Based on some advice received here, I'm looking at this as an option for my backup pump. I'm on city water just outside of Chicago, and according to my village, my pressure is 43-45 psi (never below 43). Based on that, I believe I'm a pretty good candidate.

My question is, which one? My requirements are 1) that it can handle a good amount of water -the pump it will back up is very active during periods of rain, as the section of basement it protects is part of an addition and is lower than the rest of the basement, and 2) I'd like some sort of alarm to let me know that it was used, so I can tell if my main pump failed and needs to be serviced or replaced.

I will likely discharge into the same pipe as the main pump - all of the discharge pipes are inside a heated basement, so no worries about freezing the discharge line, and I dump into the sanitary sewer (which IS legal in my suburb).

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Would really appreciate anyone's comments.

Guardian Emergency Back Up Sump Pump
Made by:

A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing Company, can also be reached at 1-800-292-2737.

Here is a link to a listing where you can request information on any of the 10 models they make:
http://www.aymcdonald.com/ProdList_Pumps.cfm?getgroup=95&sendCat=9

If that link doesn't work for you, try the main page link here (then click on the logo for Guardian down a bit on the page in the middle/left column): http://www.aymcdonald.com

I'd imagine a battery back-up for your computer with the alarm set would be an indicator that your power was out, and your water-powered sump had kicked in. Possibly a float alarm could also be added (these can be found powered by a 9v transistor battery), although unlike a battery powered sump pump back up (which has a limited time it can run - due to the charge stored in the battery itself), an alarm is really unnecessary - for as long as you have positive water pressure in excess of 30 psi your water-driven back-up pump will continue to operate. If you aren't at home or within hearing of an audible alarm - it also wouldn't be doing any good.

You might consider a pan or float alarm on the basement floor though - this would alarm should your back-up system fail or fall short, you and go off in the event that water collected at a level certain on your basement floor.

Remember as you size one of these you have to consider not only the volume of ground water you'll be pumping out, but the city water (which drives the pump) will have to be pumped out also.

Appreciate all of your help. Yes, it has been busy around here. Last week during the deluge, my main (Zoeller)pump in the lower basement couldn't quite keep up, and I had some water across the surface of the floor. Fortunately just concrete in there and it dried up quickly, but it emphasized to me that I need a second pump not only to back up my main, but to add pumping capacity in the event of extreme rains like last Thursday night. My upper pump, protecting my finished basement, was fine (second pump never even went off), but as previously mentioned the flow into that 3' higher pit is much less than the one in my lower basement.

So, time to get the second pump installed. A couple of things - first, my reason for wanting an alarm was not so much to let me know of a power outage, but more like a water level alarm to let me know that my main pump failed and likely needs to be replaced. I will probably just tie some water sensors to the discharge pipe, drop them into the pit above the primary pump float line, and this way I'll at least know that my main pump isn't quite working. I never want to be without two working pumps in that area because the flow is so heavy - not to mention if my main pump failed and I didn't know it and was thus using a water powered pump as my main for any extended period of time, I'd have a hefty water bill! So it's not a deal breaker for the pump not to have an alarm, but I do want some kind of water level alarm.

Second, thank you for the information on the A.Y. McDonald pump. I have also looked at the Basepump and the Water Commander from Tane Corp. I got a pressure gauge from Ace Hardware, and measured the pressure at the hose spigot in my back yard at 46-48 psi on a few different readings. Given that, the A.Y. pump at my 10' lift would remove roughly 640 GPH. The Basepump is rated at 750, the Water Commander 1" model at about 1,530. These are the ratings of water removed from the pit, not including the water from the city used to power the pump. I've got 1 1/2" service, and ample 1" pipes in the basement to connect the pump to, so on specs alone it would seem that the Water Commander is the best pump for me to go with - BUT specs don't always tell the story - do you have any experience with this product? If my main pump does fail, or power goes out and I'm not home to hook up a generator, I really need a backup pump that pumps as much as a primary.

So based on those facts, would you still recommend the A.Y. pump, or could you recommend one of the other two I mentioned?

Thanks again for all of your help.

I have no idea what type of flow issues you would have.

You have had apparent success with a professional company once - perhaps they might be of assistance in helping you calculate your GPM (gallons per minute) or GPH (gallons per hour) requirements during periods of heavy rainfall.

For example for the guardian it is here: http://www.aymcdonald.com/GenInfo/Pumps/Guardian%20Works.pdf

You'll need adobe to read it. The chart for the flow is at the bottom of page four.

When I said the Guardian would pump about 640 GPH. I looked at the info you sent me last week. I eyeballed the chart on p. 4, and since they don't give readings at 46-48 psi and 10' lift, I interpolated between the 40 and 60 psi numbers and the 9' and 12' lift. Based on that, which yielded my estimate of 640 GPH, it would seem that the Guardian has the lowest water removal of the three (Basepump and Water Commander being higher). However, since you recommended the AYMcD product, I thought you might have had some experience with this particular model - and if there is something I should consider beyond the specified pumping capacities. I only see one AYMcD model - the other products are essentially accessories for the Guardian.

So, based purely on the numbers, and the fact that my water supply is 1 1/2", it would seem that the Water Commander would be best suited for me - I know that if my main pump fails during a heavy rain, 640 GPH won't cut it - I'm sure my main pump has twice that capacity.

But before I made the decison, I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Thanks again.

They don't install water powered backups, just the battery ones. The battery backup on my upper pit is rated to remove 2,500 GPH - only a 5' lift on my upper pump. At 10', it would remove about 1,500 GPH, but since it is battery powered, as you mentioned I'd be SOL on my contantly cycling lower pit if I had an extended power outage and I wan't home to hook up a generator.