Is this price legit for a backup sump??

[Billbill84]

Hi guys. So last week I had a plumber company come out and write up a quote for backup sump pump in the basement. I wanted a water powered system but after seeing my fully finished basement and where the main was located at, he said there's no way it would work without tearing out a lot of drywall. He showed me the Zoeller system battery backup system with this self-charging battery and alarm notification crap and all that, parts and labor for 2200 and to have it done on a separate discharge line to add another 300 for that! Is this completely outrageous? I talked to a plumber buddy and he said honestly for a job that's a 2-3 hrs long, a thousand bucks just in labor is typically the average and the Zoeller system being top of the line is usually about a grand itself. Any thoughts on this price?

 

[billshack]

I do think that it is too high by half. i figure parts $700. labour $400.

 

[nealtw]

The second discharge is a must, we can not see the difficulty in the job so commenting on the labour would not be fair. Competitive quotes is they only thing that counts, Have everyone quote the same job so you can compare, if they suggest something different ask for 2 quotes

 

[Billbill84]

The second discharge is a must, we can not see the difficulty in the job so commenting on the labour would not be fair. Competitive quotes is they only thing that counts, Have everyone quote the same job so you can compare, if they suggest something different ask for 2 quotes

Copy that, thanks!

 

[Puddlesx5]

The battery back up pumps are incredibly expensive (yes $1500 is not out of line for the system). You get usually a boat bilge pump and all the parts one needs for backup system work.
You are far better off getting a backup generator

 

[Billbill84]

The battery back up pumps are incredibly expensive (yes $1500 is not out of line for the system). You get usually a boat bilge pump and all the parts one needs for backup system work.
You are far better off getting a backup generator

Thanks for the info. A backup generator would probably cost me over 5k and wouldn't do me any good should the pump itself have a mechanical failure

 

[Puddlesx5]

You don't need a whole house generator. All you need is one large enough for the job.
And as for mechanical failure I've had more failures with backup systems then just Installing a second pump in the same crock (one submersible and one pedestal). How you spend your money is ultimately up to you. I have no horse in this race.

 

[Billbill84]

You don't need a whole house generator. All you need is one large enough for the job.
And as for mechanical failure I've had more failures with backup systems then just Installing a second pump in the same crock (one submersible and one pedestal). How you spend your money is ultimately up to you. I have no horse in this race.

So you mean a small generator just to run the vitals? What if I'm not home can it be wired in to start automatically?

 

[Puddlesx5]

Backup generator come in all different sizes. A 7kw with wifi is about $2000. You can have them automatically switch or manually again its all in how you want it to be. Obviously automatic is more expensive. I am not an electrician or salesman for the product. I am just a plumber.

 

[hornetd]

So you mean a small generator just to run the vitals? What if I'm not home can it be wired in to start automatically?

A backup generator that can carry your critical loads can be installed with an automatic transfer switch with, stop, exercise, cool down on utility power return, as well as start control. If you are not heating your home or water, cooking, nor drying clothes with electricity a 7-10 kW generator will run everything in the home that you need to lead a reasonably normal life. The size of generator set will mostly be controlled by the size of the home if you must have air conditioning to cope. A basement room with a unit air conditioner would allow you to keep one space comfortable while you wait out power restoration. If you don't have a basement you could choose a room with a low level of direct sunlight as a substitute. If you have a room which must be kept cool you can consider adding a crank out awning to reduce the direct solar heating.

Get inventive or spend more money on the generator.

--
Tom Horne