New sump pump & back-up recommendations

Hi,

I realized I need a new check valve (squirting water out of the side) and I think I'll replace the sump pump while I'm there. I'm not sure how old the pump is, but we bought the house 2.5 years ago and the basement drain system is about 15-20 years old. The pump looks like the original since it has a coating of rust on it.

We have a fairly high water table with water dribbling into the pit from the drain tile pipe for at least a 2 weeks after a decent rain.

Questions:

1. What brand/model of main sump pump should I buy? I heard cast iron pumps are the best.

2. What kind of backup system should I buy? Battery or a house water pressure pump? They both seem to cost about the same by the time you're done buying the pump, battery, and battery acid. The house water pressure pump seems much more difficult to install (branching a copper line off the house water supply and getting the right check valve, etc.)

Obviously after having 5.5" inches of rain yesterday this is back on top of the "to do" list.

Thanks,

Dave

Good idea, but I want to get a backup pump in case of a power failure and I can't fit 3 pumps in the pit.

Dave

A marine 12-volt bilge pump and a battery with a trickle-maintenance charger might work as a backup. Do a search for "West Marine" and look at some of their "advisor" guides. Also, use a "bobber" switch and set it higher than the switch for the main pump.

As a main pump, I just installed a new submersible Wayne pump in my gray-water sump, and I moved the "bobber" switch mounting from the top of the pump to farther up on the discharge pipe to cause longer run times (reduced cycling).

During the blackout in 2004, my neighbors and I lost water pressure. Those with the water pressured pumps were bailing to save their basements from flooding.

I have the Basement Watchdog 'Big Dog' AC/DC system as a backup to my main Zoeller cast iron sump pump. The 'Big Dog' is nice because it can run off AC power as well as the battery. So, if you have a mechanical problem with your main pump, you are still covered indefinitely with the Big Dog until you can fix your main pump becuase the Big Dog can run off your wall outlet for power. DUring a pwer outage, the Big Dog runs on the battery, the pump/system will run for many days (intermittantly) or 7.5 hours (continuously). The system is easy to install too.

The Big Dog costs extra, but I just spent a year finishing my basement myself so a few hundered bucks is well worth the peace of mind to me.