Use and Care Manual

If you are not using
the Basement
Watchdog battery,
you cannot use the
battery fluid sensor.
However, you must
attach the sensor to
the POSITIVE (+)
post of the battery
or the alarm will sound continuously. The
Basement Watchdog sump pump system will
not warn you if the fluid level is low in this
configuration. You will need to check your
battery every couple of months to see if it
needs water. If the battery dries out, the
system will not work. If you are using a
maintenance free battery or sealed AGM
battery you will also need to attach the fluid
sensor to the POSITIVE (+) post of the battery
or the or the alarm will sound continuously.
4.
Connecting the battery: Remove the wing
nuts from the battery terminals. Remove the
security tag from the battery cables. Attach the
battery cables to the battery…the WHITE wire
to the NEGATIVE (-) post, and then the BLACK
wire to the POSITIVE (+) post. Replace the
wing nuts and tighten. Note: Connecting the
cables to the wrong posts will damage the
controller.
5. Connecting the charger: Immediately plug
the charger into the charger jack on the back
of the control unit, then into an AC outlet on
the wall.
6. If the pump alarm is sounding, press the RED
button to silence the alarm.
7. Replace the battery box cover.
8. Connecting the primary pump: Plug the
piggyback controller into a properly
grounded 3-prong outlet. Then plug the
primary pump into the receptacle on the
controller.
9. For a neater installation, secure the cables
from the controllers to the discharge pipe in
a couple places with the additional cable
ties. Make sure the wires are not touching
each other or overlapping each other.
10. After the initial installation, be sure to check
the pump operation by filling the sump with
water and observing the pump through one
full cycle. The primary pump should run for
10 seconds after the lower float drops.
11. A pit cover is recommended for all installa-
tions as a safety measure, and to prevent
debris from falling into the pit. Place the
cover on top of the pit making sure not to
pinch or crimp the pump wires with the cover.
The pit cover usually has an existing hole that
will allow the cords to be passed through it,
or you can drill a hole in the cover.
Product Operation
The dual float switch on the primary pump
contains two large floating rings enclosed within
a protective cage. Water will lift the bottom
float by 1/4”, which will activate the pump. If
for any reason the lower float does not activate
the pump, the water will rise to the second float,
and it will activate the pump. As the pump
evacuates the water from the pit, the floats will
drop. The pump will run for an additional 10
seconds to extend the cycle after the lower float
drops. The blue controller for the primary pump
powers this switch.
During a power outage, or if more water is
entering the sump than the primary pump can
handle, the backup pump will automatically
begin pumping. It also has a dual float switch,
so if one float fails to activate the pump, the
second float will activate the pump as soon as
the water reaches that level. As the water
recedes below the float switch, a timer in the
control unit will run the pump an additional 45
seconds to evacuate the pit.
While the pumps are active, water will come out of
the 1/8” hole that is located on the top of the
main pump, and out of the hole in the elbow of
the backup pump. This is normal. The holes are
needed to prevent an air lock within the system.
DO NOT obstruct the holes or an air lock may
prevent the system from activating.
Batteries and sump pumps need maintenance.
The control unit on the backup system monitors
the battery and power conditions, and sounds an
alarm when maintenance is required. Below is
an explanation of the warnings and alarms.
Battery Maintenance
Measuring the battery fluid level is one of the
most important features of the system. It is
important to check the battery fluid levels at
least once every 4-6 months. Detailed
instructions on adding distilled water to the
battery can be found within the Understanding
the Warnings & Alarms section of this manual
(page 7,
2
Water). If you are not using a
Basement Watchdog standby battery, you cannot
use the battery fluid sensor. You will need to
attach the fluid sensor to the POSITIVE (+) post
of the battery or the alarm will sound
continuously. The system will NOT warn you if
the fluid level is low in this configuration. You
will need to check your battery every couple of
months to see if it needs water. If the battery
dries out, the system will not work. If you are
using a maintenance free battery or sealed AGM
battery you will also need to attach the fluid
sensor to the POSITIVE (+) post of the battery or
the alarm will sound continuously.
Understanding the
Warnings & Alarms
The Basement Watchdog backup control unit
features a series of warning lights that pinpoint
potential problems. In addition, an alarm
sounds to alert you to the problem. In some
cases the lights and alarm will go off
automatically when the problem has been
solved. In others, the RED button must be
pushed to silence the alarm. Refer to the table
on page 7 for a quick review of the features and
their corresponding alarm status.
Page 6
3b
3a
4
POSITIVE
POST
NEGATIVE
POST
6
8
9
5b5a