this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2026
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Sump pumps are one of the most boring parts of home ownership. Until that one storm comes and suddenly they're interesting.

After losing power one time this summer, I got paranoid and decided to build a battery backup. Home Depot had the basement watchdog systems, but they seemed high maintenance and I wanted something that would let me be lazier. I went with a LifePo4 battery system, that will (hopefully) get me 10 to 15 years. The battery charger has a float/storage mode so it can stay on 24/7. Doing some test runs, I think I can get about 400 cycles out of the battery before it hits 0%. I added some additional safety features (DC circuit breaker, GFCI with auto-on, Lithium fire extinguiser, etc), and added some battery powered lights and a basket of hand tools, so in the event the power goes out in the dead of night, something goes wrong, and I have to get my feet wet, everything is there ready to go.

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[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 hours ago

We got flooded a bunch of times when the power got knocked out, because the town allowed development onto old swamp land that became a flood plain when the lake level was high and heavy rains came.

My dad installed a water based pump, it had a turbo type spool. City water pressure coming in on one side spun the pump shaft to pump out the sump. You are dumping city water into the sump too, but at a small volume x high pressure vs pumping out at low pressure x high volume.

So all was fine, just had to hope the town didn't lose water pressure at same time as power outage.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 hour ago

I hate the need for them. My fathers house had a basement with windows that if water was against would 100% flood in if not from somewhere else. never flooded and no sump pump. would not be surprised if it would flood a basement nowadays on the property though.

[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I'd say a cheap charger-inverter like a Sungold or SRNE would clean this up quite a bit. You'd also not have to size a surge suppressor to withstand the inrush current since the inverter would be supplying the load. It would have a generator input on top of all that. And IDK what sort of inverter you have there, but a lot of those style are modified sinewave and not very good on motors. You'd also get a good data feed off the CI for monitoring, and a dry contact for an alarm siren if the battery hit critical.

But I like the DIY route, those purpose built backups seem ridiculously expensive to me.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago

The all-in-ones are nice, but expensive. I specifically went with high quality (but individually purposed) components, to save some money and also make repairs and replacements easier & cheaper.

The inverter is an AIMS pure sine wave (not modified) rated to 2000w continuous and 4000w peak. I chose it so that I could safely throw any consumer sump pump rated for a 15amp receptacle at it without worry. If you're careful and considerate, you could downgrade to a 1500w/3000w or even 1000w/2000w inverter if you're positive the pumps won't exceed the limits (would work on smaller 1/3hp systems, etc).

The current setup handles my Zoeller M95 that peaks at 16.5A with ease.

Regarding monitoring, the white cables are ZWave devices, I have set up to measure current and power draw.

[–] butter_tart@piefed.ca 3 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

And LAMINATED DOCUMENTATION!! Love the setup!!

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I missed that, thanks for pointing it out.

I'll have to get my dad to do this at his place. He's on a well, water softener, and fancy septic tank, as well as sump and sewer being pumped up from basement level to ground level for removal.

The system looks impressive, but if he's not around in an emergency I would not know what pipe or valve does what.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

Every device and power cable has a label. So if the instructions say "disconnect ATS from Inverter", you just look for for two devices with those labels.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago

Yessir, 'cause you know when I need to actually work on this thing...it'll be in the middle of a storm, when the power is out, and the water is rising in the pit, and I'll be stressed outta my gourd. So I'll need battery powered lights, and tools sitting right there, and instructions on how to connect and disconnect everything, so I don't actually have to think under pressure :D

[–] titter@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Mad respect. However if i was a child or grandchild of yours i would unplug this squirrel's nest and ask you about the fire hazard in the basement (until educated about the functioning parts).

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago

Oh you are so right...there's a reason the battery is 6.5 feet off the ground, and the frame is hanging from the joists with structural screws so nothing can get knocked over... kids man...yea, if they unplug all the stuff at the bottom, I'll get an email stating as much. And I've screwed everything to the board, so at least they won't be able to pull anything off.

[–] CorrectAlias@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (2 children)

LiFePo4 batteries are awesome. Much less (but not zero) fire potential than standard lithium, many more cycles than lead acid, and can drain to zero without not getting damaged like lead acid and standard lithium batteries. I'm pretty sure they're better with low temperatures as well.

The primary con is their weight and size for how much energy they can deliver.

I'm sure you know all of this already, I just love batteries. I use LiFePo4 batteries in my UPS for my homelab because I got tired of having to replace the lead acid ones every couple of years.

Edit: is your fire extinguisher of F-500 type? An ABC extinguisher would also work in most cases since this is LiFePo4, but F-500 (or AVD) is the best way to put out metal fires, if you're paranoid about it. Most likely though, if your battery has a thermal event, it'll just off gas some nasty vapor for a bit since this battery chemistry doesn't self-oxidize and cause a cascade of failures. As long as there's not something sparking to ignite that vapor, you're probably good.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago

It's AVD. Bro, do you know of consumer level F-500? That seems like pro shit you'd have to have a contractor install AFAIK lol.

[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Having used LA batteries for years on watering and fencing, the day I discovered LFP batteries was a glorious day.

