“Every time we get one of these storms we learn about what customers are looking for and what the best products to serve their needs are, not just during the storm, but after as well,” says Pump Express Sales Manager Fred Hettinger.

Many homeowners who would have put off installing battery back-up pumps in their basements prior to the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene last year took the plunge in the aftermath and were on point for Sandy.

“Before the storm we sold a lot of deep cycle batteries for battery back-up pumps,” says Hettinger. “We typically increase our stock of these items in the spring and fall so we were able to meet customer demand.”

Power outages across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have raised the profile of battery-powered backup pumps and water-powered back-up pumps are gaining popularity in areas with municipal water supplies. Hettinger affirms that meeting the demand for battery and water-powered models will be a priority in the coming year.

“After the storm we had a lot of people calling for trash pumps so that’s another item we’ll be keeping in stock,” says Hettinger. “They’re used when large amounts of water need to be removed from roads, buildings and basements and they’re gas operated so you don’t need electricity to run them. I’m also stocking 50-foot, 2-inch fire hoses which are good for dewatering basements and 25-foot plastic corrugated hoses which a lot of people will attach to a second sump pump to assist the primary pump in pumping water from a residential basement.”

A problem associated with megastorm rains is water flowing into homes faster than consumer-grade sump pumps can operate. In light of the recent rise in storm frequency and intensity, growing numbers of residents are exploring heavier-duty pumps.

“We have a number of good products that we’re carrying now,” says Hettinger. “In the primary pump market we’re using a lot of Liberty pumps which are all cast iron and have an epoxy coating that resists oxidation. Pro Series manufactures a great product for the customer who’s looking for a turn-key product that’s both a primary pump and a battery back up pump. Their battery-back up pumps typically move 2-3 times the amount of water that a standard battery back-up pump does. For the customer who’s looking for a permanently-installed commercial grade dewatering system which ranges anywhere from ¾ to 15 horsepower, we stock heavy-duty
Liberty and Zoeller pumps. Above that we get into our larger dewatering pumps of which we have all kinds.”

“As for entirely new products” Hettinger says, “We’re exploring large pump rentals, including 4-inch and 6-inch trailer-mounted pumps.”

For more information on these and other pumps visit our website: www.pumpexpress.com or call  1-800-298-4100.

Share

FLOODING EXPERTS  The scene outside our headquarters after Irene

Before Hurricane Irene hit the Northeast on August 28 of last year, experts warned that it would be a major storm, but the course it took was one few could have predicted. Mandatory evacuations and other precautionary measures were enacted in coastal areas along the Eastern Seaboard but it was upland areas of New York State and Vermont, and low-lying parts of New Jersey, that got hit hardest, resulting in more than $7.8 billion in damages and vividly demonstrating the unpredictability of extreme weather.

At the start of hurricane season this year (June 1^st), national hurricane experts at Colorado State University predicted 13 major storms, 5 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, with a 48% chance of a major hurricane hitting the U.S. coast before the season ends in late November. At Pump Express we are keenly aware of the damage storm related flooding can do (see above). Here is our shortlist of best practices to protect your home and business from flooding:

Log on to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website, plug in the relevant information and pull up the community map that shows your property. Find out if you are in a flood-prone area. Determine your property’s elevation and if it is below flood level consider buying flood insurance.

Install a backflow check valve on your property’s sewer main to prevent the unwanted backflow of sewer water from the city main especially if your town has a combined sanitary and storm sewer system.

Make sure that you have a fully-functional basement sump pump and battery or water powered back-up sump pump on hand in case your primary pump fails. Power outages occur during heavy storms when you need the sump pump the most. Think of a backup sump pump as low-cost basement flood insurance.

For homes with a consistent (40-100psi) municipal water supply, Liberty and Zoeller offer reliable, cost-effective, WATER POWERED PUMPS. Because they don’t run on batteries, they are maintenance-free. However, they are not appropriate for use with an electrically powered well water system or as a substitute for a primary basement sump pump system.

BATTERY POWERED BACK-UP PUMPS can be switched on when the power goes out or the primary pump fails. Some battery back-up pumps run on deep-cycle maintenance-free marine batteries while others run on traditional acid batteries. These require the occasional addition of water.

Zoeller and Pro Series offer preassembled combination systems that couple a primary sump pump and battery backup sump pump in a single system. The primary pump operates off AC power.  If the power is interrupted, or more water is coming into the sump than the AC pump can handle, the backup sump pump will kick-in automatically.  In these systems the primary pump maintains and recharges the back-up battery automatically.

Learn more about the Pro Series line in this video.

Browse the back-up pumps we stock and ship nationally at  www.pumpexpress.com or call us for details: 1-800-298-4100

Share

Share