The idea of the sump pump is to keep your basement from flooding. So, what happens if that sump pump doesn’t work right or sometimes goes wrong? You guessed it, the basement will flood. That is why manufacturers invented backup sump pumps systems. This is a way to protect your basement one step further from flooding in Long Island.
Here are the top three ways a backup pump can protect your basement.
1.) Power Outages
The first reason you need a backup pump is if the power goes out. If there is ever a time you need your sump pump working the most, it is during a storm. And power outages are most common during a storm too. Combine no power to your sump pump, with heavy rain and it is a wet combination. The backup sump is set up to start if the primary pump stops working for any reason. If you are home you can run the generator but if you aren’t home and the power goes out the battery backup sump pump will turn on automatically.
2.) Primary Pump Failure
Sump pumps can’t last forever. Like any machine, with time it will fail. Motors burn out. Sump pumps get clogged with debris or dirt. There are plenty of styles and types to try to prevent clogs as much as possible but they still happen. There will be a day when your sump pump will fail. When that day comes, the backup sump pump will take over making the transition seamless. Just replace the primary pump and you are back in business.
3.) Switch Failure
There are many different styles of switches out there. The idea is that as the water level rises the sump pump is switched on. If there is a problem with the switch then the pump can’t see the water level rising and doesn’t know to that it needs to start pumping out the water. This is a common scenario for a flooded basement. If you have a backup sump pump in place, then this won’t affect you. If the switch fails to trigger the pump, then the backup sump pump will turn on. It will look like the primary pump has failed because it has.
Backup sump pump systems protect you from basement flooding. It makes sense to make the investment to protect your investment.
Most battery backup pump systems are not intended to take over the job of the primary pump forever. Some systems are designed with heavy duty backup pumps that will last for a long time but most likely they are designed to buy you time. Time to for the main power to come back on or time for you to replace the primary pump. Many systems are equipped with an alarm system to alert you if your backup pump is triggered. This is another great option to help protect the basement.
