Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.
If our community has helped you, please consider making a contribution to support this website. Thanks!

sump pump back up system

Options
zepfan
zepfan Member Posts: 471
in Plumbing

what would be better for a sump pump back up system. A dual pump system such as a Liberty 441-10a system, or an Auxiliary power system such as a Pump sentry 822PS? With either one you have to supply your own deep cycle battery, but it seems to me that the labor is a lot less with the power system, and if the existing primary pump is in good shape the final installed cost to the homeowner would be about the same with either set up. I didn't know if anyone had any strong feelings either way as to which was the better option.

Thanks to all

Comments

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 27,962

    With the Liberty you have a back up pump and power outage protection? It may flip back and forth to put equal run time on the pumps??

    Sounds like the Pump Sentry is just a power outage system. So if the one pump fails and power is out??

    How much protection do you want? $$

    Are you a lucky person?

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 17,666

    if you have municipal water, the eductor type water powered pumps are probably the best backup. if the battery has failed since the last outage you have no pump and you will have to recharge the battery during a prolonged outage. the eductor costs more to run but you're not replacing a battery every 5 or 10 years.

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 27,618

    Start off by defining the failure mode you are trying to protect against. The two systems mentioned protect against entirely different failure modes, so they are not comparable in any way.

    A pump failure? OK, then dual ALTERNATING pumps, with an alarm set at the level where the backup pump turns on, is the way to go. (most alarms are set way too high, by the way). The Liberty unit you note is NOT such a system.

    A power failure? That sort of assumes the power is out but the pump is working. The Pump Sentry seems to do that, and so does the Liberty — the difference being the Liberty has a second pump running off the battery. Either would be a good choice solely for a power failure.

    The water eductor — basically a jet pump — which @mattmia2 mentioned is an excellent choice for a power failure scenario — if your water supply stays on.

    But — as I say, first define what failure mode or modes you are trying to protect against.

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    zepfanPC7060

Categories