How Battery Backups for Your Sump Pump Work and Their Critical Purpose
Let’s be real; a sump pump is one of the appliances we forget about. If yours works appropriately, you will probably never put it into thought. Unfortunately, like most household appliances, a sump pump can break down leaving you frustrated. This is when you will realize how important your sump pump is and why you should have a battery backup. Many of the emergency plumbing calls we receive are due to appliance and mechanical malfunctions.
A sump pump is a piece of machinery that collects water in a drainage basin and pumps it out of the property to prevent basement flooding. Most sump pump owners experience problems during spring and winter when the pump strains to keep everything in line. Sump pumps with battery backups can withstand the cool temperatures, rainfall, hail, and power interruptions that accompany harsh weather.
How the Battery Backup Works
Being an electric appliance, sump pumps generate power from house circuits. This means that the pump becomes useless whenever there is a power outage. Even if the power goes out for only a few hours, the situation could lead to a disaster, particularly during stormy weather. A battery backup for a sump pump ensures that water drains properly and is usually installed in addition to your current sump pump.
The backup battery should be charged continuously so that when power is lost in your house or company, the sump pump will automatically operate. It essentially transforms into a two-stage system capable of dealing with an electrical emergency.
Its Critical Purpose
The main benefit of a battery backup sump pump is that it provides complete flood protection. In addition to its existing tasks, it consists of a control module that switches on once every month to ensure that it is working. The box will sound a loud warning if the system is faulty. You’ll also get notified if the electricity goes off or the battery has to be replaced. Some even have options that let you connect with your smartphone directly. If you have such a backup, you’ll never have to fret over your sump pump’s battery dying or unreported faults.
How Long Will the Battery Survive?
This is based on the quality of your battery. Most manufacturers sell three categories of batteries, mainly represented by good, better, and best. The “best” battery category is the most ideal as it encompasses a huge and advanced battery, allowing it to run for a longer time. It also depends on the amount of water the sump pump is dealing with. If the water problem is extreme to a point where the sump pump runs once every minute, the battery might last a maximum of 12 hours. That is barely enough to sustain you when the power outage lasts longer than expected. Therefore, if you live in an area that floods quite a lot of times, go for a backup battery with advanced features.
Backup sump pumps could be many years old and still in operation, meaning the battery will probably work at a lower level than it should. Most people have gone through hard lessons that a battery’s ability to retain power reduces as it gets older. If the battery could operate for 12 hours straight when it was brand new, it might barely last 4-5 hours after years of use. Therefore, if you want the battery to live longer amid blackouts, you’ll have to upgrade to a new one over time. If you have a multimeter, you may verify the battery’s effectiveness by measuring the voltage between the positive and negative terminals. If the score is below 12.1, it is a warning indicator to start searching for an upgrade.