Power out · pit overflowing
Grid is down. Water is climbing the crock. Pick a backup type first — battery, municipal-water, or a generator that keeps the AC pump alive — then two kits you can order or have installed. Saturday, August 29, 2026.
This recommends one backup type and two kits. It does not size a pump or replace a plumber. Battery sold separately on every battery kit below.
A backup is not a second primary pump. It sits next to the 120 V unit and takes over when the grid dies or the primary cannot keep up.
| Need | Battery backup | Water-powered backup | Generator or power station |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it runs on | A charged 12 V deep-cycle battery. Charger needs AC until the outage starts. | Pressure from the municipal water main. No battery. No house electricity. | Fuel, solar, or stored watt-hours. Powers the existing AC primary pump if you can feed that circuit safely. |
| Well water | Works. The well is irrelevant to a DC pump in the pit. | Does not work. No city-main pressure. When the well pump loses power, the backup has nothing to drive it. | Can run the well pump and the sump if the generator is sized and wired for both. That is an electrical job, not a pit kit. |
| Runtime | Limited by battery health and how often the float cycles. Manufacturer sheets give continuous vs duty-cycle hours — not a storm forecast. | As long as the city main stays pressurized. Uses city water while it runs. | As long as you have fuel or charge. Quiet inverter units still need you (or an auto-transfer setup) to start them. |
| Install | Second pump in the basin, check valve, battery box nearby. Pit has to be big enough for two pumps and two floats. | 3/4 in supply from the city line, discharge, often a backflow preventer. Some towns require an RPZ. | Interlock or transfer switch for a generator. A power station on an extension cord is a stopgap, not a code install. |
| Freeze risk | Cold basement cuts battery capacity. A discharged wet-cell can freeze. Outdoor discharge freeze is the same as any sump. | The city-water supply line can freeze in an unheated crawl, garage, or rim joist. | Do not run a generator indoors (carbon monoxide). Outdoor ice and exhaust. Discharge freeze same as any sump. |
| When it fails you | Dead, sulfated, or undersized battery. Float hung up. You never tested it. | Well water. Low city pressure. Frozen or closed supply valve. Missing backflow hardware. | No fuel. No one home to start it. Overloaded inverter. |
Water-powered needs municipal water-main pressure. It does not work on well water. If your house is on a well, skip that column. If you are on city water in Chicago or the inner suburbs, it is a real option for multi-day outages — and it will show up on the water bill while it runs.
Prices, GPH, and review counts are omitted. Retailer numbers move; manufacturer sheets are the source. Battery is sold separately unless a listing explicitly includes one.
Verify current listing — Amazon ASINs get reused.
Verify current listing — confirm the page still says ESP25n, not the old ESP25.
Verify current listing.
Not exhaustive. Not an endorsement. Not SumpPick as the contractor. Phones are from each company’s public site as of August 29, 2026.
Full Chicago-suburbs directory → Naperville, Oak Park, Aurora, Evanston, Elgin, Joliet, and more — the original five below plus newly verified listings.
Schaumburg and Highland Park, IL
Sump pumps and battery backup listed among services on their site.
Burr Ridge, IL
800-421-7325 (800-421-SEAL)
Sump pump installation and replacement listed. Serving Chicago and NW Indiana since 1979 per their site.
Schaumburg, IL
Basement waterproofing, drain tile, and sump pumps. Oak Park and broader Chicagoland on their service-area pages.
Chicago, IL (North Side; Ravenswood office listed on their waterproofing page)
jblantonplumbing.com/basement-waterproofing
Sump pump installation and maintenance listed with drain tile and flood control.
West Chicago, IL
Sump systems, battery backups, and waterproofing. Greater Chicagoland coverage stated on their site.
If the pit is already overflowing, the picker can wait. Shut off household power to standing water if you can do it from a dry location, then call one of the above. This page is a directory, not emergency dispatch.