Serving Connecticut, Westchester and Putnam Counties

Backup Pump
Extreme clogging and rust in a Wilton sump pump system

Buyer beware. Sump pump failure can lead to a very serious flood in your basement if you have no backup system in place.

Backup Sump Pumps

Like any mechanical utility within your home, your sump pump can eventually fail. A sump pump contains moving parts that can wear out or malfunction over the years.

The best way to make sure your home is protected from a sump pump failure is to make sure that you have a battery backup pump and secondary sump pump ready to operate in an emergency.

At Connecticut Basement Systems, we install sump pump systems that are equipped to handle your basement water problem. Call us for a free estimate in West Hartford, Norwalk, Stamford and nearby in Connecticut.

Battery Backup Sump Pump Systems

Common Battery Backup Designs
(Click for more information about each solution.)

Sump pumps lose power for a variety of reasons. Aside from the obvious power failure, it's possible for a circuit to trip, especially for pumps plugged into GFI outlets.

At Connecticut Basement Systems, we've also seen many cases where the pump was unplugged by someone who needed to use the outlet, but forgot to plug the sump back into the outlet. In some situations, this has led to water damage to nearly everything stored in the basement.


a battery backup sump pump system in Wilton

Components in the UltraSump® system are designed to work together, providing reliable, high-volume pumping capability when the electrical grid goes down.

battery backup sump pump system logo

We recommend installing Basement Systems UltraSump® Battery Backup System.

The UltraSump® system can pump out an excess of 11,500 gallons of water on a fully charged battery-- that's enough water to fill a small swimming pool!

To alert you of power failure, the UltraSump® sounds an alarm when it runs and silences when the pump cycles off.

UltraSump® Specifications

  • Long-Lasting Protection -- The UltraSump® can outlast generic backup pumps many times over, pumping an incredible 11,500 gallons of water out on a single fully charged battery.
  • Advanced Alarm System -- The UltraSump® sounds off whenever the battery back up pump cycles on, letting you know so you can respond. Optionally, it hooks up to your home alarm system.
  • Additional Battery Life -- For added protection, an additional battery can be attached to a single UltraSump® system, allowing for more than double the pumping time.

Backup Sump Pump Systems

If you have a primary sump pump and a battery backup sump pump, your basement is already well on its way to being protected.

However, if your primary sump pump fails due to mechanical failure, your basement waterproofing is only good as long as your battery backup can last. And if your sump pump is being overwhelmed due to an unusually high volume of water, it's best to have a secondary sump pump that can kick in and help keep the water down.

What's Keeping Your Basement Dry?

The Problem Primary Sump Pump Secondary Pump Battery Backup Pump
Normal Rainfall green checkmark gray checkmark gray checkmark
Heavy Rain Overwhelms
Primary Pump
green checkmark green checkmark gray checkmark
Complete Power Failure red x red x green checkmark
Primary Pump Failure red x green checkmark green checkmark
Primary & Secondary
Pump Failure
red x red x green checkmark

Generator-Powered Sump Pumps

Sometimes, a homeowner will tie their sump pump system into their generator to keep it powered during outages.

However, this only works if you are home (and awake) to turn the system on. Automatic systems typically cost $7,000-$10,000 to install. Because there is only one pump, you will have no secondary system to address heavy rains or primary pump failure.

AC-Powered Primary Pumps

Some sump systems include a battery that converts DC battery power into AC power to charge your primary pump.

Transforming DC power to AC is a highly inefficient process, and these battery backup systems often lose their charge within an hour's time. Because there is only one pump, you also will not be protected from pump failure or overwhelming water volume.

Water-Powered Sump Pumps

Water-powered sump pumps use your water supply to run your sump pump system. Thus, they can operate without power.

Unfortunately, water-powered pumps pump very slowly and require you to have very high water pressure. They are also wasteful systems, discharging 3-5 gallons of good water for every gallons of groundwater pumped out of your home.

Battery Backup Sump Pumps

Battery Backup Sump Pumps use a battery and a separate battery-powered sump pump to operate.

When a high-quality battery backup is installed, you can pump out thousands of gallons of water on a single charge. And because you have a second pump installed, you're covered during sump pump failures and during overwhelming rains as well as during power outages.

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