Recommendation for sump pump call-out alarm system?

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TequilaMB

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We're just recovering from yet another sump pump malfunction/failure that flooded our partially finished basement. We've had a Zoeller Basement Sentry battery backup installed, but I would like to supplement this with some kind of alarm system that will sound an audible alarm to alert us to the main pump's failure if we are home, and alert us by phoning our cell phones (preferably more than one number) if we are away. I discovered the 513 Alert by Woodstar and thought it was a good bet, ordered it, but I think they may have gone out of business because I didn't receive any order confirmations, and they're not replying to my repeated phone calls and e-mails. In fact the e-mails are bouncing.

I found several alarm systems online, such as the Reliance Controls THP201 Automatic Phone Out Alarm with 3 Functions, Control Products HS-700 Freezealarm Homesitter Multi-Functional Alarm Dialer with Audible Alarm, and the Control Products WA-700 WaterAlarm Dialer. Has anyone had any experience with any of these systems, or do you know of another system that would be preferable? Would like to keep the cost under $250 if possible.
 
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DonL

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Many times the remote paging does little good.

Makes you Panic that is for sure.

To let you know while someone is home, this is a reliable alarm.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/22-9362


If you have a always on internet connection, then email alerts may be better than a phone dialer.
 

TequilaMB

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I definitely need some way to monitor things remotely. I do not have an always-on internet connection, it is power-dependent.
 

DonL

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I definitely need some way to monitor things remotely. I do not have an always-on internet connection, it is power-dependent.

Not sure what brand Internet Router you have, but some have built in Email Alerts.

Cat5 connected to a Switch could trigger a Alert and the router could do the Email routing.

If you loose power, then whatever you use would needed a backup plan.

The nice thing about a Real telephone line, is that in normally works in a power fail mode, But the triggering device must also.


Good Luck with your project.
 

LLigetfa

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I don't have remote alerting on my sump but I do have a local alarm. If/when my alarm triggers, I usually have at least 4 hours before it becomes critical. There is usually someone around to hear it unless we are away on vacation. That said, it is only a crawlspace, not a finished basement so the damage would be less.

I work in IT and have all manner of alerting on my systems. I use a product called WhatsUp for pager, email, and cellphone text alerts. A lot of my equipment can also send alerts directly. I have temperature, airflow, humidity, door contacts, and aux. inputs that can trigger alerts. I have IP cameras as well with aux. inputs that can trigger an alert and email pictures. Anything critical is on UPS with genset backup. My cellphone provider has an email to text gateway that will accept an email and resend it as a text msg.

At home, my internet router is on UPS and my ISP is too so the internet access works through outages as long as the UPS batteries have not depleted.
 

Hackney plumbing

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We're just recovering from yet another sump pump malfunction/failure that flooded our partially finished basement. We've had a Zoeller Basement Sentry battery backup installed, but I would like to supplement this with some kind of alarm system that will sound an audible alarm to alert us to the main pump's failure if we are home, and alert us by phoning our cell phones (preferably more than one number) if we are away. I discovered the 513 Alert by Woodstar and thought it was a good bet, ordered it, but I think they may have gone out of business because I didn't receive any order confirmations, and they're not replying to my repeated phone calls and e-mails. In fact the e-mails are bouncing.

I found several alarm systems online, such as the Reliance Controls THP201 Automatic Phone Out Alarm with 3 Functions, Control Products HS-700 Freezealarm Homesitter Multi-Functional Alarm Dialer with Audible Alarm, and the Control Products WA-700 WaterAlarm Dialer. Has anyone had any experience with any of these systems, or do you know of another system that would be preferable? Would like to keep the cost under $250 if possible.

If you have a home security system it may can be programmed to supervise a water sensor. You may only need the sensors and the alarm guy to program it. Home security systems can do alot! Just an idea for you.
 

ferdinand

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My recommendation is a product called Detectit which is a sewage alarm system and it can activate an automatic voice dialer that should solve your problem.
 

ct-esq

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sensor input to alarm or similar is a better choice

I have a dual pump system, one main a/c pump and a dc back up. the back up pump has a charger/monitoring system that has an output that can be wired to an open sensor point in most home alarm systems. this way, i'm not dealing with the alarm when the water is overflowing my sump or reaching a critical level. the output sends a signal when the backup turns on and starts pumping. that is a signal that either the power is out or my main pump has failed. I have it wired into my home alarm system. if you don't have a home alarm, most of the major manufacturers - reliance, control, etc.- sell stand along dialers with a water sensor line, a temperature sensor line and an open sensor input. you simply wire the backup monitor unit right to the dialer. some have 9v or similar battery backup that puts out enough juice to open the trunk to make a phone call or three.

This is the dual pump system that I have installed. Several other companies offer similar products with the same output.

it works great. in the hurricane at the end of august, we lost power, my alarm went off, and it took me about 5 mins to get the generator out of the garage, started, and run an extension cord back to the house and in to the basement to the main pump. the backup worked flawlessly on battery power. in this instance, the entire neighborhood was out for a week. the backup will also run if the main pump is overwhelmed, or fails, during normal power operations.

Six months earlier, we had a brief power outage during a storm but this was when i did not yet have the dual system installed. in the 5min it took me to get the power restored via generator, i had 200gal in my basement (calculated by the number of times i had to empty the wet vac during clean up).

I can't remember the standalone autodialers I investigated, but i recall skylink and reliance and control products, i think.
 
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How about a system that sends text messages and doesn't need an always on internet connection, phone line, or even power? The PitBoss Cellular Pump Alarm stands by these features and runs on dependable cellular technology, the same that is currently trusted by over 1,300 government municipalities across the US and Canada. Please learn more about our sump pump alarm at http://www.pumpalarm.com.
 

DonL

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How about a system that sends text messages and doesn't need an always on internet connection, phone line, or even power? The PitBoss Cellular Pump Alarm stands by these features and runs on dependable cellular technology, the same that is currently trusted by over 1,300 government municipalities across the US and Canada.


How much is the Monthly Cell Phone Fee ?
 

nmcbride

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Hi, check out this new WIFI Sump Pump alarm that sends texts and emails - http://www.absoluteautomation.com/sumpspot-wifi-sump-pump-alarm-for-texting/ - you will need some type of battery back up for your modem/router for power outages, but the unit is free to own and operate. It just runs on your existing WiFi, it supervises itself to so if something goes wrong and the system loses connection with the cloud you will know right away as the emails are actually sent from the cloud (so unaffected by local power outages).
 

DonL

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That sounds nice.

You can have it text or email the insurance company, so they know you will be filing a claim.


How cool is that.
 
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