Sump pump with backup recommendations

[cbrsurfr]

Pump in my rental is now 10 years old and has no battery/secondary backup. Power goes out frequently as power lines are overhead. Pump in my current house is now 16 years old and definitely due as well. So I'd like to get a pair of full setups.

I'd like to buy a kit that is ready to go minus the deep cycle battery. So includes new primary pump, new backup pump and pre-plumbed. Just add battery and maybe check valves.

Is barracuda brand any good?

http://www.menards.com/main/plumbin...4428714431-c-8673.htm?tid=7406598966721714537

 

[ControlD]

Are you on city water?

I got rid of my battery backup pump and went with a water powered unit instead. A good one is expensive, but I get much longer runtime from my backup (will run as long as I have water pressure) and I don't have to maintain a battery anymore.

Otherwise, I like Zoeller and Liberty main pumps, but you probably need to go somewhere other than a big box store to get one of those.

 

[cbrsurfr]

Both have finished basements, but yes they are on city water. I've heard of the water driven ones but the additional plumbing costs may exceed the benefit. I'm more concerned about the rental since I can't trust them to keep an eye on things and the insurance company will not sell me a water/sump backup policy.

Wayne brand seems to get good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/WSS30V-Pre-As...sr=8-1&keywords=sump+pump+with+battery+backup

 

[mindless1]

Well it can only be pre-plumbed to a certain extent because the rest is customized to the installation, so frankly there is no reason to go that route instead of just getting all the pipe from the hardware store, though it'd take maybe 10 minutes more to cut and cement a couple more pieces together.

I like Zoeller, last pump bought was an M53, though it needed the check valve ($12 external part) replaced at about 10 years old but that might've been because it was pelted with pea gravel, otherwise works like new still.
http://www.amazon.com/Zoeller-Mighty-mate-Submersible-Sump-Pump/dp/B000H5PYR2

I added a Flotec FP2800 battery backup pump to that, but those aren't made any longer AFAIK. I'm happy with it but had to repair the battery charger due to a failed 6 cent transistor, which they changed to a different design on their replacement model but I hesitate to recommend the replacement without ever seeing one in person. You can get a complete zoeller kit that includes the M53, called aquanot 508:
http://www.amazon.com/Zoeller-508-0006-Aquanot-ProPak53-Preassembled/dp/B00M3B5YQE

 

[cbrsurfr]

I took too long deciding and the gasket or something blew on the pump in my main house. I heard it just running and running and running. Had to run out and buy a new one immediately as we were getting a ton of rain at the time.

 

[ControlD]

I took too long deciding and the gasket or something blew on the pump in my main house. I heard it just running and running and running. Had to run out and buy a new one immediately as we were getting a ton of rain at the time.

Was it running but not moving any water? Did the pit ever get completely dry by any chance before this happened?

 

[cbrsurfr]

Not that I know of. It was sucking it up from the bottom and blowing it out the sides of the unit. So it was stuck in an endless cycle as no water was leaving the pit. It was a ~10 year old Ace Hardware unit that was rated for 1 year.