The battery backup is installed on top of your regular sump pump. Problem is that even with 2 marine batteries, it can only go for about a day. Our basement flooded when the power was out for 3 days and it kept raining. You can use a portable generator but that involves snaking extension cords from the outside through the first floor into the basement to the sump pump. We took advantage of the flood to empty out our basement storage and finish the basement, and installed an automatic stand-by generator that is hooked up to the natural gas line. It's great for peace of mind since our sump pump ran every 15 seconds during Hurricane Sandy. Automatic standby generators may cost about $6000 up installed. If you don't have natural gas to your house or close by the price at least doubles because you'd have to install a propane tank. A cheaper alternative is to have an electrician add an automatic transfer switch with a generator subpanel in your garage which has the sump pump and other necessities on it. Then you can use a portable generator and just run it to the subpanel rather than all through your house. I believe this would cost $500 plus the cost of the generator. You'd have to manually hook it up and add gas to it through canisters.

I've installed battery operated back-up sump pumps on the same discharge line as the primary sump pump. It's a separate unit but comes with a checkvalve to permit the single discharge line. They're available from Lowes, HD, Tractor Supply, Wal-mart, etc. The only thing that didn't come with the pump was the battery. They recommended a marine, deep discharge, battery, but I've found an automotive battery to do well enough, at a much lower cost, in most cases (i.e. power back on in a day or three).

Rjoh - Thanks I printed this & will go over it w/mason - what a great help!!! the kind i really need Pinoke, Not only are you a wonderful reference - you are HYSTERICAL - I could not stop laughing reading your post ... it is just my kind of humor - I have to have my husband read this, he will die - His claim is "family, people you would not ordinarily be associated with" coupled with "i hate people" - nice .. I can picutre your MIL with glasses, pearls and bucket, resting in or floating in peace - too funny I didn't go into lurid details re: "tofu" stripper - We had a flood Oct 05 due to a faulty auto feeder valve to steam furnace - When the boiler called for water - it got water ! and then some, and then some more - Dear hubby was outside "saving money" by attempting to do his own brakes on the Crown Vic (estimate was $800)in the driveway - I was at a college volleyball game w/my son - I came home to my prized possession - oriental rug in the driveway in a ball - hubby in living room under hurricane conditions- w/the 12 gal shop vac- "Raining" in my living room, a pond on the floor and radiators that were spewing water everywhere. Fast foward to the professional cleanup crew (after I cried, called insurance co. they sent them) - they brought all their sucker upper equip, dehumidifiers, ripped up carpeting took out all area rugs etc... Came back the following week to remove the largest plaster ceiling in the house Living room 12'x23' despite my inquiry and concern with exposure and enviromental concerns- they were going to "seal the area off" - hmmmm- So, imagine the debris, mess, aftermath of this "sealed off" area w/plaster (wood lathe) being carried throughout the house to the dumpster! We have 7 children btwn hubby & I the youngest is 2yrs old - They wanted to pull carpeting up from a floor (used to be a porch) that had 9x9 tile under it, I refused to let them - they wanted to take out the entire dinning room ceiling -I called environmental testing Co - Made the insurance adjuster cringe - Yes, we were + for lead throughout the house - Ins co. wanted to just test the living room area after much debate I stood my ground with the issue that the demo sent debris to all areas of the house - I think it was the day I had a meltdown and sent 10 workers who were demo'ing out - Ranting "we have 7 babies what is (actually i said H-E (double hockey sticks) wrong with you people why would you knowingly expose us to this???" and the ins co. was giving me a hard time about the envirn testing issue with the "well we don't know what the prior condition was", "did you ever have lead testing done" - My response was no, i had not, I had no reason to, as we we not in a state of disturbing 75 yo lead paint - But if they felt the need to continue down this road I had a solution - I had just had the 2yo tested for lead 4 mos prior - so, I knew her "pre-existing condition" - I could easily have her tested so we could have comparitive values and deal with the facts - Then I stated - "you will no longer have just a property and personal belongings issue, you will have a human life issue and we would have the 6 other children tested as well" I also starting asking if the insurance adjuster had environmental awareness training of what potential exposures are - hmmmm yes, she did - then the finger pointing game began ins co. vs. the remediation co. I suddenly got the most unbelievable service!!! Funny how things happen - I'm a fair person - but when I feel you pushing & shoving me into a corner - Look out! That (sorry a long way to get here) led to the basement floor issue, as the flooding caused 75yrs of paint to peel I think all involved may have learned something by there stupidity - The remediation co. told me they have since adopted a new policy - No demo prior to envirn testing - The irony is, the insurance co. new all along they would have to displace us while our home was under repair - DUH why have demo while we are still in the house - Penny wise pound foolish - So, while I'm NOt a tofu head - I do believe that we have to protect the innocent from any evil or exposure to the best of our ability - that my friend is a the long and short of it. Just stupidity in my book - We cried at the loss of plaster as well as the exposure - it was all needless - the entire ceiling did NOT have to be demo'd I did not pay for the "tofu" paint removal - the stupid insurance co. did - once revealed they HAD no choice but to abide by strict protocol - Hazmat suits and all - so the state certified remediation crews descended on our home while they had to put us up in a hotel (kids loved it, I didn't) then we came back to the house only to move back out to a rental (that i found thank you - they were talking about a condo - hmmmm I don't live in a condo and I have a single fam home, garage etc....) I could have really kept going here - if nothing else you helped me purge some pent up frustrations with the stupidity of corporate america - whew I feel better now - thanks for your humor and your advice Eileen

Your video shows a lot of water running into the sump. How often does it catch that much water? Running like that for a day or two when its raining will not burn out a pump, but it might not tolerate that rate of water for an extended period. My sump pump runs about every 10-15 minutes when its raining hard, and usually keeps going at that rate for about a day afterward. I have a primary pump for that purpose, and have installed a backup pump in the same well, which will run off AC power or switch to battery power if needed. The float on the backup pump is set so that it will only run if the primary fails and lets the water get too high. Both of my pumps have check valves, and then run into a Y fitting and a single outlet. In retrospect, I should have made it two separate pipes through the wall, just in case the primary line was plugged due to ice or other problems with the drain. Also verify that the pump exit pipe is moving water far enough away and down slope from your house so you aren't pumping the same water multiple times. Bruce