Dear Youngman:

After our discussion about the sump pump the other day, I came across
information on a water-powered backup sump pump that will keep working
with no electricity.  The contractor that installed our battery backup
never mentioned this as an option.  The battery backup lasts up to about
30 hours and has to be replaced every few years.  The water powered back
up is inexpensive and can work indefinitely.  They even have a model that
you can install yourself, though I'll leave this project to a
professional.

I would not willingly buy another house with an inground basement but am
looking to fortify our sump pump system with one of these water powered
backups.  A few years ago, there was an electrical outage that lasted in
some places for WEEKS...it seems that these contractors would install a
water-powered backup as a matter of course.  I didn't even know they
existed.

Mephibosheth