Sump Pump Backup Systems: A Primer

Summary:  Sump pumps work on electricity and, as such, the lack of electricity essentially means the lack of a sump pump. Sump pump backup systems work without electricity and thus are a necessary add-on to any sump pump system. 

So now that you've got yourself a brand new sump pump everything is fine and dandy. With this handy instrument you have effectively nullified any chances of your basement ever flooding, right? Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this but you'd better open that wallet back up after you've installed your sump pump. Yes, a sump pump is an indispensable tool that belongs in every basement but it doesn't necessarily mean that your basement will never flood again. To completely prevent any basement flooding, you'll also need to get one of the many sump pump backup systems that you walked by when you were perusing the sump pumps.

Sump pumps work on electricity and, as such, the lack of electricity essentially means the lack of a sump pump. You may scoff at this and say that your house of course has electricity and therefore is bolstered against the change of a flooded basement but take a minute to think of what makes your basement flood in the first place. In many instances, the reason for a flooded basement is because a particularly powerful storm came and rained on your parade. Excess rain has to go somewhere and a basement is as good a place as any. Not every storm will cause flooding but a large storm or hurricane almost definitely will. Now think about what else happens when a large storm occurs. If you haven't guessed by now, I'll tell you: The electricity goes out! Your blessed sump pump will all of a sudden become completely powerless against the rising tide unless you had gotten one of those sump pump backup systems we discussed earlier.

How Sump Pump Backup systems Work

Sump pump backup systems work without electricity and thus are a necessary add-on to any sump pump system. Most of them come with a twelve volt battery that activates when water levels get too high. A floating ball usually alerts the backup system to this occurrence, much like a regular sump pump. When your sump pump is rendered null because of a lack of electricity, the sump pump backup system will save the day and prevent a costly and horrendous flood in your basement. While you may be a bit disappointed that you'll have shell out more money for more pumpage, keep in mind that the vast majority of these battery-based sump pump backup systems use rechargeable batteries so you can at least rest assured that you probably won't have to spend any more money on sump pump and sump pump accessories any time soon.

You can also eschew the typical battery backup sump pumps for a system that uses your house's own water supply. These types of backup systems use the water power in your house to drain excess basement water when levels get too high. These models typically cost more, however, and you probably don't want to spend any more extra money after shelling out a few hundred bucks for your original sump pump. At any rate, you should choose one of these versions or at least have some form of backup system in place for when the power goes out because you do not want to be the guy with a flooded basement and a sump pump floating around in the corner.