bemis
join:2008-07-18
Reading, MA Reviews:
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| reply to dick white
Re: Sump pump w/ battery backup I suggest two pumps.
It sounds like your point of failure was the pump itself--having a battery back up wouldn't have done much for you in that case.
My sump pit has two identical Zoeller pumps in it, one set to turn on at slightly higher water levels--to deal with huge volume of water coming in, or #1 pump failure.
I'm lucky in that my pumps have not turned on (or the pit even been damp) since I corrected downspout and grading issues, but I feel good knowing they are down there.
For electrical backup I bought the largest marine battery that walmart carries and a 1500W inverter. When the power went out yesterday I plugged the pumps into that (not that they ever ran). If I wasn't going to be home for the day/night/weekend, I'd plug pump #1 into mains and pump #2 into the inverter ... that way if pump #1 has no power and the pit is filling, pump #2 can turn on using the back up power.
I've never had to test the setup, but I know that it will run about 50W worth of CFLs, plus my FIOS ONT + Router, plus laptop chargers for well over 4 hours--and that was the point the mains power came back.
Worst case scenarios, get two marine batteries... one can be charged by a fast-idling car while the other runs your pumps... I figure a single pump can run continuously for at least an hour from a fully charged battery, if not longer. |
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bemis
join:2008-07-18
Reading, MA Reviews:
·Comcast
·Verizon FiOS
| One thing to add... since the marine batteries are flooded cell or whatever it's called, you need to charge them outside! I charge mine after each use using a regular car battery charger. If it's been a few months, or a storm is coming, I'll put it on the charger before hand (the charger I have is automatic, so it monitors the voltage level and decides when the battery is fully charged, if the battery has been sitting 6-8 months it usually tells me it's "90%" charged when I start, and at a 5A rate it will claim fully charged within an hour.
If you wanted a less messy setup you could spend the cash on a large expensive AGM sealed battery, you could charge that one indoors. |
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garys_2kPremium
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI | I'd definitely test that battery/inverter system with the pump to at least make sure the motor inrush won't kick the inverter off line. |
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bemis
join:2008-07-18
Reading, MA Reviews:
·Comcast
·Verizon FiOS
| said by garys_2k:I'd definitely test that battery/inverter system with the pump to at least make sure the motor inrush won't kick the inverter off line.
Very good point--in fact I do know that my particular setup works because I tested it when it was new, though I only tested with a single pump starting, so might not be a bad idea to only plug one of my pumps in just in case.
Larger inverter is certainly better too. I bought this one to double running a table saw, it's 1500W continuous and I think 2500W continuous. |
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