If you have a sump pump in your home, you want to be sure that it work rain or shine no matter what. After all, you have it to keep the rain water from flooding your basement.
But, what happens when it rains (especially during a terrible storm)? Sometimes our homes lose power. If your sump pump relies solely on the wall outlet to power it, you may be bailing water out after your lights turn on again.
To avoid the risk of basement flooding and to sleep easy, having a battery back-up system for your sump pump is absolutely the best choice you can make. This is one of the things we love to do for our customers because when we walk away from a sump pump installation with a battery back-up, we know that we leave our customers in really good shape with a very low risk of basement or crawlspace flooding.
What is a Battery Back-Up System
A battery back-up system installed in a sump basin attaches a secondary pump to the primary. The secondary pump is powered by a battery which is stored in a waterproof case next to the sump basin. That pump is not used unless the power goes out. When there’s the loss of power, the battery (which has been charging slowly) takes over and powers the secondary pump which turns on when the water level rises enough to turn on the switch.
The Right Battery Is Key
There are a lot of misconceptions out there related to what type of battery to use for a sump pump battery backup system. We generally recommend using a maintenance-free battery rather than a standard wet-cell battery. In a wet-cell battery, distilled water needs to be attended periodically.
There are three basic types of wet-cell batteries:
- Car batteries – do NOT use these. They crank out way too much amperage.
- Marine batteries for small water craft – we don’t recommend these either as they aren’t really rated for these systems. Trolling motor batteries are mean to be taken out on a lake and discharged down to practically nothing and they recharged. When put on a charger, these batteries will die quickly as the battery loses it’s life and the plates calcify.
- Sump pump standby batteries – these are designed to sit in a state of “hibernation” and get a trickle charge.
You can also find Lipo batteries designed for sump pumps. They have a lithium polymer (Li-po) which are extremely powerful and very lightweight. While they are very expensive, they have a very long life.
The maintenance-free batteries we normally recommend are AGM (Applied Gas Mat) by PHCC Back-Up Systems. These worry-free batteries are built for hibernation, have the proper amperage, and are the most reliable we’ve seen.
If you need help with your battery back-up system, want a new system installed, or need a replacement battery, we can help. Give us a call at 708-203-7057 or send us a message and set an appointment today.
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