Why You May Need a Backup Sump Pump

The simple answer to this question is based on the value of your investment and property in your basement. Is it fully finished with carpeting, furniture, electronics and other refinements? Even if not completely finished, do you store items on the floor that water will ruin? If so, a backup sump pump would be a wise investment.
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Sump pumps protect those important and valuable items we keep in the basement.

Backup Sump Pumps Protect Our Valuable Possessions

Many families have turned their basements into some very nice social spaces. Workshops, playrooms, entertainment centers, exercise rooms, and man caves can now all be found in our home’s lowest level. Normally at the same level as our water heaters, furnaces, and the out of the way, not often thought about, sump pump.

What Is Lost When Your Basement Floods?

With the major investments we have made in our basement recreational space, it is not uncommon to find ourselves in a precarious position if our sump pump fails and our basement floods.

Water in your basement can be costly to clean up and to replace water damaged property.

This can lead to significant losses of electronic equipment, tools, exercise equipment, furniture and family heirlooms. For those with clothing, Christmas decorations, and your children’s kindergarten projects stored in boxes on the basement floor, these too can be ruined when a couple of inches of water flood your basement.

The challenge we all face is that we can’t stop water from entering our basements. If there is a way for water to infiltrate your home, it will find it. The best we can hope to do is manage the inflow of water by pumping it away from our homes using a system of drains and pumps.

To protect our valuable assets, we depend on sump pumps to prevent the flooding of our basements. Unfortunately sump pumps are mechanical devices that will eventually fail. Most are also electrically powered and do us little good when our electricity goes out in the midst of a severe storm.

Backup sump pumps come in a variety of sizes and configurations.

Backup Sump Pump Systems

To address the somewhat inevitable event of the primary sump pump in your home failing, or not working due to a power outage, backup sump pump systems are available. They come in different configurations and varying degrees of capability.

Battery backup sump pumps are a second sump pump that is placed in the pit with the primary unit. If the primary pump fails then the secondary pump kicks in. These units are easy to find and do not necessarily require a professional to install. Some units have built in battery chargers that ensure the battery is ready when needed. Batteries do need to be inspected periodically and the backup pump run occasionally to make sure everything is in working order.

Higher tech backup sump pump systems are available that add features that provide remote monitoring and real time alerts. These units typically include both the primary and backup pumps mounted together. The unit’s controller cycles the backup unit regularly so it is ready when activated.