
Sump pump failure can lead to a very serious flood in your basement if you have no backup system in place. You should never count on just one pump to keep your basement or crawl space dry.
Like any mechanical utility within your home, your sump pump can eventually fail. A sump pump contains moving parts that can wear out or malfunction over the years.
The best way to make sure your home is protected from a sump pump failure is to make sure that you have a battery backup pump and secondary sump pump ready to operate in an emergency.
At Woods Basement Systems, we install sump pump systems that are equipped to handle your basement water problem.
Common Battery Backup Designs
(Click for more information about each solution.)
Sump pumps lose power for a variety of reasons. Aside from the obvious power failure, it's possible for a circuit to trip, especially pumps plugged into GFI outlets.
At Woods Basement Systems, we've also seen many cases where the pump was unplugged by someone who needed to use the outlet, but forgot to plug the sump back into the outlet. In some situations, this has led to water damage to nearly everything stored in the basement.
You'll be glad to have a battery backup sump pump installed!
We recommend installing Basement Systems UltraSump® Battery Backup System.
The UltraSump® system can pump out an excess of 11,500 gallons of water on a fully charged battery-- that's enough water to fill a small swimming pool!
To alert you of power failure, the UltraSump® sounds an alarm when it runs and silences when the pump cycles off. For your convenience, the alarm can also be hooked up to your home security system so you can be notified by phone.
If you have a primary sump pump and a battery backup sump pump, your basement is already well on its way to being protected.
However, if your primary sump pump fails due to mechanical failure, your basement waterproofing is only good as long as your battery backup can last. And if your sump pump is being overwhelmed due to an unusually high volume of water, it's best to have a secondary sump pump that can kick in and help keep the water down.
What's Keeping Your Basement Dry? |
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| The Problem | Primary Sump Pump | Secondary Pump | Battery Backup Pump |
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| Heavy Rain Overwhelms Primary Pump |
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| Complete Power Failure | ![]() |
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| Primary Pump Failure | ![]() |
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| Primary & Secondary Pump Failure |
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Sometimes, a homeowner will tie their sump pump system into their generator to keep it powered during outages.
However, this only works if you are home (and awake) to turn the system on. Automatic systems typically cost $7,000-$10,000 to install. Because there is only one pump, you will have no secondary system to address heavy rains or primary pump failure.
Some sump systems include a battery that converts DC battery power into AC power to charge your primary pump.
Transforming DC power to AC is a highly inefficient process, and these battery backup systems often lose their charge within an hour's time. Because there is only one pump, you also will not be protected from pump failure or overwhelming water volume.
Water-powered sump pumps use your water supply to run your sump pump system. Thus, they can operate without power.
Unfortunately, water-powered pumps pump very slowly and require you to have very high water pressure. They are also wasteful systems, discharging 3-5 gallons of good water for every gallons of groundwater pumped out of your home.
Battery Backup Sump Pumps use a battery and a separate battery-powered sump pump to operate.
When a high-quality battery backup is installed, you can pump out thousands of gallons of water on a single charge. And because you have a second pump installed, you're covered during sump pump failures and during overwhelming rains as well as during power outages.
Looking for a price? Get a no cost, no obligation free estimate.
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Woods Basement Systems replaced this old, wooden crawl space hatch with the Turtl crawl space entry system.
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Basement wall cracks like this one in Sullivan, Illinois allow water to leak in and potentially flood a basement. Woods Basement systems installs the FlexiSpan wall crack repair system to seal the crack and prevent further leakage.
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The dirt crawl space in this Saint Louis, Missouri home was filthy, cluttered, and exposed to high humidity and mold growth. Woods Basement Systems installed a SmartSump sump pump system, sealed the crawl space with the CleanSpace vapor barrier, and installed the SaniDry dehumidification system to keep this crawl space clean and dry.
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This Granite City, Illinois home suffered major damage after its foundation wall bowed inward leaving nothing to support this external brick wall. As the foundation moved further away from the brick wall the brick wall began to sink which resulted in the damage shown in the before picture. Woods Basement Systems installed several foundation repair systems such as piers and anchors. After the foundation was repaired Woods Basement Systems installed basement waterproofing products such as WaterGuard and an UltraSump. WaterGuard is unique in that it sits on the footing of a home's foundation which keeps the WaterGuard from getting clogged up with dirt and mud. Damage such as the damage pictured can ocurr if foundation problems are ignored for too long. If you see that your basement walls are beginning to crack it is imperative that a foundation specialist diagnose the extent of the damage.
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This Granite City, Illinois home had major foundation trouble originating from a bowing foundation wall. As the wall bowed inward the brickwork on the exterior of the home began to sink which resulted in the damage shown in the before picture. Woods Basement Systems installed several foundation repair products ranging from piering to anchors and even installed waterproofing to ensure the basement did not end up flooded.
