Since the 1950s many homes have had them. Since the 1970s many building codes have required them. What? A sump pump.
Yeah, that thing in the hole in the corner of the basement that kind of hums every once in a while. You don’t think about it much do you? But it keeps your basement floor dry.
If the electric goes out, for any reason, for very long, you may have a big problem. I have seen over a foot of water in a 30×25 foot basement after just a mild spring rain.
They make “battery back up” auxiliary pumps, and they work. But the battery is recharged with a 110 volt charger. If you don’t have the electric back after the battery is dead you don’t have either pump. Is it time to think about a PV panel on the roof to charge the battery?
But why not make some lemonade out of that lemon?
Don’t just pipe the water to the ditch. At the least send it to the garden. Maybe a “rain barrel” set-up. My grandmother did it for decades.
But if the electric is out, then your well pump is dead also. And if you are on city water, their pumps are dead too. Once the water tower is dry, the whole town is dry. Lack of water is going to be a big problem real fast.
Now time for some imagination.
That sump hole is really just a 6 to 12 deep water well. The water is just rain water that has seeped down to the bottom level of your foundation. It is then piped via some tiles or plastic pipe to the sump.
It is pretty clean water. I have used it for years to top off my swimming pool. Nobody’s ever gotten sick from it.
Reroute that battery powered pump to a barrel in the kitchen. At the least, get one of those lever handled manual pumps and fill up some pails you can carry upstairs. If can’t bring yourself to think about drinking and cooking with it at least use it to flush the toilet.
You did remember that you need water to flush a toilet didn’t you?
It is almost certain you are going to have to get that hole down there in the corner drained sometime. Make use of what comes out of it. – KBS