We are expected to be hit by the approaching storm on the East Coast and I am worried about basement flooding.
Our basement sump pump operates very frequently (once every 2-3 minutes) during heavy rains. If we lose electricity, the sump pump won’t work and our basement will flood.
I do not have a portable generator, but my nephew said he will run an extension cord from the basement sump pump all the way up to his new car on the driveway. He said the car has a plug for household items and that it should be able to power the sump pump.
Is that true? If he keeps the car’s battery charged (presumably by running the car), will this idea possibly work?
Some new cars have a device built in called a power inverter. It takes the 12 volts DC fromt he car’s electrical system and converts it to 120 volts AC to power line-powered electrical devices. Assuming his inverter is rated to proved the same or greater current as the sump pump is designed for, it should work fine. Extension cords should be as short as possible, and be rated for the current being delivered.
Inverters can also be purchased as an add-on to cars not so equipped.
It could work, if the inverter in the car can handle the load. It seems unlikely that it could, I imagine that pump requires more power than the inverter could provide.
Why do you say this? Inverters rated to supply up to 600 watts are commonplace these days. Looking at sump pump power ratings via Google searches, I’m seeing anywhere from 200 to 400 watts.
In any case, the OP should check the rating plate on the pump and the car owner should check his owner’s manual for the power rating of the inverter.
Power ratings are only part of the issue. The motors in pumps have a high transient demand on startup. I’m guessing the car’s system can handle the steady load but not the transient. Doing a test is certainly possible but both the pump and the car’s inverter can be damaged if the load is too high.
ftg’s right about inrush current- those inverters might be somewhat too delicate to survive that transient, especially if the pump cycles on and off frequently.
Do you expect the pump to run continuously? If so, the power available will be determined by the car’s alternator - not the inverter - it would not take long to drain the battery, leaving only the output of the alternator as the power source.
I’d plan on the basement flooding if/when the power went off.
Or why not splash out on a small generator. That way you can also have back-up power for your refrigerator and some lighting in the event of a power cut.