calhoun wrote:
"Keith" #ca wrote in message
...

Hi

I have a sump pump in a well beneath my floor. Works great and keeps the
basement dry. However I fear that we may get water at the same time we
have a power outage. So I've been looking at battery back-up units. Most
kits that I've found in stores around here have a 12 volt pump that
attaches to the outlet of the existing electric pump. It kicks in if the
water rises in the well above the cut-in level of the AC float. This DC
pump is powered by a deep-cycle battery (not included) that is kept
charged by trickle charger (included).

The kits include the 12 volt pump, a charger, a plastic box to hold the
battery, and a few fittings. The cost here in Canada is between $250 and
$380 (I think the more expensive ones have a fancier charging unit and
perhaps the pump delivers more gallons per minute. Isn't that a bit
expensive for what you get? Especially as there is no battery included?

I'm wondering if I could purchase the pump and a trickle charger
separately for considerably less. Someone suggested a marine bilge pump.
Do these pump the volume of the sump pumps - about 20-25 gpm? Is the
trickle charger sold in the kits any different/better than a cheap trickle
charger sold at any hardware/automotive store? The ones in the kit don't
look to be all that elaborate. Also, are all deep-cycle batteries equal?
If they are left on charge continually, will they hold a full charge for a
long time (years)? How often would they have to be replaced?

Any suggestions or assistance would be appreciated.

Keith



Battery backups have a limited run time before the battery dies. I don't see
the point. For the price, you mentioned, you can buy a small genset and run
an extension cord.
As mentioned before, if you have city water, a water operated backup works
fine.


I have a old 1750 watt generator. My concern is that we would loose
power (a rarity here but still about once per year for a few hours on
average)or the main pump failed in the middle of the night or while we
were away from the house. If it happened that the sump was getting
water at the time, the sump would overflow, probably causing major
problems under the sub floor in my basement. I'm hoping a
battery-powered system would be able to take over until I would be able
to get the generator hooked up. They advertise these systems can empty
the average sump well about 1000 times on a single charge at about 20-25
gmp. That should be plenty enough to give me time to make other
arrangements.

I just thought that the cost at around $300 CDN or more seemed excessive
for what you get - a 12 volt pump, a charger, a plastic box (for the
battery) and a few connections. Are 12 volt pumps really that
expensive? I just thought maybe I could save a bit by buying the
components separately. Maybe not. Around here I can only find these
pumps sold in kits.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Keith