NexPump sump pump system?

[Cableaddict]

Wow, Redwood, I think you are correct. That has to be the pump. (Definitely an ITT / Rule.) THANKS !

My big concern is not GPH @ 10', two of these should be enough for my basement (and I'd have another dual-pump system as the backup) My concern is:

1: Can these run continuous duty, and last?

2: Can these really run dry (testing 2x per day) for short amounts of time, without butning up?

3: Can these sit dry for a year, with no damage to the seals?

Any idea? I'd really LOVE to install a system that doesn't require PITA testing at a minimum of once a month, although it looks like that will probably be the case.

[Redwood]

Call me unimpressed with the pump(s) and I would never consider them to be anything more than a glorified bilge pump... No matter how many useless bells and whistles you add to it....

Rule 4000 > ITT Flow Control - Engineered for life.



Their wimpy little pumps that when faced with realistic head pressures of about 10' can't come close to matching the main sump pump installed in most cases...

For me I'll take a Zoeller Aquanot II without the bells and whistles and just settle for having a back up pump system that works. Of course I'd also say that about every 4 years you are looking at battery replacement and if additional run time capacity is needed then additional batteries can be banked either as 6-volt in series or, 12-volt in parallel...

[Cableaddict]

Thanks for the clarification. - Greatly appreciated.

I know what you mean about controlling DC motors. Lots of vari-speed machines use them for that reason, mills, lathes, etc. But again, they are beefy DC motors, not 12v bilge pumps.

So yeah, it's not looking good for NexPump, as a primary system. Clever idea, though.

[HayZee518]

in your browser window type in "nexpump reviews" now read some of the reviews. try to find out the users name and call them, talk to them. IMO nothing will replace AC for dependability BUT, in an emergency situation when AC power is not there, what do you turn to. Again IMO 12 v dc is the easiest to work with. In an industrial setting, rotary table indexing and motor speed control is all DC The manufacturer "BRONCO" makes a 12 volt DC variable speed control. And No, I have not experienced this kind of pump first hand.

[Cableaddict]

Anyone else?

I'm hoping to hear from folks who have actually installed this system. - and hopefully for a number of years already.

[Cableaddict]

Thanks, Hayzee, I do appreciate your thoughts, but do you have any direct experience with this system? It all sounds good in theory, but ....

As for the industrial DC thrust bearing and lube oil pumps you mentioned: Maybe they were dependable, but were they 12v? I doubt it. This is what I'm trying to find out. Is there a powerful, dependable 12v DC pump? Common sense says no, since there's no free lunch, but I'm still clinging to hope. You were an electrician, so do you have an opinion on this?

As for the water in the pit: No, the pumps will be bone dry most of the time. You'd only get some water from the bleeders, or residual water below the float level (and they're MECHANICAL floats, unfortunately) if there was a heavy rainstorm. You could go an entire year without this, and those pumps would be testing bone-dry 2X a day. And there would NEVER be enough water to keep the sensors flexible, though that probably doesn't matter.
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Why Nexpump didn't make their system with tried & true AC pumps is a mystery. They could have used the Sumpro battery system & had plenty of reserve power. Well ....

FWIW, even the one contractor I could find that install NexPump offers it as a backup system only, not a primary.
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I'm giving up by Monday. Going to order something else unless I can get some real feedback. . No way am I going to trust my place to something with a zero proven track record.

[HayZee518]

I read what you have in your original post and it's verbatum what is in the Woodnet forum. I found this when I googled - nexpump reviews. So its not really your opinions on the pump unless your username is "woody."
I worked at a massachusetts power company where all the control systems are direct current. backup motors are all 240 and 120 volt DC.
In the unlikely hood we ever had a loss of AC, the thrust bearing and lube oil pumps are DC. AND they work, all the time.
The forum mentions Zoeller pumps. They may be the "cats behind" but you'd need 10, 12 volt batteries in series to operate one pump. Use the nexpump system. 12 volt marine deep cycle batteries will work! and keep on working. Granted you just don't install them and forget them. You need to do some maintenance once in a while. You check water levels in the batteries cells, you got to clean the battery posts so you don't create the green deposits which make a high resistance connection to current flow. Do you check your car battery EVER? You depend on that battery to start your car, well, you'd do the same with your nexpump system if you want the reliability.
The pump(s) in the sump pit will normally have a little water in it because when the pump shuts down, that little bleeder hole will bleed back whatever water is in the vertical discharge line to keep the pump body wet and whatever sensors that depend on water to keep them flexible.

[HayZee518]

From what I an figure out, a 12 vdc system is the most common available. The site installation instruction shows ac power to the unit. The ac powers an AC to DC convertor which will operate the pump(s) and trickle charge the standby battery. A marine battery is indicated because it is a deep cycle battery which will supply power constantly upon loss of AC. [that is until its threshold is reached] The phone connection means there is an internal modem and or dialer to notify you of problems. it will call a number to notify you of problems. An electronic self test circuit does monthly checks of the system even though the pumps are not physically running.

[Cableaddict]

I just had an interior French Drain installed, but no pumps yet.

I thought I had the pump & battery system all figured out, but I'm not crazy about the fact that you have to test & exercise the system at least once a month. Also, with the backup pump, even a $2500 Sumpro battery system has no diagnostics. Then I discovered the "NexPump" system website.

This system sounds great, as it tests itself, however I can find almost no user reports online, at all. I'm hoping someone my have some "real world" information on these. The concept is great, but the pumps themselves seem pretty iffy.

Anyone?
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I love the fact that the system checks everything- pumps, battery life, charger, switches, etc. The pumps get dry-tested 2X a day, etc.

OK, the electronics box could fail, but I am considering (literally) installing TWO of these double-pump systems, with one set raised up as a backup system. This would still be less expensive than the system I was about to order.

But I'm hung up on the fact that there is so little user info out there on these. I'm talking about systems that have been in place for 5+ years, and still work perfectly. Nada. No info at all.

I'm also concerned that these are 12v DC pumps, because AS A GENERAL RULE, 12v DC pumps are not as reliable, being designed primarily for short-term bilge operation. The Nexpump pumps are made by Bell & Gossett (ITT.) Is that good or bad?

Also, Nexpump test these pumps dry, and they stay dry in the pit. Can this possibly be OK?