Are Battery Backup Sump Pumps Necessary?
This is a very common question among homeowners that are hiring a drainage contractor to install a new waterproofing system. Often the contractor will sell them the pump giving them no idea of how to service or maintain them, or what to do in case of power outage. The bigger problem is battery back-up sump pumps are finicky beasts. Batteries have limited power and water is very heavy, these factors are not a great pairing to begin with. So pumps come with alarms that will sound if the pump is low on charge. This is a great source of income for the contractor, as he can charge house calls. The problem is with enough of these soundings, you as the customer spends more and more money, and then the alarm itself dies. Then when the power goes out (maybe you’re in Hawaii) and your basement floods and guess what doesn’t kick on? The battery back up!
The best bet is to install a back up generator, or a sump pump with a self contained trickle charger that will recharge the battery naturally with the flow of water. Ask your contractor about this and they will look into it/learn about them. Anything less than this will certainly result in a mess.. eventually.