Hello,
I'm wondering what the best strategies are to ensure that my finished basement stays dry. I have a ground water sump with a water powered backup already but I also have an ejector pump and it does not have a backup. A bathroom and water softener are piped to the ejector. The sump and ejector are not next to one another as I've seen many are. I think when they are next to one another they act as a backup to each other. Anyway, it does not appear that a battery backup for the ejector pump is made. I've read about using a battery and a power inverter to essentially create your own which may be an option. What are the expert suggestions??

Thank you.

 

A power failure is probably not your biggest concern with a sewage ejector pump. When the power goes out your softener will not regenerate so it will not discharge into the ejector pit. And, when the power is out all you have to do is not use that bathroom.

I think the bigger concern is if the sewage ejector pump dies. You'll keep sending stuff down the drain and not notice a problem until there is a mess on the floor. In mine I installed a high limit alarm. If the pump fails and the level in the sump goes above it's normal operating level then it sets off a loud buzzer alerting me to the problem.

A sump pump and sewage ejector are two totally different systems that discharge to different locations so having one next to the other does not provide and back-up function.

 

Thank you for the reply. I guess my initial thinking was including the case where I am say on vacation, but I suppose I could simply unplug the softener while I'm away.
In doing some reading I have seen the possibility of a power inverter, driven from a battery, connected in line with the ejector pump. Have you ever heard of that?

 

One other question.... If I have the room and want to go to this extreme, would it be out of the question to have a secondary ejector pit dug for overflow? I agree that a power failure is the least of my worries and it is definitely more a worry of the pump dying....

 

If water is not being used in the house then the softener will not regenerate as most modern ones measure the amount of water used to determine when to regenerate. If your softener regenerates just off a timer then yes, you could have water being discharged into the sump when you are away.

A large sump pit or two pits would be perfect. You could have the float switches for a second pump mounted above the normal operating level. The second pump would not run as long as the first is doing its job but would kick in when the level in the sump rose above the normal level.

A battery and inverter can be rigged but it's a cumbersome system. The starting current for the pump is rather high so you'd need a good sized inverter and battery to power it. Then you've got the problem of keeping the battery backup system maintained including replacing the battery every 3-5 years. It's a possible system for a sump pump where water may enter when the power is out but since your ejector pit is fed by a bath and softener you can easily control what goes into the ejector pit. If you are really concerned about power outages then I'd consider a stand by generator that automatically kicks in when the power fails.

 

Thank you for your help. I'm going to look into the alarm for the short term and the secondary pit long term.