Battery-Powered Backup
Despite spending their lives in dark, dirty holes, sump pumps are the unsung heroes of modern America, allowing homeowners to finish basements in ways once impossible. But even superheroes age and the time-honored precaution against unannounced retirement has been the battery-powered backup.
These systems come in two types: power inverters and complete battery-powered systems.
The power-inverter method so impresses Dominion that it features the $1,240 Sumpro on its Web site. By way of a large inverter, this feature-heavy unit converts its internal 12-volt DC battery power into conventional AC current -- the lifeblood of primary sump pumps. "It typically gets you 18 to 30 hours of use and is extremely popular in Northern Virginia," Fink said. Notably, the unit does not include a backup pump. (Until the manufacturer discontinued the product, Dominion featured the $1,295 SumpGenius, outfitted with both power and pump redundancy.)
As a caution to the desperate, Rick Rubeck, manager of Battery One in Frederick, Md., said power inverters found in late-model cars or trucks cannot satisfy a sump pump's hunger for amperage. "If it ran at all," he said, "it would only run for a short time."
Homeowners looking for total power-and-pump redundancy may consider a complete battery backup system ($140 to $800, retail). Available at home-improvement centers and through Internet dealers, these fully automatic units come equipped with a backup pump and hardware to connect them to a separately purchased marine battery. The marine aspect is critical, as these deep-cell batteries ($60 plus, retail) have the stamina to survive repeated drainings, unlike their automotive counterparts. An attached power supply, plugged into a standard wall outlet, keeps the batteries charged.
At the $300 level, two-battery systems offer audible and visible alarms, as well as heavy pumping capacity. Premium units nearing $900 boast remote alarms, self-cleaning features and daily diagnostics. Manufacturers advise professional installation.
Gary Eldridge, owner of Fairfax-based Homeowners Plumbing, cautions that these systems require periodic maintenance and the replacement of batteries every three years, used or not. "People just don't maintain their batteries," he said. "Many times, they discover during a rainstorm that it's dead." Dead battery, dead pump.
Water-Powered Sump Pump
If any system merits the title "latest and greatest," it's the water-powered sump pump, which is connected to the municipal water supply. A hot seller in the Midwest, the technology is only now making inroads into the mid-Atlantic region.
"It's a fantastic system," said Eldridge. "We've installed quite a few."
Base Product's Bonifacio said his company sells 30 water-powered systems for every battery system. "You install it and literally forget about it," he said.
Commenting on a backup technology that needs no electricity or battery, Robert Finegan, president of Tane Corp., said, "Many of our customers are former battery-powered owners."
Bonifacio said the technology uses the same vacuum principle that dispenses liquid fertilizer from a hose-end sprayer. By directing pressurized drinking water into the sump pit through a standard plumbing pipe, clean water essentially pulls the sump water out with it, as it is ejected from the house through a discharge pipe. Manufacturers claim that 60 pounds per square inch (psi) of water pressure -- typical of many residences -- translates into one gallon of fresh water per gallon of expelled sump water. (Finegan claims twice that efficiency.)
Noting that the unit activates only when the primary unit fails, Finegan said, "You'll see a dollar or two spike in your water bill that month."
Responding to concerns that these systems are underpowered in extreme cases, Bonifacio counters, "They work well in 90 percent of home applications."
In some jurisdictions, do-it-yourself installation of battery or water-powered systems is allowed, with permit. In others, a licensed plumber is required. Available through plumbing supply houses and Internet sites, the units retail for $295 to $500. Eldridge quotes installation in the $250 range.
To make the system work, homeowners need a minimum water pressure of 40 psi. The installation of a "check valve" for back-flow protection is a must. Both battery- and water-powered systems typically share the sump pit with the primary pump. Bonifacio noted that a water-powered backup works only when water is flowing. A water main break would likely shut it down.
Insurance Endorsement
Experts warn homeowners not to assume they are covered against losses due to sump pump failure.
"Generally speaking," said State Farm Insurance claims manager Greg Gasper, "homeowners' policies exclude water 'which enters into or overflows sump pumps.' " He said an optional endorsement provides coverage, but many decline it, learning too late that an additional $30 to $50 per year might have protected them. The endorsement typically covers loss due to sump pump failure, power interruption and a pump overwhelmed by rising water. The same endorsement also typically covers sewerage backup.
Randi Johnson, Maryland's associate commissioner for property and casualty insurance, describes the endorsement as a sound investment.
Gasper said coverage differs sharply among local jurisdictions and urged policyholders to check with their agents.
"We get these claims in the summer because of thunderstorms," he said. "But we get just as many in the winter and spring when the snow melts. The endorsement is a great purchase."
