These are the running watts; Appliances with motors, like fridges, air conditioners and sump pumps, will also have starting watts, which is a brief surge that happens when the appliance starts up.

Food spoils, mold grows, and basements prone to flooding are robbed of their working sump pump and begin to take on water. Extended power outages in the winter can be even more dangerous.

If your TV won’t turn on when "The Bachelorette" is airing, it’s annoying but not much more than that. If your sump pump stops and your basement floods, you’re looking at a costly repair.

No power meant no water for thousands of people who have wells. It also meant no sump pumps.

Refrigerator: 600 watts Sump pump: 750 to 1,500 watts Portable heater: 1,500 watts Window air conditioner: 1,000 watts Lights: 5 to 80 watts (per bulb) Computer: 60 to 300 watts ...

There's a lot you can do to prevent a flooded basement. Consider exterior or interior foundation drains, a backup sump pump, or a generator to keep the pump going when the power goes out.

Given that most sump pumps will be an occasional-use item during severe weather conditions, a battery back-up sump pump can be offered as an option. They say hindsight is always 20/20, but dead is ...

Not sure prices where you are, but I see one (3000W (10hr at 1/2 load on a single tank) at Costco in Canada for $350 which should keep a sump pump running forever (not to mention it could come in ...

For instance, do you need to power your entire home or just one or two appliances and a sump pump? • Check to make sure the generator you want to buy is not on a list of recalled generators.

If I were facing the prospect of $2,000 for a backup sump pump, I’d seriously consider a propane or natural gas-powered, whole-house generator that would kick on when the power goes off.