was relatively minimal and I caught, fixed the issue very quickly. Though the failure was due to dislodging of the pvc pipe and not electrical related, I want to make sure I do what I can to be protected. What kind of backup do you recommend?

A battery backup seems to be the most popular, but I'm told there's some kind of water pressure system that lasts longer than a battery backup.

What's more reliable? What's the cost comparison (long and short term)? What lasts longer, and what's the maintenance like? Please tell me all you know and all your experiences, and direct me to sources so I can be as informed as possible on all the backup options.
posted by raztaj to Home & Garden (3 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I believe this is what you are looking for:
Video

It necessary that you be on a city water supply to provide the required water pressure.
posted by tman99 at 7:24 AM on January 28, 2020


I have a water powered backup system (Richdel, I can't find any info on them.). It has saved me a couple of times when the power went out.
Pros- peace of mind that backup is always available (if water pressure is on), I can hear when it goes on so I know when there is a problem.
Cons- doesn't pump as fast as electric pump so in a gullywasher you might still get flooded, if it is on for a long time you will be shocked! at your water bill.

Battery powered pumps can only pump for so long, my 3 day power failure would probably have run the battery down. I think you probably need to replace the battery every couple of years.
posted by H21 at 8:00 AM on January 28, 2020


Another water-powered sump pump owner here. I can't remember how much it cost but it has come in handy perhaps 3 or 4 times in the 10 years I've had it. Considering that the alternative was 2-3 feet of water in the basement I would consider it worth it.

Everything said above I would agree with, basically, for every 1 gallon of water that it pushes out, it requires 2 gallons of water from your town system supply, so yes, you will notice the increase on your bill. The exact amount obviously depends on how long its running and the cost of water in your area.

Also, you should be aware that in extreme cases (let's say 2 inches of rain in a 24 hour period) the water system may not be able to keep up with the overflow. It's not as powerful as a standard electrical sump pump. And of course it's during those extreme situations when you are most likely to have no power.There was only one time in the last 10 years where that came close to happening and that was after 6 inches of rain came down during a 4 day period.

In terms of maintenance, once it's installed there's virtually nothing to maintain, I manually trigger it once a year just to make sure it's running.

The one thing I would say is don't skimp on the install. Due to the way it works, it's really important that it's installed at the correct level. In my experience, otherwise legit plumbers may have heard of the system, but not necessarily installed one. So if you can find someone who has actual experience installing one, that would be my recommendation.
posted by jeremias at 10:47 AM on January 28, 2020


« Older How do I stop giving off bad vibes?   |   Modest sympathy plant for coworker who lost her... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.