I have dummy questions about my sump pump...???

[DRU]

I moved into a new house not long ago (new build) and the builder mentioned I should get a battery backup for my sump pump.

When I look around at these backup systems, though, it seems they come with a battery and an additional sump pump, which confuses me. If I have a battery backup, wouldn't that power the original sump pump so it would work even if the house is without power? Why does there need to be a secondary pump?

Also, it seems that all of these systems are $500+ to have installed. For example, Home Depot has these WatchDog systems, or then I have people telling me they would install a Pro Series 1000 backup because "those watchdogs are crap".

Why can't I just use an APC battery backup like I would use on my office computer or my network equipment? Something like this: http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/produc...S-750/P-BE750G

Seems that a sump pump would use hardly any power at all, so it should be able to run on something like that for quite some time should the power to the house go out..??

Any clarification on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[wazu]

You definitely can just do the battery back-up. The extra pump saves you if the pump actually fails, which I believe is considered more likely. The APC device I also looked at and was told it gets drained very fast by a sump pump. I think they actually do use a lot of power.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

buy this instead, now maintenance on the batteries, no expensive replacement of batteries. I put one in my own basement after spending 3 hours bailing water out of my sump pit last year to prevent flooding.
https://www.amazon.com/Basepump-Wate.../dp/B000GBUU7G

Pumps draw a lot of power, an APC isn't going to last unless you have a short outage.

[Demonpenz]

Smoke weed

[DRU]

thanks for the info!

[displacedinMN]

I had a pro series 1000 in my last house. Once, It worked for three days with an on/off pump. The basket filled every 1/2 to hour. No issues.

Just make sure you change the battery at five years. I didn't and it failed after a big storm-2013.

We had to borrow the neighbors small generator. Then It failed so we had to bail about every half hour until we found another generator.

[BWillie]

Speaking of sump pumps, anybody know someone reputable that can have em installed for like 3k in Kansas City area? Would be great.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Put in a backup system. I put one in a few years ago and it was really easy. Buy some pvc, glue, and you're golden.

[MTG#10]

are you sure its a sump pump and not a bear?

[Swanman]

We have a watchdog system and it works fine. The backup sump saved our asses a few years ago when the main pump failed during a big storm. The smaller backup pump was able to keep up for enough time to get the main pump replaced. Another part of this is that it's a godsend if you can find a local plumber that you can trust to do good work. Luckily for us during that storm, we called our guy and he was out within 10 minutes.

[kccrow]

If you really need to worry about a sump pump failure, it might be worth making a real investment. For about $2000 you can back up all the main items in your home with a standby generator and automatic transfer switch.

Something like this: http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect....FQctaQodZtsBRA

I know Honda supports most transfer switches hooking to their auto start portables too, but you'll spend a hefty amount on a new Honda generator.


As for the battery backup idea, look at the watts your pump is drawing and what the battery will support.

Edit (Eplanation):

A 750 VA battery will yield about 60% in watts or 450 watts

A 4.9 Amp sump pump running at 120 V will yield 588 watts

That APC won't power your pump. You need at least 1000 VA in that case. I believe there are some UPS systems in the $150 range with 1000 VA.

[DRU]

Thanks. I think I'm just going to have this guy install the Pro Series for me.

[Strongside]

True story: One night when I was in high school I was over at my girlfriend (now wife) 's house. I had never stayed over before and she had some pretty strict guidelines for what time I had to be out of the house according to her parents. They lived out in the country about 20 minutes, and a very bad storm had rolled in and was supposed to continue throughout the night. My mom called my girlfriend's mom and asked that she keep me out there as she didn't want my 16 year-old ass driving home in a torrential downpour. She agreed. I was to sleep on the futon in the basement in the room next to my girlfriend's. At the time, and this was about 2001, Beanie Babies were all the rage, and her mom had tons of them. They were all over this room. I went to bed at about midnight (Of course I stayed there for all of 20 minutes before moving to her bed for some inappropriate behavior, but that's beside the point.) At about 2am I moved back to the futon, but the mattress was so thin that the metal underneath was digging into my sides, so I took the mattress off of the frame and moved to the floor. This is where shit got crazy. Before I went to sleep I kept hearing their sump pump kick on...that, and thunder. It was bad outside. At about 7am I woke up to an odd sensation of something wet on my fingers. My arm was hanging off of the bed, and I felt something wet on my hand. I will never, as long as I live, forget the confusion of waking up on a tie-died futon mattress and observing about 500 beanie babies floating around me in approximately 6" deep water. It was surreal. The power had gone out and the sump pump had failed. My mattress had somehow remained dry, but I legitimately thought that I was in a dream state, or hallucinating. The way the dolls looked floating all around me in this dark abyss was terrifying. I still have nightmares to this day and hate Beanie Babies.

The point I'm trying to make here is: Don't do that to some dude who is trying to bone your daughter. Fix your sump pump. That shit will stay with him for the rest of his life.

[Demonpenz]

My high school girlfriend (now wife) only chiefs fans

[Strongside]

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

My high school girlfriend (now wife) only chiefs fans

Only Chiefs fans marry their high school sweetheart?