No sooner do we get done with the “Earthquake of the Century”, and we’re facing the “Hurricane of the Century.” The battery that feeds my backup sump pump rendered itself into toxic waste in late June. I’ve been putting off replacing it until a job comes my way. Now I might have to do it sooner rather than than later. A battery is only fifty bucks, but the deductible on my homeowners policy is 20 times that. Better to buy the battery, when a pump is the only thing separating me from having a new indoor pool in the finished basement.
This could seriously interfere with my plans for smoking the Boston Butt. I know my dad reads sometimes, so Thursday is probably better than Friday now for the BBQ plans.
Sebastian,
You’re in PA correct? Are you really worried about Irene?
When hurricanes come inland, they still dump a ton of rain.
Not “really worried about Irene” the way that some people should be. But, worried about a whole lot of rain and the possibility of losing power during said storms resulting in no pump to get the water out of the basement? Yes, a bit. Why? Because regardless of the status of Irene, we’ve had a lot of rain in recent storms that threatened the power a few times. We’ve been lucky so far, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t considering our options if we happen to see what could be even heavier rains headed our way.
Thanks you two. Didn’t mean to imply that you shouldn’t be worried about it or anything. I’m in DC and we haven’t been having any real rain. I forgot that my cuz was down from Pittsburgh over the weekend talking about all the rain they have been getting. Good luck. Hope it works out.
Actually, I topped off the old battery with some extra water, and now it seems to be taking a charge OK. I’ll give it a test once it’s done. I’m charging slowly, so hopefully the charger won’t come back again and tell me the battery is toast.
maybe this might be something to look into?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Desulfator-for-12V-Car-Batteries-in-an-Altoids-Ti/
I need to get one (or two, I have 2 pumps) of those… I am also making sure my cars’ gas tanks are topped off and I have some inverters handy. They won’t run the fridge, but the will run pumps. I’m not at the shore, but I’ve had to reset breakers in ankle-deep water before in this house.
So, I’m soliciting recommendations for a backup battery system for a pump that runs off wall current.
If your pumps run off wall-current, you ought to be able to use a generic UPS.
Check to ensure the pump’s startup current surge won’t kill the UPS, and size to ensure it’ll work for a “while” (your definition). Just have to match Amp-hours to the expected draw and desired time…
I recommend rushing out to stock up on supplies immediately, at least before the stampede on Saturday. With any luck, you will find that full kegs are still available to rent for the duration of the Apocalypse. Sadly, if the world does come to an end, you’ll probably lose your deposit.
BTW – jetfxr69 – a 5-amp pump (which is a tad lightweight – the ones in my 2 sumps are each 9-amp) draws 575 amps at 115 volts, in sustained operation. The peak draw is somewhat higher. A UPS that would stand the strain would be as much as a 2kW generator, and only last a short time.
I went with an 800 watt inverter and a hefty marine battery (and my car as back-up to that). And that only because I couldn’t buy a generator without going to Pittsburgh or so…