Basement Waterproofing guide • South Shore, MA
The cruel timing of basement flooding: the power fails in the middle of the storm that is filling your sump basin. Backup is not an accessory here; it is the system.
Two backup types exist, and they suit different houses. Here is an honest comparison so you buy the right one once.
A deep-cycle battery and a secondary DC pump kick in when the power dies. Good for several hours of intermittent pumping. The catch: batteries need replacing every few years, and nobody remembers until the outage.
Uses municipal water pressure to pump the basin out. No battery to maintain and it runs as long as the water flows. The catch: it needs good municipal pressure, uses a lot of water, and does nothing during a water outage.
Backup pumps move less water than primary pumps. If your basin fills fast in storms, an undersized backup just delays the flood. Match the backup to your actual inflow.
Pour water in the basin with the breaker off and watch the backup cycle. Do it twice a year. A backup that has never been tested is a rumor, not a system.
A water alarm in the basin that texts or screams when water rises buys you the hours that matter. Put one in even with a backup installed.
Flip the sump breaker off, pour in a bucket of water, and see what happens. If nothing pumps, you have no backup. Call (857) 358-0305 and we will size the right one for your basin and your water supply.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
