I think we have all come to the same conclusion that we must consider increasing the volume of the pit. How we accomplish the task is irrelavant. On the one hand you could break out more concrete and widen the pit, but on the other hand you could deepen the pit and get the same end result. With this in mind I would consider deepening the pit too. You could easily use a post hole digger to deepen the existing pit then pour a bit of concrete in the bottom to form a base. While that concrete is still wet you could drop a Soni-tube concrete form in the hole (the same soni-tubes that are used to form foundation pilings for a deck). Cut a hole near the top of the soni-tube and pour concete through that hole to fill the cavity between the outer wall of the soni-tube and the dirt to form the sidewalls of your pit. (This could be done fairly easily as a DIY project.) Once you have the pit deepened you could set your submersible pump in the bottom of the pit and extend the length of the float control to adjust for the increased volume. At this point you are only out the cost of a short section of soni-tube, a few bags of sackrete and your labor. Mow before I would expend a lot of money on a battery backup system I would do a bit of "Risk Assesment". You have been in this house for 5 years and only once in that time have you encountered a major storm that really put your sump pump to the test. Statisticaly, what is the risk of that occuring any time soon when you are not at home? In my estimation you have about the same risk of being hit by lightning. In my opinion the smart money here would be to get some federal flood insurance and not be overly worried about the sump pump. On the other hand, let us consider a battery backup. 1. Battery powered sump pumps are relatively expensive. 2. You must have a dedicated battery and a charging system to maintain the battery during periods of non-use. 3.Deep cycle batteries are expensive and have a limited shelf life of about 5 years. Based upon your previous history statistically the battery will probably be on its last legs the first time you need to rely on it. Now let us consider a generator. If we lived in a region where we commonly got storms that knocks the power out for days at a time we would certainly want to consider a permanent mount whole house generator with an auto start feature. In my region here in the midwest we commonly get storms which cause a power outage however I cannot say enough for those people who maintain our power system. Regardless of whether it is severe wind and rain in summer or ice and snow in winter it is very seldom that a power outage lasts more than two or three hours. In fact, i can't rmember the last time our power was actually out for a full day, and we have had numerous storms and even a couple tornados in that time. IN fact, we have had far more power outages that were a result of drunk drivers hitting a pole than weather related problems. Over the years I have had a number of different portable generators that we primarily use for power on a jobsite, but which function very well as backup power for the house in a pinch. Of all the generators that I have owned or used my personal favorite is a Honda 4KVA. This generator has been in almost daily service for nearly ten years and it is still going strong. One of the features that i really like about it is the easy of starting. You turn the ignition switch on, press the primer bulb twice then gently pull the starter cord and off it goes. Notice, i said, gently pull the cord. No need to give that super macho yank that is common to most small motors. This Honda seems to start every time with even a light pull on the cord. In fact, I have seen guys on the job joking about it and actually testing it by seeing how lightly they can pull the cord and still start the motor. It is a rare day when it takes a second pull to get it going. One word of caution especially about your generator but which is true of all small gas motors such as those on our mowers, snowblowers etc. Never leave them set for an extended period of time with gas in the tank. The gas will evaporate and leave a gummy film which stops up the fuel system. Whenever you are preparing a small motor for long term storage let it burn all the fuel out until the engine stops from lack of fuel.

I have been shopping for the best sump protection for my newly finished basement. It is 2,800 square feet and was completed to an 'above average' finish with a bar, theater, my sports memorabilia collection, etc. I live in one of the older neighborhoods in Hinsdale, IL and we are very prone to power outages. My sump pump runs every 30 minutes when dry, every 4 minutes when raining hard. But the point is...I CAN NOT FLOOD. I'm comparing several products: StormPro Platinum, PeakFlow Pumps ePump (model 5600). The StormPro product seems to simply be electric pumps powered by an inverter if the utility power fails. I'm enough of a hobbyist to know that inverted DC can't supply an AC draw very efficiently, therefore my running time would be severely limited. I also don't see ANY self testing or notification capabilities on that unit. (Incidentally, I also looked at a brand my plumber had called ProSeries, but quickly realized it was just a WatchDog (same manufacturer) like at Home Depot). I guess I'm leaning toward the PeakFlow ePump because of the twice a day testing, diagnostics and notification, performance capabilities, and comparable pricing. But before I decide for sure to purchase that one, I have a few questions that I consider crucial regarding backup pumps in this purchase: How often does the product self-test? If it does not self test, how does it tell me it has broken several years from now (since all mechanical things eventually break)? Is it able to pump over 60gpm at 10' high, run continuously for 14 hours, detect frozen or air locked pipes, diagnose bad pumps, batteries, power supplies, etc. Can it call and email me 24/7/365 with important alerts within minutes of a suspected alert condition? What redundancy is built in? Is there any kind of online interface or controls for the system? What is the warranty? Please inform if you know of any product that has all the capabilities of the Peakflow Pumps brand unit described above. Thanks! Sincerely, Ben Runkle, Principal Runkle, Caldwell, and Jordan, Ltd. CPAs for the Players Sports Industry benrunkle7@gmail.com Here is a link that might be useful: Where they sell the SmartHome systems

This cannot be grandfathered in for two reasons: 1. Your contractor installed the sump crock during your renovation and you opted to move it so this is all NEW WORK. How could you justify a grandfather here? 2.The discharge from a sump is classified as "Storm Drainage" and the Plumbing Code prohibits discharging storm drainage into a Sanitary Sewer while on the other hand, the kitchen sink drain is a "Sanitary Drain" and the Plumbing Codes, Health Codes and EPA regulations strictly prohibit discharging sanitary waste into a storm drainage system. The real question here is; where did the kitchen sink drain before your contractor installed the sump crock?

Most of my town has a high water table; nearly everyone has at least 1 sump pump, 2 if battery back up (that's how those work). Some have triple systems installed. I have 3 sump pumps because there was an existing sump pump, and then when we put in the battery back up one (which is actually 2 pumps) it is large so we put it in a different part of the basement (the original one is hidden from sight in the tv room). No point removing the original pump, so we now have 3. And a full french drain (interior). FWIW I live in a very expensive real estate market (I bought a long time ago!) - i.e., a high water table isn't a sign of a bad house. If anything it shows that the owner took care of things. But if this isn't common in this area then of course investigate why they installed them. They aren't cheap so had to be a reason.