Sump Pump Battery Back Up

[bjaspud]

I'm adding a battery back up to my sump pump system. The question is ... what type and how large a capacity battery should I buy? I believe I want a deep cycle marine battery. Can anyone give me some specs?

Thanks,
Spud

 

[nehog]

Think about it: you ask for specs, but you don't tell us anything about your sump pump!

OK, what are the specs on the sump pump? And what's your budget? How long do you expect this to run on battery? How much time does it run when on AC power?

Yes, a deep cycle battery is necessary, and an inverter. But how big, (both) is not something that can be answered without more information.

 

[Diffident]

I bought this Zoeller battery backup kit from Amazon...I haven't installed it yet but it calls for a deep cycle 12v 105 amp hour marine battery.

 

[Todd.Brock]

I bought a watch dog battery back up set up from home 4 years ago. It comes with everything. You buy the battery and acid separately. They are all on the same shelf. I think it was about 300 all in. That setup has saved my *** a number of times. Can't go wrong with Zoeller either. that is what I use for my main pump. Replaced my original pump of 15 years with the same one.

 

[Acosi151]

nehog's got some really good points. There's a lot to consider with pumps and especially pump backups... like how are they going to charge, how does your pump know to switch from one source to another, what type of alert do you set for youself to know that it's running on battery (think, if your pump trips it's breaker instead of being in a power outage situation)

I've got two pumps, one main and a redundant pump on 120AC in a drain well in my yard. If it's a wet storm and the power goes out I switch the two pumps to a gas generator manually. (Or at least I will, I haven't had to in the five years since I set it up.. did some landscaping work at the same time which has immensely helped with water drainage)

Here's a thought, if you're set on a battery solution that needs to come on automatically why not use a Tsunami 1200 sump (meant for boats) and wire it to as many deep cycle 12V batteries you think you need. Set it to a float switch that will only trip if the water rises higher than the float switch your AC pump is using. Put your batteries on an "intelligent" charger and walk away. The batteries will be your biggest expense. Probably $300 to get started.

I've got a tsunami 1200 that I have on a small 12V battery I use to 'auto bail' my white water canoe. It's my 4th redundancy. If it ever got so my other systems weren't working I'd drop it in the hole and wire it to my car, or truck, or tractor.

For me though, I found that a cheap generator that I run now and again and keep serviced with a long extension cord was a cheaper, more versatile, and more foolproof solution.

 

[Strouty]

We have a dual system, I have the standard 110 volt pump and then a 12 volt boat pump. It works very well, I have a float charger to keep the battery fresh. Will keep the basement dry for 4 or 5 days, after that I bring in another battery. We use a common alarm system battery that is easy to maintain.

 

[dodgeramsst2003]

If you live in an area where there is city water the you might want to think about the water powered backup method. Don't have to worry about maintaining a battery and it will always be ready to go

 

[rbrtmchl]

If you live in an area where there is city water the you might want to think about the water powered backup method. Don't have to worry about maintaining a battery and it will always be ready to go

I agree with the water powered sump pump recommendation. A few years ago we had a bad storm, and our power was out for two days. My battery backup system with two one-year-old and fully charged deep cycle batteries only lasted for a few hours, then my basement flooded. After this experience, I had a generator installed, the kind that comes on automatically when the power goes out. And as a further preventive action (in case my regular sump pump fails) I also had a water powered sump pump installed. My experience with the battery backup system was not a good one, but others may have had better luck.

 

[Tribalvision]

Water Powered pump all the way. Battery back up will only last 4 hours.

Basepump HB1000 is what I have. 5 years and still going strong

 

[ford33]

I have two wells in the basement and have 120v primary pump and a battery backup in each. The main well sump backup has 2 large deep cycle marine batteries. I also have a manual operated generator with gas stored nearby just in case power is out longer than one day.

One recommendation is to use two separate pipe runs. One for each sump pump and run them in different directions and at different heights of exit. I had an experience where both backup and primary pumps used the same piping to pump water out to the back yard. The problem was it was winter in Chicago with freezing cold at night and just below freezing during the day. The outside pipe containing water froze and blocked water flow. So no water flow was possible in the outside pipe. When the basement well eventually filled with water the pumps kept running but no water was pumped out. Luckily, I heard the backup alarm and discovered the problem. I had to drill holes and then cut the outside piping once I found an unfrozen section which allowed water to flow. This could have been avoided if I had two separate sloped pipe runs, and located one in a wind protected area.

In a different chicago area house my neighborhood backyard water rentention pond filled way beyond normal height and flooded our lawns and also submerged the sump pump exit pipe from the house. This was at 100 year water level. The sump pump didn't generate enough pressure to overcome the back pressure produced from the pond water. Both basement sump pumps ran but no water was pumped out. Again, we had to scramble to install a hose and locate it above the pond water level so the pumps could pump water out of the sump well before flooding the basement. We now have two pipes located at different locations and at different heights above ground.