How To Prevent A Sump Pump Failure
A sump pump’s purpose is to remove water that has accumulated from flooding your house, from sources such as rain, melting snow, or groundwater in areas which have a high water table. Unfortunately, sump pumps run the risk of failing, due to many reasons.
Reasons for sump pump failure include:
- Overworked sump pump
- Clogged sump pump or sump pit
- Clogged Discharge Line
- Power Outage or Power is Cut to the sump pump device
- Defective Product
Even homeowner who are extremely diligent about maintaining their sump pump can potentially run into issues with their sump pumps which can cause the device to fail, running the risk of flooding, cause water damage that can reach into the tens of thousands in cost to the home owner, especially if your basement is finished. Water damage may also require professional drying, cleanup and renovation services.
To prevent the hassle, and the risks associated to water damage due to a sump pump failure, we recommend additional safety measures to keep your basement from flooding. We have compiled a list of different methods a home owner can use to get the piece of mind from the fear of having a sump pump fail.
- Water Level Alarms
- Redundant Sump Pumps
- Battery Powered Backup Sump
- Combinations
Flood Prevention Methods Due To Sump Pump Failure:
-
Water Alarms
Water alarms provide the home owner an audible alarm to alert you of a sump pump failure. Alarms are able to talk to your phone to communicate these failures via email, SMS, or app notifications. There are lots of alarm options available on the market with a variety of features. Click Here to access a list of sump pump alarms you can easily purchase at any hardware store.
How do these sump pump alarms work? Once the water level has risen above the normal level, the sump pump alarm device will trigger the notifications to notify you, the homeowner, of a potential flood. This will provide you a warning before the water level surpasses the floor level.
That being said, this may not be the ideal solution, as you will still have to act quickly if your sump pump fails, and if you happen to be away from you home while the alarm goes off, you may still run the risk of having your basement flood while you are away from you residence. If this is something you’re worried about, you may want to look at the alternative sump pump flood prevention methods below.
2. Redundant Sump Pumps – 2 Sump Pumps
What is a redundant sump pump system? This system requires two (2) sump pumps to be installed in the same sump pump pit. This is a really good system to use to protect yourself from any flooding, as it provides you a very solid backup – just in case one sump pump fails. If one sump pump fails, the other sump pump will kick in – and protect your basement from flooding.
What is the down fall to this solution? As mentioned above, one of the reasons basements flood due to sump pump failure is due to a power outage or power is Cut to the sump pump devices. This means that even though you may have 2 sump pumps, if neither sump pump has power, you are still running the risk of your basement flooding. Depending on the size of your sump pit, you may not always have the room to install a second sump pump either, but most of the time, sump pump real estate isn’t the issue.
3. Battery Backup Sump Pumps
Having a battery powered backup sump pump a really good way to protect your basement from flooding, as this solution eliminates the need for a wired electrical connection, just in case there is a power outage. When a storm hits in Edmonton, homeowners are often faced with random power outages – and it is often during this times that homeowners often see heavier rain falls.
A battery backup sump pump consists of a plug in charger, a battery, and a DC pump. With a battery backup pump installed you can have peace of mind knowing that the electrical requirement for your sump pump is being met. If your primary pump stops working due to either a failure or power outage the DC battery pump will continue pumping until the battery runs out of power. This backup system is capable of pumping a large volume of water on a single charge of the battery – so you won’t have to worry about charging you battery mid-storm – they can pump a surprising amount of water.
4. Combinations of the methods mentioned above
All of the solutions outlined above are good. A GREAT solution would be to have a combination of all of the methods outlined above. To provide yourself the piece of mind you may be looking for, we recommend looking at integrating a both an alarm system, as well as a back up sump pump system.
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