If you have installed a perimeter basement waterproofing system, comprising a sump pump as well as a French drain, you can also buy an excellent battery back up that would help protect the flooded basement. A battery back up also does much more for a homeowner.
When there is no power for the sump pump
It is possible that the sump pump has no power even when the entire house has it. It might be that the circuit breaker has given way or it simply might be that the plug has been removed. Whatever may be the reason, it just means that when the sump pump has no power no work gets done and water would seep into the basement and flood the area.
A sump pump with a battery back up comes with an alarm. When the flooded basement level of water rises very high, the alarm will alert the homeowner about it. This will give the homeowner enough time to take care of the situation.
When the primary sump pump alone is not enough
Even when you have a primary sump pump, adding a back up sump pump is important for your flooded basement waterproofing system. The reason being every sump pump has a limited capacity. It just might be that certain parts of the machine is clogged or is not functioning properly. In such a scenario, a battery backup sump pump comes handy.
Your sump pump maybe fully operational and powered, still a backup is a welcome addition. Many a times when there is a heavy downpour, there is a flooded basement and it is too much work for one sump pump. The battery back up sump pump can be used to quickly remove the water and get the flooded basement dry.
A note of warning: It is best not to depend on any alternate power sources or generators to help your basement get dry. If you buy an automatic generator it would cost you $7000-$10,000. You would also need an electrician to fix it for it to turn on automatically in the event of a power failure. A portable generator would cost you $400. However this would need the homeowner to be in the house to switch it on when the power goes off. The alternate sources of power that are there do not run for a very long duration of time and they also lose their charge soon enough after being kept in the flooded basement floor. No matter what might be the source of power for your sump pump, when you use any of these alternative sources of power, you would have only one sump pump functioning. If there is an operational failure or if there is any other problem, your basement would get flooded. A battery backup system would then save the day for you.
Basements can quickly fill with water and ruin carpet, furniture, drywall and everything else so it is extremely important to me to have a good backup sump pump system in place. Most Basement battery sump pump batteries are shipped dry without acid so that they will remain fresh until you activate them. Filling the battery can be done easily. Many companies have developed an even more impressive system called the Ultrasump. This system is actually a second sump that piggie-backs on top of your original system. A will often come with an alarm. If the water rises too high, the alarm will sound while the backup sump pump continues to run. A battery backup sump pump is essential if the basement is finished, especially with carpeting or hardwood floors. A controller automatically switches from electricity to the battery in the event of a power outage so there is no needs to worry while your home, away, at work or vacation. The peace of mind that a battery powered back up sump pump offers is priceless. Electricity is not 100% reliable as many storms can cause power failures. You can feel safer with a backup protection device in place that runs without electric power? Most major plumbing or larger national size home centers carry a large selection of electric generator accessories perfect for all types of electric generators. If you finish off your basement a backup sump should be on the top of your list. Sump pumps are usually hardwired into a home's electrical system, and may have a battery backup. Some even use the home's pressurized water supply to power the pump, eliminating the need for electricity. Sump pumps are installed in the lowest section of the basement and will pump out any water that has entered the basement before it starts flooding the basement floor. As groundwater makes its way into the basement, it is diverted into the sump pit or sump basin. Sump pumps normally work in combination with a sump pit. The sump pit is simply a hole dug into the ground, generally in the basement of a house, which allows water to collect into it. This sump basket is made of a high strength plastic and installed by the plumber during the rough plumbing phase of construction. A sump pump, in general, is a category that encompasses a number of styles of pumps that are used to pump out collected fluid. This classification includes bilge and ballast pumps, centrifugal pumps, cantilever pumps, sewage pump pumps, submersible sump pumps and utility pumps, among others. Sump pumps are rated in gallons per minute (GPM). They also are rated by motor capacity. Sump pumps may also have a battery backup installed to ensure continuous operation. Submersible pumps are quieter and tend to have a longer life because their sealed, oil-cooled motors are protected from moisture and dust. For the typical 1/3 HP sump pump, the average lift ability is 25 feet and flow capacity is about 25 GPM. Submersible pumps are designed to be submerged in water and sit on the bottom of the sump. The on/off switch, which is attached to the pump, can be a ball float connected to an internal pressure switch or a sealed, adjustable mercury-activated float switch. Submersible pumps are entirely mounted inside the pit, and they have a specially seal to prevent electrical short circuits. The usual life span of a sump pump depends directly on how often the sump tank fills up, the depth of the properties water table, if any debris has made their way into the basket and even the quality of the pump that was installed. The sump pump is definitely something not to take lightly and to have the piece of mind that the basement you just spent a lot of money on will not get ruined during the next big rain or power outage.
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