Which high-water alarm suits your situation?
A pump can fail: the float catches, the fuse trips, the cutter jams. An alarm does nothing about that risk, but it makes sure you know before the water does any damage. It is the cheapest part of a pump installation and it prevents the most expensive damage.
What to look for
- How you want to be warned. An audible alarm only reaches you if you are nearby. For a cellar, a holiday home or an unoccupied building you need a remote notification, or a volt-free contact you can wire into an existing building management system.
- Power supply. A mains-powered alarm fails during a power cut — precisely the moment the pump stops too. A version with a battery or back-up accumulator keeps reporting.
- Type of sensor. A float is robust and simple; an electrode sensor switches at a lower and more precise level, but has to be cleaned twice a year.
- Where the sensor goes. Hang the sensor above the pump's normal stop level, but well below the point where damage starts. Too low, and you get a notification on every ordinary pump cycle.
- Where the alarm unit goes. The sensor belongs in the sump, the unit in a dry, ventilated space where you can hear it and change the battery.
For a lifting station or a pump sump in a home we always recommend an alarm, and for a critical application a twin-pump version alongside it. Unsure which unit fits? Call 085 - 210 08 97.
