Control Network Newsletter
Redundant Sump Pump Controller
July 2014 - If your home is in a low-lying area prone to flooding and
you have experienced a flooded basement more than
once, you are acutely aware of redundant sump pump
schemes. And if your area has overhead power lines,
losing power in a storm is your worst nightmare. Installing
a backed-up battery sump pump for emergencies is
common, but they lack pumping power, need periodic
exercising and lack energy capacity for long outages.
Portable gasoline generators have more energy capacity
but you must be home during a storm to start the
generator. Probably the best solution is a natural gas-fired
standby generator with an automatic transfer switch.
Finally, add a second pump in your sump in case one fails.
Contemporary Controls has published an application note that describes a redundant sump pump controller system that incorporates a BASremote BACnet controller executing Sedona Framework logic to run the redundant pumping application. Redundancy is stressed in different points of the design. Alarm and event messages are sent via email alerts. Remote access to the controller is accomplished by opening up ports on the homeowner's residential gateway. The two sump pumps are provided a lead-lag sequence to even out run times and to verify that each pump is operating properly.
Although this is a residential application, it shows the capabilities of the BASremote as a versatile BACnet/IP controller that is freely programmable using Sedona Framework and I/O expandable via a Modbus serial port. Its Ethernet port directly connects to the homeowner's residential gateway for sending out emails and for displaying its web pages.
Download the application note to learn more.
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