OT: Water powered sump pump

[Retired711]

I just had a sump pump installed. I had to call a heating technician the following week -- not clear if those events are related! The technician suggested that I pay his company to install a water-powered backup sump pump in case the power goes out. Any opinions on this? The company would charge $60

P.S. I know it's football season, and so I know OT threads are discouraged, but I hope this one is OKl

 

[RUinPinehurst]

Do you mean a "battery-powered" backup sump pump?

Edit: I see tbat your recommended option uses water pressure to remove water from the sump pump basin. New to me. Sounds plausible. And price is low. Will be interested to see if anyone here has firsthand experience with this.

 

[Postman_1]

Here is a video explaining how they work. Only $60 seems kinda cheap to get a water powered one installed. I heard these work really well you dont have to worry about a battery dying or the power going out. The only drawback can be if the float is set to low it can cause it to run when not needed causing you to waste city water that you pay for.


https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-install-water-powered-sump-pump

 

[rutgersal_rivals139582]

i would recommend it. $60 is cheap. the last time we had a major storm and the electricity went out, we were screwed.

 

[RUMBA-JK]

assuming you are on a municipal water system - not on a well .

 

[RU206]

More reliable than a battery back up.

 

[Upstream]

My neighbor has one. I want one.

 

[RUtix4me]

What if there is no water around to run it?

 

[needmorecowbell]

More reliable than a battery back up.

I have heard they are great. They work with water pressure, so it will work with a power outage.

 

[Retired711]

I just had a sump pump installed. I had to call a heating technician the following week -- not clear if those events are related! The technician suggested that I pay his company to install a water-powered backup sump pump in case the power goes out. Any opinions on this? The company would charge $60

P.S. I know it's football season, and so I know OT threads are discouraged, but I hope this one is OKl

sorry! mistyped! it is $600 with installation.

 

[MikeRU09]

sorry! mistyped! it is $600 with installation.

100% go for it! If it saves you one time, it more than pays for itself!

 

[RU206]

sorry! mistyped! it is $600 with installation.

$60 would have been better.

 

[RUcatskills]

I figured for $60 was a typo or a scam. Who goes to your house for less than $60 except for deliverymen and taxis?

If you have any finishes in your basement, will pay for itself the first rainstorm with power outages.

 

[jellyman_rivals307848]

After Hurricane Sandy we seriously considered a water-pressure-powered sump pump (we have 5 sump pumps).

The DOWNSIDE for us were 2-fold:

1) We had to install a new and different plumbing/pipe system to have the water-pressure-powered system - which for us was rather expensive (we live in an apartment building in Manhattan).

2) In the event of a flood, the capacity of the water-pressure-powered pumps was only about 15% to 20% of the regular sump pumps. While obviously 20% of capacity is better than 0% if power goes down, still given the amount of water we faced, we needed the 2000+ gallons per hour of pump capacity - per sump pump (the regular sump pumps).

We have 2000 square feet of downstairs (in a ground floor and basement duplex apartment) - which was filled to the ceiling (almost 8 feet tall) during Hurricane Sandy ... that is 112,000 gallons of water. The water-pressure-powered pumps would not have come close to helping us, even if they were the only pumps operating. Better for us ot go larger capacity - and try to figure out a power back-up solution (still unresolved, unfortunately).

But your situation might be different, and I did really like the concept of the water-pressured-powered sump pumps ... even though they did not fit our needs.

 

[RU Golfer]

They are great as a backup system, but you have to have enough water pressure to run it.

 

[RRRRUUUU]

I just had a sump pump installed. I had to call a heating technician the following week -- not clear if those events are related! The technician suggested that I pay his company to install a water-powered backup sump pump in case the power goes out. Any opinions on this? The company would charge $60

P.S. I know it's football season, and so I know OT threads are discouraged, but I hope this one is OKl

Highly recommended! We paid $2,000 for that after Sandy. $600 is a no brainer, I think.

 

[KT8813]

I had one. Cost $800.00 for everything. It was the best investment I ever made in the house. Just the piece of mind alone was worth it. When we sold the house the buyer couldn't stop taking about it and how unique it was. Might have been what closed the deal. Haha. Anyhow, get one. I would check the reliability of the Contractor though. $600.00 seems low. Make sure that includes everything and get a couple of names of people he has done this for and actually call them!

 

[RUfubar_rivals]

Amazon offers the pump plus installation for five to six hundred bucks.

 

[FastMJ]

Amazon offers the pump plus installation for five to six hundred bucks.

Careful on that installation price. Reading one of the reviews, apparently Amazon screwed up by listing the installation for $283 which is actually the price for replacing a conventional sump pump. The installation of one of these babies is a more laborious process and requires more parts.

