That $180 sump pump battery back up I got last spring is already dead

I picked up a sealed lead acid battery back up from a plumbing supplier in Calgary back in April because we get heavy melt every year in the NW. My sump runs a lot in March and April, and I figured it would be a simple safe net. Last week we had a big storm coming through Airdrie, power flickered, and the unit beeped its low battery alarm right away. I checked the display and it said the battery was at 20% after only like 9 months of sitting there doing nothing. Anyone else had these things fail that fast, or did I just get a dud? I'm wondering if I should just stick with a generator instead of replacing it.

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king.eric7d ago

So you're telling me you left a sealed lead acid battery sitting on a float charge for nine months and you're shocked it dropped to 20%. Those things aren't made to just sit there, they're made to cycle. A trickle charge constantly cooks them slowly if the charger isn't smart enough, and most of those backup units have the cheapest charger they could find. I've seen brand new batteries act like that after a long summer of nothing but a wall wart keeping it topped up. I'd test the battery itself with a multimeter before you blame the unit, and if it reads under 12 volts, it's done. A generator is a different tool though, it won't save you from a random flicker when you're at work, so maybe figure out what you actually need it for first.

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