If you have decided that you have had enough with flooded basements and you are considering taking the next step and get a battery back up system, you might want to reconsider that investment and think longer term.
The average battery backup system, plus monitoring, plus installation can cost upwards of $1200. This is a good alternative if any power outage you may incur in the future is less than a couple of days in length. For longer power outages, the battery just doesn’t last long enough to operate the pump. You end up going to buy new batteries and that can add up in time and dollars.
Being without power for extended periods of time is no picnic. Food spoils in the refrigerator and freezer, even after just a day. You are uncomfortable because your air conditioning, dehumidifier and heat don’t work. There is no hot water. No microwave. No TV. Definitely no internet or cable. These are the types of modern conveniences we have all come to take for granted. That is, of course, until they are gone or not working properly. Then they become a source of frustration and worry.
You buy a sump pump to protect your house and your belongings from damage from seepage and flood waters. Serious storms can knock out power for days or weeks, and then the $1200 you have invested in your sump pump is of little use, just like your refrigerator.
We recommend getting a whole house generator for the very reason that appliances and systems that rely on electricity are worthless during an extended power outage. Power outages can last a day, or a week, or months after serious weather events. If you have a generator, then everything in your home that is supposed to work, does in fact work, the way it is supposed to, when it is supposed to. No battery can possibly last as long as inexhaustible fuel supplies like natural gas.