Is there an alternative to the battery powered back up sump pump system?  Yes there is, a battery system is a good way to insure you don’t get caught with out a working sump pump in the event of your primary pump failing.  Your primary sump pump can fail for several reason’s.  It can be old and just ware out, your electricity can go out, debri can get sucked up into the inlet.  These are all good reason’s to have a back up system in place.  A water powered back up is the perfect alternative to a battery type in some case’s.  These unit’s require no real maintenance and are there as long as you have city water pressure available.  The problem I see with battery back up’s is the unit is not maintained properly and when you need it it is not there for you.  Either the battery is dead or the charging mechanism is unplugged.   With the water powered back up water starts to flow when the float is activated by the primary pump failing and starts to siphon out the water from the pit, it’s that simple.