I have a sealed maintenance free battery, so no need to fill acid
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wayne-75-Amp-Hour-Maintenance-Free-Battery-WSB1275/100661339The backup pump comes with an alarm, but of course, it's no use when no one is home
I'm looking into adding now a second battery to power the backup pump, and building a wifi water level+power monitor with a raspberry pi
https://www.hackster.io/babtras/sump-monitor-and-alarm-270351The Raspberry pi and the modem+router will need a UPS
Someone here suggested iSocket, so I looked it up and found this cellular device, costs ~200$ + 50$/year for the service. Might be worth it
https://store.pumpalarm.com/temperature-power-failure-alarm-p/s-pba.htmThe automatic generator looks perfect but pricy... will look into that see if they have small units since I don't really need backup power for the entire house.
I have primary 1/3 hp pump in sump, smaller 1/4 hp backup in same hole. Have it covered to protect from radon gas, which seems to be everywhere. Then I have backup, brand new 1/3 hp and 1/4 hp pumps in case the main ones go out. I have water alert system on basement floor that beeps loudly, but can't hear it when I'm not home. Raspberry pi is good idea. Might try it out.
We also have radon cover, can't escape that in the NE :-)
Do you mean you have a set of new pumps sitting in the box in case you need to replace one?
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@TheBeeKeeper Yes, I keep a spare set of brand new pumps. The worst time to find out that Home Depot or Lowes is out of pumps, is when you really need them. Plus, everyone else is getting flooded at the same time so the pumps sell out very quickly.
I sized the generator to run the pumps, refrigerator, pellet stove, water heater, radon remediation system, and a few outlets/lights. There is no need to have dishwasher and clothes washer on generator since they are not essential during a power outage. When hurricane Sandy hit, we lost power for 7 days so the batteries were fully exhausted. That's what convinced me to install generator.
The electrician rewired amps on the transfer switch to make sure that pumps wouldn't blow any fuses. Outlet was also mounted high on wall.
Have you taken other steps to reduce the risk of flood, ie yard grading, extending gutters?