Hurricane Irene is about to hit New Jersey in less than twenty four hours.  Local Home Depot and Lowes are already out of sump pumps, flash lights, batteries, and water.  In a nutshell, everyone is preparing for the "Storm of a Life Time." I am as ready as I would be in any rainy season. I have come to accept the fact that my basement will get flooded, if the water is not pumped out faster than it is entering the basement's sump pit.  I am no plumber, but I have realized that sump pumps sold in your hardware stores don't last forever like your refrigerator or washing machine. My basement has been flooded four times in last eighteen years.  Every time it was due to pump malfunction. Luckily for me the latest flooding occurred just last week.  This time, instead of just replacing the pump, I came up with a little more robust system with backup and redundancy.  I should be able to weather Irene with this, provided power does not go out. I wanted to buy a generator but hardware stores are out of that too.  So here is my design strategy:

1. Have two pumps instead of one.
   It's a no-brainer. Most people do have a backup sump pump as a replacement for the broken down pump.  The problem with that is, you may realize rather late that your pump has broken down, or you may not have the right hardware to clamp the hoses when you need to replace the pump in an emergency situation. 
   
   
   
   
   Many of my neighbors have two sump pits.  My design is to fit two pumps in one pit.  Keep in mind that there is not enough room in the pit to put two pumps side by side. You also want to leave enough room for the floats to operate freely.  Float switches are one of the most important parts of the pump.  They trigger the power on off functions based upon the level of the water in the pit.  A blocked or defective float switch is the recipe for disaster. My contraption will have one 1/2 hp submersible sump pump sitting at the bottom of the pit.  I intend to mount a non submersible pedestal type 1/3hp pump on the top half of the pit. The idea is that the bottom pump will do all the heavy lifting.  In case of breakdown or when the water level is rising fast, the second pump will kick in.  Since the second pump is sitting higher, it will kick in only when the pit is 80% full.  The pedestal pump's motor can be not be submersed in the water.  It is important to keep the motor well above the expected highest water line in the basement in case of heavy flooding.  I kept it 18" in my case.  I have other safety guards as well, which I will cover later.  The center of gravity of the pedestal pump is higher, it is hard to build a stable platform using the household tools. I used 1 3/8" wide slotted straps to build a platform.  The platform will rest on the basement floor.  I angled it to have a depth of 12".  I created a platform using old license plate (rust free).  I made sure that I used only brass screws to avoid rusting. I covered any exposed areas where they may become weak or eroded because of constant friction, with some duct tape.  I secured the pedestal pump with some heavy duty wire.  I could have used a strong plastic tie as well. A little PVC plumbing work was required, so that two pumps could pump water out at the same time.  I installed the check valves on the two ends.  Check valves stop the water coming back into the pump because of gravity.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Put electrical safeguards in place.
   To make sure that the pumps do not electrocute you in case of severe flooding, I installed two GFI adapters.  The GFI adapters are the same devices you see in your bathrooms.  These adapters trip when they detect a leak in the circuit due to water.  I actually see this safety measure as another challenge.  Let us say the GFI adapters trip, how will I know that they tripped unless I go downstairs to the basement every day.  So, I am now looking for a device which will sound alarm when there is no power to the pump.  Home Depot and Lowes did not carry one, but I can make one myself with a relay and an alarm. I did install a water alarm, which runs on battery and creates 100db sound when it detects water.
   
   
   
   
3. Have an electrical backup system.
   As I said before, I was rather late to act on this part.  You can buy a battery backup system for your pumps which will last 5-6 hours in case of power outage.  I personally think that battery backup system requires regular maintenance and checkup.  A better alternative is to have an electrical generator, which can provide electricity to your pumps for prolonged period of time.

 As I said before, I am not a plumber but if you pose the right question to the folks at the hardware store, they will advise you with the right action.  Here is a small list of things I needed to know.  Use PVC cement to join PVC pipes.  It is really a very strong glue which bonds the pipes permanently.  Make sure the joints are clean before applying this cement.  For connecting hoses, you may want to use some teflon tape, vaseline, or even silicone based caulk at the the threads or joints to avoid annoying leaks.  Of course these joints are not permanent and the hoses can be disconnected at a later point.  Pay attention to the stresses on power cords and PVC pipes.  If you look at the picture below, you will see a lot of weight is being applied to the PVC pipe which takes the water out to the curb.  The power cord with the weight of GFI adapters has become so heavy that stresses may eventually pull the cord from the electric socket.  To reduce these stresses I secured the PVC pipe and the electrical cord by providing support from the ceiling using a nylon rope.  Keep in mind that these little details, your plumber may or may not know.  Use common sense, and ask the right questions.



Let us see how all this pans out tomorrow.  Stay dry my friends!