A Fortunate Disaster?

[admin]

Several weeks ago, the sump pump in my basement failed me here in Iowa. As I am sure you have read, the flooding was quite extensive in my state. As the water moves southward many towns in Illinois and Missouri are experiencing the mild to major flooding as well. My situation wasn't as bad as many are experiencing, but it was enough water to require some quick equipment and furniture extraction and some rather unpleasant room reconstruction. But, is it really all bad?


Discuss "A Fortunate Disaster?" here. Read the article.

[Carlton Bale]

Sorry to hear about your basement. The house where I used to live, the one in which I built my first home theater, was flooded up to the ceiling of the basement a few weeks ago. As far as I know, the the home theater was still there before the flood and almost certainly completely decimated after the flood. I feel bad for the current owners and very lucky that I was unaffected by the flooding.

A back-up sump pump offers a second layer of protection that may prevent problems in some instances. A battery-powered electric pump or a hydraulic-powered pump are great options that don't rely on having electricity working in your house.

I've considered the switch to 2.35:1, but the cost of a new screen, new speakers to go behind the screen, and the lens have been too expensive to justify. But if I had to start over, I'd definitely do it.

[Jim Robbins]

The backup sump pump is a great idea. I was at my local Lowe's last week and saw a unit that it smaller and fits beside the current sump pump. It also includes a battery backup system, so if the power fails or if the first pump just stops working, then it will kick in. It was about $350 with the big battery add on, and when my insurance money comes in, I'll be buying it for sure.

As for the 2.35:1 screen, it would be really great to have one! I know that some of the newer projectors have built in zoom, so that would eliminate the cost of an anamorphic lens. Of course, I wouldn't have the full resolution of the panel for the screen, but I think I could live with that.

Well, we'll see how the money flows over the next few weeks with the reconstruction costs...

Later...

[chadnliz]

Of the more severe water situations even a back up pump wont be enough especially if power fails and battery is exhausted pretty quick but it can only help try to avoid disaster.

[Jim Robbins]

Yeah, the battery would only last so long. But in my particular situation, it wasn't the power that failed, it was just the pump. *sigh* In any case, It's work the $350 for insurance I think.

Btw, does anyone have any in-wall speakers that they are in love with? The acoustically transparent screen with some in-walls behind it would save a lot of space in my room, and I have been mulling that option over today. Let me know what you think...

[Electone]

I had almost the exact same thing happen to me last November. Except that it was snow melt and rain. There was so much saturation in the ground that night, forcing the pump to work so hard, it actually shifted about 6 inches in the sump hole. The float got stuck against the side wall and my carpet was saturated.

I have since replaced that pump (even though there is nothing wrong with it) with a more powerful unit and have braced it to a wall so that it cannot move again. But, if the power goes out during a strong rain storm, I'm still screwed. I was recommended the "Sump Buddy" back up pump. It actually works on your municipal water supply by creating suction.

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product....se=&lang=en-CA

[Rowdy S13]

There are also water powerd backups, runs off the city water pressure. I can relate to water issues. I went to work a couple weeks ago and the entire 600,000 suare foot building had anywhere from 4-8" of water in it. Our 8" water main broke under the floor of an office durring the night and just dumped water non stop. It actually lifted the concrete floor up about 3 feet and riped wall's apart, it was like out of a movie. About 20 employess stayed and pushed the water out with brooms and squegees, and then service master came. Let me just say, be glad service master couldnt come out to you, we just got the bill and its rediculous.

Sean

[Adam]

I was recommended the "Sump Buddy" back up pump. It actually works on your municipal water supply by creating suction.

Excellent suggestion. I saw something like that on "Ask This Old House" (I think it was that show), but theirs was a more professional-grade product. A great back-up for when there's a power outage. It's not recommended for regular service because it can use a lot of water, so you'd set it to come on at a level above the electric pump's water line.

[Jim Robbins]

Well, after evaluating the options, my wife and I decided to go for the "Stay the Same" option...

Of course, I'll be putting the wires in the walls, and I am still pushing for a Cinemascope screen, but I'll be using the same gear and cables, etc...

We still might change the room color to make it more appealing for selling the house. Oh, and I did pick up a low cost pair of infinity speakers to do inwall for the rear surrounds instead of having my kappa speakers stick out 18" into the room. They are the ERS 210II speakers. They match what I already have in the walls for my side speakers.

I'll be keeping a build log of my progress and probably post another editorial with specifics and images when I am done.

Avaserfi keeps pushing me on a sub upgrade, too. He's a mega sub builder these days and thinks that two subs in the front would work better than my SVS PB12-Plus/2 in the back.

Any thoughts?

[avaserfi]

Making the move to the custom 12" VQ dual subs located within a few feet from the mains with a crossover via the DCX2496 as I spec will result in a more seamless integration as well as more dynamic and lower distortion. Also, at higher SPL compared to the SVS (a quality commercial subwoofer) you will have less port compression allowing for a more linear response during transient peaks.