THE BASEMENT WATCHDOG Model 30HDC140S Big Standby Sump Pump Battery

Our power went out and the basement flooded after the nor'easter of 2006. I had battery backups installed for both my sump pumps in August of that year. I have to periodically check the water level and add distilled water, but other than that I have had no problems.The batteries first real test came this year during Superstorm Sandy: we were without power for 4 days. The sump pump that runs the least was still at 100% when the power came back on. The other pump had a leak in the outflow and was running far more frequently. It ran down to 25% after 2 1/2 days, and I recharged if from my car for a hour. It was still at 75% when the power came back on a day and a half later.Since the average life of these batteries is advertized to be 5 to 7 years, and mine are already 6 years old, I realize that I am on borrowed time. So I am ordering a backup battery in the eventuality that one of them fails. Having a spare will also come in handy if, in the future, I need to recharge the battery while there is a high load on the pumps. Redundancy on the back of redundancy.I like the fact that the batteries are shipped dry. I have been told that lead-acid batteries begin to age as soon as they are made, and many have been sitting of a shelf for months or years by the time they are sold. Having to buy acid locally adds a bit more hassle and danger, but is worth it in knowing you should get the full lifespan out of the battery.I usually don't bother to publish reviews, but figured that these batteries had been given a bad rap. Remember, you just expect a battery like this to work; many people probably expect it to work indefinitely. Thousands of people have bought these batteries, and there are only a dozen reviews. It seems logical to me that the few people who got lemons are more likely to take the time to post than the thousands of satisfied customers. So here is a satisfied customer. Make of it what you wish.Edited to add: one of my two original batteries just gave up the ghost. My neglect probably contributed. I hooked up the new battery I bought last year in parallel with one of the old ones and then pretty much ignored it. I checked on it last week when the alarm went off warning of low electrolyte, and all 6 cells were low. Unfortunately, I only had enough distilled water to re-fill 3, but I kept the battery hooked up for 2 days until I got more, at which time I re-filled the other 3. While recharging the battery got very hot, and within an hour, the "battery problem" light came on. It goes off when I take the battery out of the circuit, so I assume the battery is shot. I suspect trying to recharge it with 3 cells empty and 3 full did some damage, but it may already have been dead. Still, I checked the little scratch-off circles on the top, and it seems I installed it in May 2006, meaning I got 7 1/2 years out of a battery advertised with an average 5-7 year lifespan. The other, installed the same day, still seems to be running fine. So I really can't complain.

Two things to note.There is a special yellow cap for the fluid level sensor you will need to use.Mine was loose in the packaging and I nearly threw it away.The battery ships dry as the description states so you will need to buy a box of battery acid to fill it.It is sold at auto parts stores or big box hardware stores.These batteries don't seem to last more than two years at most but my understanding is it's the fault of the poorly designed charger in the Watchdog unit. It overcharges the battery.

Fits great. Functional and great price.

BASEMENT WATCHDOG Model 30HDC140S Big Standby Sump Pump BatteryI suspect this review is more of an example of why it's important to open received items immediately even if you don't need them right away.Last October, I began receiving alarms/texts/emails saying the 'the battery terminals are corroded, or the battery should be replaced'. After pressing the 'Test' button on the control unit, the alarm would clear - all was OK for a week or so, but then another alarm would occur. Over a period of time, the alarms became more frequent - once or twice/week.The battery was around 5 yrs old, so thinking it would be a good idea to have a replacement on hand, I ordered a new battery (Amazon) in January and bought acid. About 6 months later, the alarms were frequent, so I unboxed the new battery, added acid and connected it to my system.Within a week, the same alarm happened on the new installation. I took a close look to be sure everything was connected right & tight and found everything to be OK - with one very important exception: there was a ragged, 1-1/2" hole in the top of the battery under the positive terminal. Additionally, the terminal post was bent down - the bottom of the terminal was slightly below the battery surface. Apparently, the battery had been dropped on its top during handling. There was damage visible at the terminal location on the carton the battery was originally packed in but there was no visible damage to the outer shipping carton. It appears to have been dropped sometime before being shipped.I called Glentronics asking if they could help with this. They asked for pictures of the damage and a copy of my invoice and after reviewing those, said they could not help me, but suggested I get back to Amazon or the seller, which I did.Amazon's response was 'we can do nothing since it's been over 30 days since being ordered' (it was 6 months).The seller's response was 'we don't think the shipper (UPS) will accept a claim after this long'. I contacted UPS who agreed with that.I tried sealing the hole with duct tape, but the acid appears to be affecting the adhesive - doesn't stick.I've had subsequent discussions with Glentronics to explore if the alarms are due to the battery losing charge or a failing control unit. The opinion is, both the old & new battery have problems, and because of the hole in the new one, I shouldn't expect normal life from it. If the alarm persists after installing another new battery, they may be able to give me some help with either repairing/replacing the control unit.After all is said & done, I'm going to bite the bullet and buy another replacement battery. But you can bet your bippy I'll closely examine it as soon as I get it home.On a side note, I'm going to buy a maintenance free battery this time. The previous batteries needed to have the fluid level checked periodically (we do it monthly and usually need to add distilled water). My wife normally takes care of that chore. The difference in price between the old and maintenance-free battery is about $70. If I get 7 years of life from the maintenance-free battery, it will cost around $7/year more than the batteries needing water added. She (wife) says it's worth that to her not to have to mess with it.

J'ai eu un probleme avec cette batterie et le tout a ete regle rapidement a ma complete satisfaction.100% satisfait.

This is a large lead-acid battery to power a backup sump pump. There's nothing fancy about it. As others mention, it is shipped dry, for reasons that should be obvious to anyone. Therefore you must add battery acid. What no one seems to disclose is how much battery acid it requires.Here's the answer: I filled it with 192 fluid oz of motorcycle battery acid. That's 5.45 L. That wasn't quite enough to fill it to the bottom of the filler rings, but close enough. I topped off the rest with distilled water and it's fine. Checked with voltmeter and it's producing 12.5 v. If you were a stickler for procedure, then you'd probably need 200 fluid oz. (5.68 L)Finally, I'll just say that the battery before this lasted almost a decade. But my inclination is to replace this one prophylactically before it's really need when the snowmelt and rain converge. Ask me how I know...😳

Will only know how well it works when the power goes out and needs to pump water from below the basement floor.

Delivery was prompt & product just as described

Identical to the original battery that came with the Basemmwnt Watchdog combination AC/DC sump pump. The original pump battery (30DC140S) lasted 7.5 years; I expect the same performance from this "wet-cell" battery. I had a local battery shop add the acid and provide the initial "charge-up".