# Back up pump



## Roto-Rooter (Jan 31, 2015)

I am not a plumber never wanted to be and don't claim to be. Drain cleaning over the years has been good to us and kept us busy so we never got to the plumbing part. So I am turning to you professional plumbers for advise.


I have a customer who has a water (and power) problem. What can you all tell me about the back up sump pumps that work off water pressure when you lose power. I want to help them out but don't want to guide them in the wrong direction either.


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## plumbdrum (Nov 30, 2013)

Roto-Rooter said:


> I am not a plumber never wanted to be and don't claim to be. Drain cleaning over the years has been good to us and kept us busy so we never got to the plumbing part. So I am turning to you professional plumbers for advise.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




You say they have water problems, late they on a well? If so a water powered sump would obviously not work. A standard battery backup would suffice, or a whole house generator,


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

You can find a good read here...


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

We have a high water table in my area. I guess you can say I have a love/hate relationship with it. If they are on a municipal water system, Liberty pumps make a great water driven pump! The only one I recommend. But if they are on a well with no generator it's as useful as teets on a boars azz. I don't really care for battery back up pumps because the HO's never think about or want to pay for maintenance. And when you do need them, they only last for so long, but it's better than nothing during a power outage.


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## plumberkc (Jun 23, 2011)

We have lots of finished basements here. I do at least 30 Sump pumps every spring. I used to install the water powered with an RPZ. Out of the 4-5 I've installed one failed after 4 years. 

I don't like the battery backups, they have too many issues and are too expensive. 

I actually tell my customers to buy a sump pump alarm from Amazon and just replace their primary every 7 years.


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