Battery Backups are secondary sump pumps that turn on if the primary pump fails. They are integral to keeping your home safe during power outages, primary pump failures, or unexpected events (we’ll give you an example we had recently at the end).
Honestly, if you were to ask us ten years ago whether or not to invest in a Battery Backup, our answer would have been a flat no. Battery Backups were not well thought out and failed constantly. Now they have a terrible reputation as being a waste of money.
However, in the last ten years, Battery Backup technology has caught up to the times. We argue it is a mandatory part of your basement waterproofing system. Let’s break it down.
Old Facts That Are Now Myths
We’re going to be straight with you. There are still a lot of Battery Backup Systems that suck. In our 20 years of experience, there are two companies that have really upped their game and made Battery Backups viable. Our company is an exclusive dealer of one of those companies, Pro Series. Why do we choose Pro Series for our sump pumps? Check out our blog “Why Pro Series Sump Pumps are the Premiere Sump Pump”.
Myth #1:
“I’ll get one and it won’t work and will die.”
Ten years ago, this was true! But people gotta understand that ten years ago contractors were throwing a car battery on the floor, hooking up a couple wires to it and calling it a day. Of course, it’s going to die and not work.
Pro Series Battery Backups feature a maintenance free wet cell battery. That’s right. Plug her in and forget about it. Depending on the power of your sump pump, it holds anywhere between 55-110 ours of pumping time. In other words, it will do about 10,000 gallons of water on one charge. That’s dependability.
Myth #2:
“It won’t keep up during a flood.”
Ten years ago, this was true! On top of using a car battery, contractors used dinky little boat water pumps. Of course, that won’t keep up with a flooding home. Do we need to do the math of the difference in square footage between a boat and a basement? We hope not.
Built into the Battery Backup system is a high quality, water pumping beast that competes closely to the pumping power of the primary pump. Pro Series engineered it to handle 2,000 gallons per hour. It can even automatically turn on to assist the main pump in case of intense flooding periods. Everyone needs a support buddy.
Myth #3:
“They are a pain to maintain.”
Ten years ago, this was true! The car batteries required maintenance. If something went wrong in your system, there was no way you would know unless you went over and checked it out every week. The systems were thrown together like an afterthought, leaving homeowners to pick up the pieces.
Pro Series Battery Backups feature patented controllers and electronics, making operation a breeze. It has automated programs to test your sump pump once a week and elongate its life. It has alarms that flash colours and make noises when it detects a problem within the system. It can even be hooked up to a Pro Series WiFi Module which sends you a text or email when there is a problem. It is very self-sufficient, and calls on you when it needs something. Pro Series thought of everything.
In Today’s Market, Battery Backups Are a Necessity
Listen, these systems used to be a pain in the butt because they put a lot of the onus on the homeowner. If the homeowner wasn’t on the ball, the system would fail. However, this isn’t the case anymore. Proper Battery Backups like Pro Series’ are designed with the customer in mind, making the most self-sufficient, reliable, powerful, energy-efficient systems in the market.
The truth of today’s basement waterproofing system market is this: the homeowner should not have to worry or check in with their waterproofing system unless there is a problem. These systems are no longer appliances, they are investments. The best systems take care of everything on their own, giving the homeowner ultimate peace of mind. That’s why we go with Pro Series Battery Backups.
Oh, by the way, they aren’t only valuable in power outages or heavy rainstorms. Remember how we mentioned “unexpected events” in the first paragraph? Recently we had a customer with only a primary sump pump. One day, their kids wanted to plug in the air hockey table for fifteen minutes and play. They unplugged the sump pump to do so. After they were done, they didn’t plug the sump pump back in. Can you guess when the homeowner found out it was unplugged?
That’s why Battery Backups are no longer an “extra” to your waterproofing system, they should be a part of it from the start.