They last forever, they discharge down to nothing with no damage, you don't get corrosion on the terminals. You can't boil them, you don't need to check water level, they weigh half as much for the capacity.

Even though initially expensive, I calculated they're about a quarter of the cost over the long term than LA because of the cycle count and amount I need for the extended capacity. I get about 30-40% of a LA battery's capacity without doing lasting harm to it, with LFP I can abuse that thing all the way down until it's completely exhausted and it charges right back up again.

Only thing I have to watch is charging them below freezing, so I have to run them in an insulated and heated box in the winter.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

It gets very cold where I live. I should look into an auto shut off of the battery charger if it dips too cold in my basement. Unlikely to go below 32F but you never know. The BMS will do it itself, but I'd rather not rely on it.

[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 67 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

This board consistently has the most interesting posts on the fediverse lol. Well done. Makes me want to not rent even more ;s;

There have been projects that made me wish I still rented. Home ownership is constantly dealing with the last guys fuckups.

But if you live in one place long enough, eventually the "last guy" is just you and if you do the job right, the volume of fuckups decreases over time. Some people like renting because they don't want to deal with the maintenance. I like owning because it's mine, I can do what I want with it, and I don't have to put up with the "landlord special."

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 33 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

After finishing the project, I tried to show my wife and she was like -

"so this keeps the basement from flooding"
"yes"
"ok, you don't need to bore me with the details"

then this community popped into my head XD

[–] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 11 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

She probably doesn't even know which distro you maintain on her laptop.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 5 points 16 hours ago (3 children)

No laptop....she only has a phone

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[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 5 points 17 hours ago

We're all standard nerds down here..,

[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 23 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

I see the fire extinguisher is mounted in a convenient location should the board catch on fire. Easy to reach, you know, around all the flames.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 16 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

There’s a second one 10 ft away.

[–] northendtrooper@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 hours ago

Your concern of fire with the smoke detector and fire extinguisher, is something I strive for with my hobbies. Well done!

[–] vrek@programming.dev 9 points 20 hours ago (6 children)

Since it's on the basement, make sure it's not "made in Briton"

Nothing against the British, it's an it crowd reference

[–] Akasazh@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

I'm going to put it there, together with the rest of the fire

[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 hours ago

To whom it may concern:

FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!!!

Yours truly Moss

[–] vrek@programming.dev 1 points 5 hours ago

Remember to place the monitor just so

[–] RheumatoidArthritis@mander.xyz 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, I had inverter feed cable just like the one in front of that board almost catch fire. The smell of melting insulation saved the day.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 hours ago

That’s why I have a circuit breaker on the positive feed line. Kills the circuit at the amperage that begins to melt the cable.

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[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 8 points 16 hours ago

Nice try. I know a flux capictor when I see one.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 17 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

Jesus, you know they make 120 v sumps with a 12v backup right? :)

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 16 points 18 hours ago (9 children)

Indeed they do. But I'm lazy. I'll explain:

The systems with the 12v backups only activate said backup when the main pump fails, typically due to a power outage. So if you live in an area with consistent power, the backup will hardly ever activate. Over time the backup atrophies due to never cycling and then when your main does fail, the backup is also dead too. Then you're fucked.

To fix this, they recommend going down and unplugging your main, and running a hose or something to your pit to test the backup every 12 months or so, making sure it works. But who wants to do that.

With my system, I have a pump alternator (silver box, bottom left in pic). So I have two primary pumps, and it flips between 'em. So each pump runs half as often as normal. If one pump fails, the alternator flips to the other one and triggers an alert. This alert emails me saying "yo something is fucked up with the pump", and from there I have to diagnose and fix it. But it's asynchronous and I don't have to worry about it until I get that email. Only thing I really need to check on an annual basis is the battery health, which is bluetooth'd to my phone.

[–] talentedkiwi@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

If your sump pump moves any amount of water consistently you could automate it with your home assistant (or whatever because I see the zooz high power switches). Just automate the switch to go off and monitor the other one. You could even have it run every month or something.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 hour ago

I'm using them to monitor via Grafana

[–] maturelemontree@lemmy.zip 3 points 16 hours ago

Honestly very cool setup. I'd love something like this if I get a house that needs a sump.

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[–] Bell@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Am I not understanding something, why not just a UPS?

[–] seathru@quokk.au 11 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

A UPS with that capacity would likely be 5-10x the cost of what OP built.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 11 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Thanks for chiming in because yes - the answer is "money".

Parting out the system as individual components saved me a ton of it. In addition, it will be easy to identify and replace problematic components if and when they fail (for a fraction of replacing a UPS that meets the power requirements).

[–] Zomg@piefed.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

How much did this cost you? Just trying to compare a my Ecoflow which I use for a network UPS. It's got a capacity to run steady for an hour or two I think.

[–] bigmclargehuge@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

For the core backup system with the battery, inverter, ATS, charger, circuit breaker, etc. Right around $900 or so.

I’ve calculated it to do 400ish cycles. So if my pumps turn on every 5 minutes, it’ll go about 33 hours.

[–] Zomg@piefed.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Sounds pretty good. I'd spend that much for that length of operating time

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