Frequently Asked Questions:

A. Electric sump pumps fail for a variety of reasons as listed below. Such a failure can cause a great deal of damage. Insurance companies often exempt this type of damage from their policies, charge extra premiums, impose higher deductibles, and/or severely limit coverage. Once you have had such damage, they will often exclude you from future coverage or raise the price and deductible to very high rates. Even when covered by insurance, it is YOU that has to deal with it all. The cleanup, removal, contractors, deductibles, insurance hassles, adjusters, paperwork, etc. will be YOUR problem.

A. An average sump is approximately 18 inches across and every inch of water is approximately one gallon. During a rainy period, place a yardstick or tape measure against the side of the sump immediately after the primary pump finishes a pumping cycle. Just touch the surface of the water with it, and hold it there. Using a watch, count off one minute and pull the yardstick or tape measure out. Take the number of inches the water rose during that time and multiply by 60. This will be a reasonable estimate of the amount of water that would come in during an hour of steady rainfall. 

A. Another quick and easy way to make this estimate is to listen or watch for your main pump to run. Determine how long it is between each cycle, and divide that into 60 to calculate how many times per hour it would operate. On average, most sump pumps remove 6-8 gallons of water each time they run. Example: say your pump runs every 10 minutes during a rainfall. That is 60 minutes /10 minutes = 6 times per hour x 7 gallons per run (average) equals 42 GPH. Then multiply that by 2 so that you account for the water that is coming in while the pump is working to remove it, so you get 84 Gallons per hour pumping capacity needed. 

Go to our Homeowners Page for more information and complete chart.

A. Basepump uses 1 Gallon of municipal water to remove 2 Gallons of sump water, at 50 - 60 lbs. PSI. Water usage per gallons removed will decrease proportionately as the pressure increases. At 90 PSI it will use 1 Gallon to remove more than 2 Gallons from the sump. Since this is an emergency backup sump pump, this water usage is somewhat irrelevant. The average cost of that water, (about 2.5 cents each minute it runs in most locales), compared to a basement ruined by flooding, is an easy tradeoff. This cost is actually very close to the ordinary cost of the electricity used to run your primary pump. The water ONLY runs when Basepump is activated by a high water situation. As an extreme example, if Basepump were to run for 30 seconds once every 5 minutes for an entire 24 hour period, (288 cycles!) the average cost of operation for that day would be approximately $3.60! Compare that to the damage prevented or the replacement cost of batteries for a battery powered unit. The 3 Models of Basepump use differing amounts of water at various pressures. See the chart on the Basepump page to review those usage amounts. Keep in mind that Basepump doesn't actually USE any water. In other words, it is not destroying or changing the water it USES into something else. It is simply putting it back into the storm drain system to be recycled once again. It is not being contaminated except by ground water just like the water that falls in the form of rain and goes back into the water supply system.

A. A standard static pressure gauge will tell you if you have the necessary 40 lbs. PSI minimum required to run Basepump. More important than that is the flow rate of the water. The best way to test the flow of water, is to use an outside hose spigot, a 5 gallon bucket, and a stopwatch. With the water fully on, carefully calculate the amount of time it takes to fill the bucket. If it fills in 40 seconds or less, you have adequate flow to run Model RB750; 30 seconds or less for Model HB1000; and 20 seconds or less for CB1500. Remember that this test is at your hose spigot. It is very likely that the pipe line to that spigot is smaller than 3/4" and a standard spigot will normally have some restriction in it. These limits are factored into this test. This helps determine which Basepump Model will most likely operate when connected right after the meter. 

A. Model RB750 is for use in private homes typically having less than 2,500 square feet of basement area and a minimum 1/2" water service. The Model HB1000 requires a minimum 3/4" water service. The Model CB1500 requires a minimum 3/4" or 1" water service and a Licensed Professional Plumber should install it. Carefully consider the pressure and flow requirements indicated above when ordering.

A. Yes! Only Model RB750 may be installed using 1/2" OR 3/4" pipe and tied into an existing 1/2" OR 3/4" water line from the main water service. Model HB1000 must be installed using 3/4" pipe from the main service line, which must also be 3/4" minimum. Model CB1500 may be installed using 3/4" OR 1" pipe and tied into an existing water service of the same or larger size. All shutoff valves in any installation must be full-flow, ball or gate type valves, and full-flow copper or equivalent piping such as PVC, CPVC, PEX, etc. are recommended. Check with your local Plumbing Department if you are unsure about any of this. Do not use or connect to galvanized iron pipe. Do not use piping that is not approved in your area. We sell easy-to-use, solder-free installation kits (without the pipe) for both copper pipe and PEX plastic pipe systems. Click here for more information on our kits.

A. Some local plumbing codes require back-flow preventive devices on many water fixture installations to protect the potable water supply in the event of a flow-reversal in the system. Check with your local plumbing department if you have any questions about back-flow. Typically a Dual Check Valve or a SVB (Spill-Resistant Vacuum Breaker) are industry recognized Back-Flow devices that can be installed in the water supply pipe before Basepump. Basepump poses no threat to the potable water supply. It is open to the atmosphere on the discharge side and also has an integrated backflow device that prevents the reversal of water flow through the ejector valve. 

A. Yes...and No! We prefer that Basepump be discharged separately to the outside, but sometimes, this is difficult or impossible. The purpose of Basepump is to take over no matter what the reason for your sump pump failure. Keeping it completely independent of your main pump does this. If a clogged or frozen discharge pipe causes your main pump to fail and you have used the same discharge pipe for Basepump, then Basepump will fail, too. However, if this risk is acceptable to you, then connect it with the Basepump discharge entering the main discharge at its highest point and avoid vertical runs of more than a few inches. If the main pump has a long (more than 6 feet) horizontal run, make sure it runs downhill to the exterior so gravity will work WITH the pump and not against it. Basepump includes a PVC Tee fitting and adapter to make this connection easier. Refer to installation instructions for the correct way to make this connection or call our toll-free number 800 554 1426 for help.

A. Basepump will operate as long as your municipal water supply is available. It is designed to empty the sump pit nearly to the bottom each time before shutting off. It will turn itself on and off automatically (just like your main pump) until the problem with the main pump is corrected (the power comes back on).