During our visits with customers who are in need of a Drain Tile System, a common question comes up. What is the Battery Backup or Backup Sump and do I need it?
A Battery Backup Sump Pump System is used as a backup for your Primary Sump Pump in your Drain Tile System. The Sump Pump in what pumps the water out that has been gathered by the Drain Tile System. Basically, it’s the seatbelt or spare tire for your car. You don’t always need it, but when you do, you NEED it.
A Backup System will kick on for a number of reasons:
- Primary Sump Pump Failure
- Primary Sump Pump is working, but cannot keep up
- Power Failure
- Float Switch Malfunction on Primary Pump
Types of Backup Systems
There are many different brands and types of Backup Pump Systems. They are sold at big box stores, contractor-only stores, and some companies manufacture their own. How do you decide which to get? The prices only seem to go up as you research it more and more, so why not just go with the Big Box Store System?
We would like to make something clear. JUST LIKE your seatbelt and spare tire, you get what you pay for. If you spend less money to get a donut tire instead of a full-size, you could have put yourself in a bad position. What if you’re in the middle of nowhere? Those tires are only good for a short while. What if it’s snowing? Those tires are no good in the snow.
Similarly, Backup Pump Systems that are sub-par will not aid you when you need them. Overwhelming rains tend to knock out power, so the time you need to rely on your Battery Backup the most is when the heaviest rain falls. Do you really want to be trusting a sub-par system for that?
There are two main types of Backup Systems:
- Battery-run
- Water-line run
The Battery Backup Systems run off a Marine Maintenance-Free Battery (Do not make the mistake of getting a maintenance battery you need to add water to).
The Water-line System runs off your home’s Water Main line from the city.
Monitoring Backup Systems
Having the System is one thing, knowing what happens when you are not home or out of town is another. All systems we install come with a free monitoring service that connects to an application on your phone and measures the following:
- Primary Sump Pump
- Backup Sump Pump
- Battery Life
- Power from the Home
- Water Level
- Cycles made by all pumps
- Estimated gallons pumped out
- Full history archive on pump activity
- Self-run Diagnostics
- Amp Draw of the Pumps
This system has everything! The main benefit to this is your knowledge. Can you recall how old your Sump Pump is? How long do you think it will last? Here is the big question. WHEN do you think you’ll find out it is no good? That’s right, when the basement floods. Let’s avoid that.
Battery Backup Sump Pumps are an important part to your home’s Drain Tile System. We spend so much money finishing our basements, putting comfy furniture, old baby photos, and electronics down there. We need to be doing more to protect those investments, and a Backup System is a great way to do that.
Thanks for reading, and remember,
“Not Everything’s Better When Wet”