 

[Retired711]

Careful on that installation price. Reading one of the reviews, apparently Amazon screwed up by listing the installation for $283 which is actually the price for replacing a conventional sump pump. The installation of one of these babies is a more laborious process and requires more parts.

Many thanks! I had been surprised by that $283 price for installation. A handyman site had a discussion of how to install, and it sounded like a very complicated process.

 

[Postman_1]

I had a few quotes for a french drain installed in my basement with a new sump pump. I brought up water powered ones, it is my understanding that they have to tap into your main water pipe in your basement and bring that to the pump. I recall reading that the pipe must be 1/2" and a certain PSI is required for the pump to work correctly. Keep us updated as to what you choose

 

[silent willie]

I have one as a back up. Cost about $1000 for the system and installation. We get a good amount of water in the spring so the piece of mind is worth every penny. Nothing like walking into the basement and seeing an inch of water.

 

[Retired711]

I have now gotten, after some weeks, an official estimate of $1329 -- a far cry from $600-$700. Despite all the advantages, I am hesitant to do it because my basement has water only occasionally, and the electrical service has been pretty reliable. $1329 seems a lot for insurance I will probably never need.

 

[FastMJ]

I have now gotten, after some weeks, an official estimate of $1329 -- a far cry from $600-$700. Despite all the advantages, I am hesitant to do it because my basement has water only occasionally, and the electrical service has been pretty reliable. $1329 seems a lot for insurance I will probably never need.

Cheaper to add a rider to your homeowners policy for sump pump failure

 

[LukeRU90]

for $600 you can get a really good portable generator to run your sump pump in a power outage.

 

[FastMJ]

for $600 you can get a really good portable generator to run your sump pump in a power outage.

That assumes you are at home when the power goes out

 

[LukeRU90]

That assumes you are at home when the power goes out

if your water table doesn't rise quickly, it's no problem.

 

[Retired711]

I've never wanted a generator because I have ten thumbs and two left feet, and so I think I'd have trouble keeping it fueled, and emptying the fuel when appropriate. But I don' t think the water-powered backup is worth the money.

 

[DanoRU]

I've never wanted a generator because I have ten thumbs and two left feet, and so I think I'd have trouble keeping it fueled, and emptying the fuel when appropriate. But I don' t think the water-powered backup is worth the money.

I have a 500 watt portable generator that's probably about 12 years old now. I've only used it 3 times, including during Sandy and the thing is great. It has 6 outlets and during Sandy, I let neighbors run extension cords to it to power their pumps and run refrigerators. I was able to light up a room when shaving/showering and charge phones and I plugged in a washer then dryer to do laundry. I never put gas into it until the power went out and then drain it and changed the oil after using it. If I'm on vacation, it's useless but for $500, the thing has been great and I don't think I'd spend money on an expensive backup system.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

I have now gotten, after some weeks, an official estimate of $1329 -- a far cry from $600-$700. Despite all the advantages, I am hesitant to do it because my basement has water only occasionally, and the electrical service has been pretty reliable. $1329 seems a lot for insurance I will probably never need.

hmmm.. speaking of insurance.. will your insurance company give you a discount for having such a system?

 

[Retired711]

hmmm.. speaking of insurance.. will your insurance company give you a discount for having such a system?

That's a good suggestion. I'll look into it. Heavens knows my homeowner's insurance costs enough!

 

[FastMJ]

I have now gotten, after some weeks, an official estimate of $1329 -- a far cry from $600-$700. Despite all the advantages, I am hesitant to do it because my basement has water only occasionally, and the electrical service has been pretty reliable. $1329 seems a lot for insurance I will probably never need.

hmmm.. speaking of insurance.. will your insurance company give you a discount for having such a system?

No

 

[Bagarocks]

I have now gotten, after some weeks, an official estimate of $1329 -- a far cry from $600-$700. Despite all the advantages, I am hesitant to do it because my basement has water only occasionally, and the electrical service has been pretty reliable. $1329 seems a lot for insurance I will probably never need.

why do I keep paying this expensive flood insurance, my house never floods
stopped paying and my house flooded out. go figure
I see you have already jinxed yerself, Good Luck

 

[bostavan]

If you are recommended to install an extra pump, it is better to do it, because it will keep you safe from accidents. Recently, because of heavy rain, my basement flooded a lot. My foreman recommended that I install a sump pump, but I refused. Now I have to buy a small sump pump to get rid of the water in the basement. I plan to organize in the basement game room to relax there after work. Hopefully, I will buy a big TV and a PlayStation in the summer.

 

[RU#1fan]

We just installed a second sub pump in the basement. Was actually a recommendation from a Sewer and Drain company to correct a slight flooding problem. Costs have gone up appreciably on the materials and labor to install a brand new pump ($2000).