Sump pump backups

[Tim Coppola]

I bought my first property earlier this year in Chicago and it has a sump pump in the basement unit. Being that this is my first property and I have never dealt with sump pumps before I had someone come out and look at it. He said everything was working well although he couldn't tell how old the actual pump was. He also mentioned that I should consider getting a backup in case the power goes out during a storm. I asked him for a quote and it came back around $3600 which includes a new pump as well as the backup with two batteries.

My question to experienced investors and home owners, is getting a backup worth the money? Has anyone ever had a basement flood because the power went out and there was no backup? I have no issues spending that kind of money but I just would like to know if it is worth it or if backups really aren't used in the Chicago area.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Tim