I am in the middle of a terrible experience with Midwest Basement Systems but thankfully not under contract yet. Does anyone have DSM area recommendations for a new sump pump and battery backup? Also, ballpark cost estimates are welcomed as I have no clue... TIA!
Sump pump / battery backup
- Thread starter mike4cy
- Start date
I bought one at Menards for maybe $250? and set it up myself (it contained the new sump and backup sump). Very easy.
Try it yourself? Sump pump is about the easiest home repair I have ever done. Blocked off a few hours of time for it and picking one out at Home Depot was the hardest part. For battery backup, I just have mine plugged into an APC backup system.
Experience speaking: Make sure your sump pump is on its own circuit. Mine wasn't when I moved to my house and a tripped GFCI in my bathroom nearly caused a flooded basement.
I have had many sump pump issues in my new house since 2007.
Here are some tips.
1. Have you main pump be at LEAST half horsepower or more.
2. Have a backup pump IN ADDITION to your main pump. Most sump pits will be able to accommodate two pumps. This backup pump should be battery powered with an alarm attached.
3. Your main pump should NOT have a float switch. The float switches end up moving too freely and can get stuck against the pump wall. (I found this out the hard way). Best to get a switch with glides on a pole attached to the pump.
4. Make sure you know where your main pump is letting out. Mine empty's out into the ditch in the front yard, and there this the possibility during snowy times of it freezing over. My backup pump just empty's right out of the house in the back yard. I have an extension pipe of 20 feet just in case I need to have the pump run on extended times.
5. (Optional) Gas generator for extended power outages. I live very close to the water table, and my pump runs a LOT. If we ever had a time where we had an extended power outage. I would have needed a backup generator. My backup battery life is only rated for 12 hours.
Here are some tips.
1. Have you main pump be at LEAST half horsepower or more.
2. Have a backup pump IN ADDITION to your main pump. Most sump pits will be able to accommodate two pumps. This backup pump should be battery powered with an alarm attached.
3. Your main pump should NOT have a float switch. The float switches end up moving too freely and can get stuck against the pump wall. (I found this out the hard way). Best to get a switch with glides on a pole attached to the pump.
4. Make sure you know where your main pump is letting out. Mine empty's out into the ditch in the front yard, and there this the possibility during snowy times of it freezing over. My backup pump just empty's right out of the house in the back yard. I have an extension pipe of 20 feet just in case I need to have the pump run on extended times.
5. (Optional) Gas generator for extended power outages. I live very close to the water table, and my pump runs a LOT. If we ever had a time where we had an extended power outage. I would have needed a backup generator. My backup battery life is only rated for 12 hours.
Also, best move i ever made, was burning my eavesdrops out to my front ditch 50+ feet away. If this can be done, that will remove a TON of water from your around your foundation.
Technically, I live in the county since Amana is not incorporated, so I wasn't restricted by any codes.
Technically, I live in the county since Amana is not incorporated, so I wasn't restricted by any codes.
If this is your back-up I'd seriously look at one of the water powered sump pumps. You hook them into your city water line (assuming you're on city water) and the water spins the pump so you don't need to rely on a battery or electricity to suck the water out of the pit. I put on in last year and it's pretty easy to do.
I have a two year old battery for mine. Who knows how long or if it will run, but I really just bought it for my peace of mind, so that's all that counts.
Clarks Plumbing in Grimes. Replaced my 1/3 hp pump with a 1/2 hp -- 1/3 hp struggled to keep up during heavy rains and caused our new construction basement to flood twice in 4 years -- and installed a battery back-up. All in for $900.
Never been a fan of Midwest BS. They seem to spend more time "assessing the damage", trying to figure out their iPad software, and then overselling their recommendations. Clarks Plumbing is a mom and pop operation and he is a straight shooter -- no bs.
Never been a fan of Midwest BS. They seem to spend more time "assessing the damage", trying to figure out their iPad software, and then overselling their recommendations. Clarks Plumbing is a mom and pop operation and he is a straight shooter -- no bs.
Do the battery backup's really last that long? My plumber says that unless you regain power in about an hour, by that time if your sump is running a lot it likely will drain the battery down pretty quickly. I have a portable gas generator I can just run a cord through the basement window to the sump if I needed to. I also have a separate portable pump that I use to flush my tankless hot water heater with that all I would have to do in an emergency is stick it down into the pit and hook a garden hose to and run it out the basement window to discharge. Even then I still have a floor drain less than 6 feet away from the sump pit too.
Pretty lucky so far with the house we live in now. It takes quite a bit of heavy rains and saturation to even get a drop in the sump pit. A good rule of thumb is to dump some water in your sump pit in the spring and fall to make sure the pump is still working. It can possibly freeze up if it doesn't have to work for extended periods of time.
Pretty lucky so far with the house we live in now. It takes quite a bit of heavy rains and saturation to even get a drop in the sump pit. A good rule of thumb is to dump some water in your sump pit in the spring and fall to make sure the pump is still working. It can possibly freeze up if it doesn't have to work for extended periods of time.
Threadjack alert: I owned a house in KC for 11 years. It had the same sump pump that came with the house; it was probably 20 years old. It had always worked fine and I never touched it.
We put the house up for sale and had it under contract, handing over the keys in 10 days. We get some pretty massive rains but everything is fine. The next day I go to pick up some boxes to pack and the wife calls - there is water in the basement.
I get home, the pump has failed. It won't turn on at all. There is probably an inch of water on the floor but the drain appears to be doing it's job the best it can (it's on the opposite side of the room). It's 8:30pm on a Sunday night so I scream to Home Depot to get a pump. Get it put in, I avoid electrocuting myself, it starts pumping out water. It was a sub-basement that wasn't finished but it did have old carpet just laying on the floor with no pad. The shelving was elevated a few inches and nothing was damaged other than the carpet and some luggage that was sitting on the ground.
I roll up the carpet, lug it out to the garage, put it on plastic bins, Febreze the hell out of it and fire up some fans. Stuck it back in the basement three days later.
I guess I should have put a new pump in sooner. Seriously, it couldn't have given me another two weeks after that many years?
We put the house up for sale and had it under contract, handing over the keys in 10 days. We get some pretty massive rains but everything is fine. The next day I go to pick up some boxes to pack and the wife calls - there is water in the basement.
I get home, the pump has failed. It won't turn on at all. There is probably an inch of water on the floor but the drain appears to be doing it's job the best it can (it's on the opposite side of the room). It's 8:30pm on a Sunday night so I scream to Home Depot to get a pump. Get it put in, I avoid electrocuting myself, it starts pumping out water. It was a sub-basement that wasn't finished but it did have old carpet just laying on the floor with no pad. The shelving was elevated a few inches and nothing was damaged other than the carpet and some luggage that was sitting on the ground.
I roll up the carpet, lug it out to the garage, put it on plastic bins, Febreze the hell out of it and fire up some fans. Stuck it back in the basement three days later.
I guess I should have put a new pump in sooner. Seriously, it couldn't have given me another two weeks after that many years?
Dumb question alert!
We bought our house new about 11 years ago. I've never once heard the sump pump run on it's own so about every six months I would throw water down there to make it run. About a year ago I did this and it wouldn't run. Do you think it's even worth replacing it since it never ran?
We bought our house new about 11 years ago. I've never once heard the sump pump run on it's own so about every six months I would throw water down there to make it run. About a year ago I did this and it wouldn't run. Do you think it's even worth replacing it since it never ran?
I don't know anything about your house and why it would never fill, but if it's a finished basement that isn't a chance I'd take. Pumps are relatively cheap and easy to install.
- Jun 20, 2006
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