Let’s take a look at how sump pumps work and if they are the right solution for your home here in Ottawa. A unique solution for municipal homes with sump pumps, water powered backup sump pumps are great devices that can protect your home from water damage in case of a power outage.

Water Powered

Water powered backup sump pumps work without electricity. These devices are powered only by your existing municipal power supply. Using water pressure from the municipal supply, these devices can last for days during a power outage. This means they can last even longer than a battery backup for your sump pump if your power outage continues over a period of days since eventually the battery will drain.

They are also low maintenance as there are no batteries to replace and they automatically kick in if the power goes out.

Finally, they are a great Green product as they require no electricity or fuel to operate, relying only on water pressure.

Who is this device for?

If you live in a municipal area, but don’t have access to the city storm sewers, then you will already have a sump pump to move water that collects around the exterior of your home to an outlet pipe away from your home.

Your sump pump is electrically powered and does the job for you when the hydro supply is working.

But what happens during a power outage?

Battery backups are great solutions to keep your sump pump running, but for extra peace of mind, a jet pump system ensures that your sump pump will always be able to work even if the power is out or your battery backup fails.

This is because the system will automatically start and run thanks to the power of water pressure from the municipal supply.

Most municipal homes in Ottawa will not have sump pumps as city sewer service is available and installed to handle the water that collects around your home’s exterior. However, some older homes were never connected to the sewer system for various reasons and could benefit from these devices.

In fact, even some new homes may require this device. The City of Ottawa is currently planning construction projects in south Barrhaven, near the Jock River, that will require sump pumps due to poor soil conditions that won’t allow city sewers to be installed low enough to collect the water. These homes will have sump pumps but also municipal water. Water powered backup sump pumps would be great devices for these new neighbourhoods as they will provide another layer of protection in case of power outages.

Rural Water

While all rural homes will have a sump pump to protect their home from water buildup around the foundation, water powered sump pumps will not work rurally because there is no municipal supply providing water pressure. Rural homes get their water from wells that are pumped using an electric motor that will not work during a power outage.