If your home has an active sump pump, be warned: your sump pump will not last forever. It probably won’t give you any warning before it fails, either. It’ll be a silent event that happens in the middle of the night during a heavy rainstorm. You’ll know it failed when you awaken to a flooded basement.
There have been many homeowners with sump pump problems and us inspectors have heard from countless home inspection customers who have had problems in the past. Having a flooded basement due to a failed sump pump almost seems like a rite of passage for homeowners, but most would prefer to remain uninitiated. If you’re in that crowd, install a backup system. This is really important stuff.
The most common type of backup sump pump system is a battery powered system. This consists of a big heavy battery that’s about the size and shape of a car battery, as well as a backup sump pump that sits in the sump basket a little bit higher than the primary pump. This system will save your basement from flooding if your sump pump fails or your power goes out.
The Basement Watchdog is a brand that makes backup batteries along with a warning system to tell you if the battery has a problem. This is a good feature to have because Inspectors find that many backup batteries are dead.
The process is pretty simple, but if a homeowner is not comfortable with the installation process, we suggest hiring a professional plumber.
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