If I put a long hose in the basement area and ran it down to the street, would this drain it? Or do I have to "charge" the hose with water? That might be something I could do since there is a water spigot close by and probably enough water pressure to charge the hose even if the power is out.
Yes, you have to fill the hose with water, then it will siphon (pull) the water out of your basement and out to the street (again, provided the "exit" end of the hose is lower than the "entry" end of the hose. Two limitations:
-- If you use a standard garden hose, you might be disappointed by the flow rate if the length is long (friction inside the hose) and the drop is relatively small.
-- Once air enters the hose the game is over. So, if you've got a good low spot to put the "entry" side of the hose (e.g. the sump pit), and if all the water will flow to that point then it might work okay until the level gets down there, then you'd need to start again (fill the hose, etc).
This won't help with a lot of water, but it's what we used to take care of seepage in the sump... $6.95...
google "mighty might pump"
It operates on the venturi effect, and uses garden hose water pressure. We used it for many years, for emptying aquariums, bailing out the boat etc...
As I recall, it could pump to a height of about 7 or 8 feet. Also... back then... I think it was made of brass, and cost about $2.
These work well and can sometimes move water a bit faster than a simple siphon. The obvious issue: You need water pressure to make this work. If your house loses power and you are on your own well, then this wont work for you. If your community shuts off the water, this won't work for you in that instance.
I installed one of these a couple of years ago:
Basement Watchdog Battery Operated Backup Sump Pumps
It gives me a lot of peace of mind. Easy to install as long as your sump pit is big enough to hold it next to your existing sump pump. The battery will run it for several days on a normal intermittent basis.
If you're nervous about installing it yourself, it should take a plumber only about an hour to do it for you.
This is a very good approach, and will handle most problems even if you are away from the house for a few days. It does require you to check on the battery occassionally, and the battery will eventually need replacement, but that's a pretty small price to pay to avoid flooding. The system also has an alarm to let you know what's going on, so you can take other steps to address the flooding before the battery poops out.
At a minimum, buy a $20 water alarm and set the sensor prongs so they alert you once the water has topped the sump pump switch (then you'll know the pump is either not working or isn't keeping up with the incoming water). Finding out early is a lot better than detecting the problem after a flood. A cheap utility pump ($50) can be handy for other things around the house, and if you have AC power you can just drop it into the sump pit and let it clear the water (they'll move about 3000 gal/hour). There are also small, cheap pumps ($10) that hook to a garden hose and use a drill for power. Even if the power is out, if you've got a cordless drill they can be useful for moving a couple hundred gallons if you've got a charged-up battery handy.