I was wondering if anyone would recommend those APC backup battery powered units to keep a sump pump running for 1-3 hours. We often lose power for this amount of time and wanted to have this as a backup instead of a generator.
My sump pump is 120V, 60hz, 15 amps (min).
Any other brands you recommend?
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Wow, same question asked by two different people in two different threads in two different forums on the same day: Link.
Answer there is correct -- there's no way any UPS in this class could handle such a task. You're stuck with a small gas powered generator to run that kind of load. For something that load I would look at a 2500W running unit as a min. If you know the surge load when starting the motor compare that to the specs of the generator as well.
Get a battery operated backup sump pump and use a marine battery. Probably set you back about $350-$400
I've looked at this option but I think I'll go with the generator options because my fish tank requires a backup system as well.
Tend to agree, 15amps is alot of draw and most desktop UPS systems were not designed for that. (APC Desktop UPS says 15amps in the internal breaker limit, so anything over 15 and the fuse blows)
Even if it will handle it, your not going to get 2-3 hours out of it.
120V * 15Amp = 1800W
According to APC Website, a 2200VA UPS from their business line would only run for 8 minutes under this load.
A Marine battery type solution to act as a buffer and then a Generator (Preferably one that can be auto started) would be your best solution.
Your larger home improvement chains carry battery powered sump pumps. Shop around, and you'll be surprised at how cheap they can be for the whole system. Also, do a web search for "sump pump battery backup" for even more options.
Also keep in mind the capacity that the backup pump can operate at.
This has been a concern of mine lately too so I will share my thoughts.
portable generator:
cheaper (new and on craigslist/etc)
need space to store
need to wheel out of garage to use
easiest to wire (just plug sump/etc. into generator
need to test manually on occasion
need to keep gas (not a huge concern if you already have for lawn mower/snow blower)
runs around ten hours at 1/2 load (this is a generic number for comparison)
autostart generator: something like a guardian backup generator
more expensive
setup outside
needs to be wired into home wiring (something I'm not comfortable doing myself)
runs off natural gas
needs to have the gas line run to generator
starts on it's own
self tests
larger capacity
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