When I get a hard rain that causes my sump pump to kick on, I am concerned that its gonna go out and I'm gonna have a basement full of water. Right now, Tropical Storm Isidore is moving through my hometown, and over the last day, we have
had close to 5 inches of rain.

Because of this, my sump pump is kicking on every minute to pump the water out. This is also a normal occurence in the winter when we get a significant amount of rain, but not usually
in the summertime. With the storm rolling through, its an exception.

I guess my question is this. I am thinking about getting a back up sump pump just in case mine goes Kaput on me during one of
these storms. With the pump kicking on every minute or so at its worst, should I go with a sump pump with at least 1/2 horsepower motor, or is it just overkill. Like I said it kicks on every minute when I get a good rain, and it does that for at least a day.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Jay

 

Jay,
If the pump you currently have is doing the job, stay with the same size. Here are a couple of reasons for this.
1. A bigger pump may require that you change electrical service. The bigger pump will create a heavier load on the service.
2. The hardest thing on a pump motor is the start up. The motor windings get extremely hot at this time. As the motor runs, the windings cool off. The bigger pump will drain the sump much faster, and therefore have a short run time. This may shorten the life of the pump.
There are a number of battery powered backup pumps on the market. You may want to consider one of these for a little peace of mind.
Best regards,
Ron Peeks
R.L. Peeks Pump Sales
www.peekspump.com