Battery Backup Sump Pumps: Not Just for Power Outages

If you’ve already invested in a perimeter basement waterproofing system with a sump pump and French drain, adding a top-quality battery backup system is the extra little bit that you need to keep the basement protected. What many homeowners may not realize, however, is how much more a sump pump battery backup does for a homeowner.

When the Sump Pump Loses Power

Your sump pump can lose power when the rest of the house still has it. Whether the circuit breaker has tripped, or the plug has simply been removed from the outlet, your sump pump is now out of commission. This power loss is largely invisible- you may go for days, even weeks without noticing the pump is out- especially if it’s located in a crawl space. What this means for the homeowner is that when rainwater or melting snow begins to gather around the foundation, their investment on their sump pump system cannot help them.

A battery backup sump pump system will often come with an alarm. If the water rises too high, the alarm will sound while the backup sump pump continues to run. The homeowner will have time to respond to the situation before the basement floods. If the problem is simply that the sump pump system has become unplugged, it will simply need to be plugged in. No flooding necessary!

If the Primary Sump Pump is not Enough

A battery backup sump pump is a useful and important addition to your basement waterproofing system even when the primary sump pump is fully powered. The reason for this is that a sump pump- even the best on the market- is a mechanical thing with a limited capacity. If the mechanical parts in the sump pump clog with debris or fail or for any reason, having a backup sump pump will be just what you need. It will respond to the situation as if the sump pump had lost power, kicking on and taking care of the problem. And if the situation becomes too much for the sump, the alarm is still there to sound off!

Even with the sump pump is powered and completely operational, a backup sump pump can save the basement from a flood. If torrential downpour occurs and the basement is flooding, it can become overwhelmed with the volume of water. As the water begins to rise faster than it can be pumped out, the battery backup will be there to help keep the basement dry.

A word of warning: don’t count on generators or alternate power sources to keep your basement dry. Purchasing an automatic generator costs $7,000-$10,000 and requires an electrician to hook it up so that it may turn on automatically when the power goes out. Portable generators only cost $400. Unfortunately, they require the homeowner to be home and awake so they start it when the power goes out. Other alternate power sources often run for a very short amount of time or lose their charge as they sit on the basement floor. And no matter which you choose, if you’re running on an alternate energy source, you only have one sump pump. If that one pump clogs, experiences mechanical failure, or is overwhelmed by water, then the basement will still flood.

Keep your Basement Dry All the Time!

If you’re in the market for a crawl space or basement battery backup sump pump, Basement System’s UltraSump is perfect for you! Unlike cheap plastic sump pumps on the market, Basement Systems uses only top-quality Zoeller cast-iron sump pumps in their sump pump systems. The UltraSump comes with a high-capacity battery that, combined with the primary pump, can remove more than 11,000 gallons of water from the basement on a single charge! It won’t lose its charge sitting on your basement floor, and it comes equipped with a WaterWatch alarm that will sound off if the water level rises too high. Whether the power goes out, the sump pump is unplugged, the circuit breaker trips, the primary sump pump fails or is overwhelmed with excessive flooding, the UltraSump is what you need to prevent the flood.