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Question: The home we purchased has two sumps- one for sewer, the other was put in when the basement was waterproofed by the previous owners. I've seen the different sump pumps which can run on a backup battery, which sell for a pretty penny. My question is has anyone ever used a battery backup like what is used for computers? We use them at work and our IT guy suggested using one (made by APC) instead of buying a special sump pump. You simply would plug the APC unit into an electrical outlet and then plug a normal sump pump into the battery backup. My concern is during spring time - the sump for the basement waterproofing runs frequently during march and april. I am afraid of the amount of water which might accumulate with a several hour power outtage caused by a storm in the spring time. here is their site: http://www.apc.com/ I'd appreciate any thoughts and advice.
Answer: Not recommended. These power supplies are designed to be used with computers that have rectified and filtered switching power supplies. The output wave shape of these UPSs are not a true sine wave and may not be compatible with an induction motor. It will probably run, but run much slower. Another problem is the starting and running power requirement of the sump motor. If the sump motor is rated 5 amps @ 120 volts, that's 600 volt-amps. You would need the next higher VA rated ups, say 1000 VA (expensive). UPSs can handle surges, so it may handle the motor starting load. Finally, these UPSs are designed to give servers enough time to shut themselves down. At such a heavy load, you may only get 10 minutes of run time. If you are without power for a few hours and in a heavy rain, you may use up that time quickly! Running the batteries down often will kill them fast, meaning an expensive battery replacement.
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