Jul 4

Written by: David Heffner
7/4/2010 7:56 AM 

The recent June storms in Indianapolis produced over 9 inches of rain which is not a record amount, but still a lot of rain. Needless to say, many basements in the greater Indianapolis area flooded which prompted several people to call about sump pump back-up systems and specifically about water powered systems.

Water powered back-up systems work on a Venturi effect and essentially suck water out of the sump pit using a 3/4 inch water line to feed it. There are several problems with these systems however:

1. They don't pump the volume of a water of a conventional sump pump or back-up pump and could be overwhelmed in a heavy rain.
2. There is no way for the system to test itself to make sure that it is working properly.
3. On the Home Guard brand, I have actually been called out on 2 different occasions when the plastic housing had failed and was pouring water into the sump pit. These basements would have flooded had it not been for the primary sump pump working.

With back-up systems for sump pumps, I always tell people that you get what you pay for. If you spend $200.00 on a back-up system at a home improvement center, don't expect much in return. I install a system called the Pro Series 2400 which comes with a computerized control panel with a built-in charger, a 12 volt battery specifically designed for this system and a pump that is rated at 2400 gallons of water per hour. The computer in the control panel does a test of the system every 7 days and will sound an alarm if there is a problem. The alarm will not shut off until the problem is fixed. If the power goes out or the primary sump pump fails, the system will take over until the power comes back on or the primary pump is fixed.

Please click on this link for more information about the Pro Series System: 

Pro Series 2400 Battery Back-up Sump Pump System

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