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This Ballwin, Missouri home had water leaking in at the base of its walls. Woods Basement Systems installed WaterGuard to prevent water from building up around the outside of the walls of this basement. Water buildup can create hydrostatic pressure which leads to problems other than water leakage. WaterGuard is unique in that it sits on the footing of a home's foundation rather than in the dirt which prevents the WaterGuard from becomming clogged with dirt or mud. (please note that the concrete in the picture had not had time to cure prior to the taking of the picture)
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This Ballwin, Missouri home had a sump pump installed by Woods Basement Systems. Woods Basement Systems offers several waterproofing options ranging from sump pumps to WaterGuard. WaterGuard was also installed in this home. WaterGuard is a system designed to prevent water from building up around the walls of a home which can create hydrostatic pressure and cause problems other than leakage. (please note that the concrete in this photograph had not had time to cure prior to the taking of the photograph)
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This Chesterfield, Missouri basement has leaks that leave the basement floor covered with water. In the before picture we see an entry point for water. WaterGuard was installed in this home which is a unique waterproofing system in that it sits on the footing of the home's foundation rather than in the mud which prevents the WaterGuard from clogging with mud. (please note that the concrete in the after picture had not had time to cure prior to the taking of the picture)
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This O'Fallon, Missouri home had a sump pump but lacked any other form of waterproofing. Woods Basement Systems serviced the existing sump pump and installed WaterGuard. WaterGuard is a waterproofing system that shunts water away from the home. WaterGuard is unique in that it sits on top of the footing of the home which prevents it from filling with dirt and mud.
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This St. Louis, Missouri home had bowing walls as well as wall cracks. Woods Basement Systems installed wall anchors to repair the bowing walls. FlexiSpan is used to effectively repair and waterproof wall cracks.
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This Ballwin, Missouri home had cracked walls as well as bowing walls. Woods Basement Systems installed wall anchors to correct the bowing wall. FlexiSpan can be used to effectively repair and waterproof a wall crack.
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Woods Basement Systems came into this St. Louis, Missouri home to install a new sump pump. Woods Basement Systems offers various waterproofing options including WaterGuard. WaterGuard is unique in that it sits on top of the footing of a home which prevents it from becoming clogged with dirt and mud.
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This Gerald, Missouri home had water leaking in around the door shown. Adding a drain and WaterGuard in front of the door prevents water from leaking into the home. Woods Basement Systems offers several waterproofing systems that prevent water from entering a home. (please note that the concrete in the after photograph had not had time to cure prior to the taking of the picture)
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This St. Peters, Missouri home had bowing walls which can lead to wall cracks that allow water to seep into a basement. Woods Basement Systems installed wall anchors to return the walls to their original shape.
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This St. Louis, Missouri basement didn't have any form of waterproofing or a sump pump. Woods Basement Systems installed an UltraSump and WaterGuard. WaterGuard is unique in that it is installed on the footing of the home which prevents it from clogging with dirt. (please note that the concrete in the after picture had not had time to cure prior to the taking of the picture)
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This St. Charles, Missouri crawl space had a dirt floor that was beginning to collect water. When water and dirt mixes mold begins to grow which creates foul odors. Installing CleanSpace in a crawl space provides an effective vapor barrier that prevents mold growth.
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This Frontenac, Missouri crawl space had a dirt floor that was holding water which is a formula for mold growth which causes foul odors. Woods Basement Systems installed CleanSpace which acts as a vapor barrier and also provides a clean area for the homeowner to use as storage.
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This Westville, Illinois sump pump was outdated and inefficient. Woods Basement Systems installed a new sump pump with a battery backup. The battery backup means that even if the power goes out during a storm the sump pump will continue to run and keep water from filling the basement. Woods Basement Systems also offers several other waterproofing options to ensure that water nevers makes it inside the home.
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This building in Hoopeston, Illinois has bowing walls which the occupants attempted to repair using caulk which does not fix a bowing wall problem, it merely covers it until it gets worse. Woods Basement Systems diagnosed the bowing walls and installed an anchor system to not only stop the walls from bowing in further but also to return the walls to their original shape.
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This Belleville, Illinois home's walls were beginning to bow. Installing wall anchors is a way to not only stop the bowing of a wall but also to return the walls to their original shape.
The crew showed up on time and performed the work exactly as expected.
Testimonial by Virginia B. from Flat Rock, IL
The service men were some of the nicest I've ever met! My home is a lot more healthy now that we have our appliances. I'm so glad I chose Woods!
Testimonial by Janet A. from Bismarck, IL






