Keeping your basement dry during all kinds of weather is a big commitment. There are some things you can do to prevent flooding and other water infiltration and some things are well beyond anyone’s control. Take for instance a widespread flood. There is very little you can do to prevent water from entering your home when this happens. Yes, there is sandbagging and temporary dams, etc., but they typically require a lot of preparation.
However, preventing flooding from sump pump failures can be prevented with reasonably priced preparations. One of the most important ways to do this is to install a backup sump pump that will take over when your primary sump pump fails. This system must use an alternative energy source that is reliable and can last long enough to keep your basement dry throughout the time that your sump pump is not working.
For many years the go-to system has been the battery backup. It works pretty well for a few hours as long as the battery has power. Clearly the limitation is the life of the battery. A very good alternative growing in popularity is the water powered backup sump pump. Consider Basepump RB750 and RB750-EZ water powered backup sump pump with water alarm. These use the water pressure in your home’s water supply system to remove water from your sump during a sump pump failure. As long as the water supply to your home is provided by a city or regional system, it is reliable and predictable through very long periods of time. This makes it an ideal source of power even during extended power failures that would cripple a battery system in a few hours. This system can operate almost indefinitely as long as the water supply is available. Installation of this type of system is more expensive than most battery powered systems, but in the long run, it is actually less expensive and far more reliable than any battery system over the long haul. There are no moving parts in this system so it lasts a very long time with little to no maintenance other than running it 3-4 times per year to keep it clean inside and operating smoothly.
