Rainwater gets into cellar

[Paul Sandhu]

This is the nicest of my 23 STRs.  Built in 1911.  Rainwater gets into the cellar.  The gas hot water heater and the gas central heat unit are in the cellar.  There is a 110v sump pump down there.  It has failed from:

1. Tripped circuit breaker.

2. Debris preventing the float from activating the pump.

3. Failure of a discharge hose.

4. Failure of a discharge tube.

5. Failure of the pump.

When it failed, I did whatever it took to remove the 2-3 feet of standing water from the basement.  The water was in the basement for more than 24 hours. Then I relight the pilot on the hot water tank and turn on the gas furnace to see if it works.  I've had to replace the gas controal valve/thermostat on the hot water tank once, and I have a spare.  I've had to replace the control board twice and the transformer once on the furnace.  I have a spare control board.

I've replaced the pump and redone the entire PVC discharge system.  I don't expect it to fail under normal operating conditions.

If there is a power outage during a rain, the basement will flood.  When the power is restored, the pump will turn on.  But my hot water tank and furnace will still have been submerged (for a short period of time).  I'm guessing if the power is restored within 2-3 hours, the water level will not compromise the gas appliances.

What would you do?  Not worry about it because the power will probably be restored in time?  Not worry about it because I have the spare parts that go bad when submerged?  Have a backup system that runs off a 12 volt battery?