PUMP EXPRESS TO INCREASE STOCK OF BATTERY-POWERED SUMP PUMPS & HEAVY DUTY DEWATERING PUMPS TO MEET POST-HURRICANE SANDY DEMAND
Like many East Coast businesses, Pump Express has emerged from Hurricane Sandy with a post-storm to-do list. As a major supplier of pumping equipment in the region that was hardest hit, this list hinges on changes taking shape in the increasingly vital pump market.
“Every time we get one of these storms we learn about what customers are looking for and what the best products to serve their needs are, not just during the storm, but after as well,” says Pump Express Sales Manager Fred Hettinger.
Many homeowners who would have put off installing battery back-up pumps in their basements prior to the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene last year took the plunge in the aftermath and were on point for Sandy.
“Before the storm we sold a lot of deep cycle batteries for battery back-up pumps,” says Hettinger. “We typically increase our stock of these items in the spring and fall so we were able to meet customer demand.”
Power outages across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have raised the profile of battery-powered backup pumps and water-powered back-up pumps are gaining popularity in areas with municipal water supplies. Hettinger affirms that meeting the demand for battery and water-powered models will be a priority in the coming year.
“After the storm we had a lot of people calling for trash pumps so that’s another item we’ll be keeping in stock,” says Hettinger. “They’re used when large amounts of water need to be removed from roads, buildings and basements and they’re gas operated so you don’t need electricity to run them. I’m also stocking 50-foot, 2-inch fire hoses which are good for dewatering basements and 25-foot plastic corrugated hoses which a lot of people will attach to a second sump pump to assist the primary pump in pumping water from a residential basement.”
A problem associated with megastorm rains is water flowing into homes faster than consumer-grade sump pumps can operate. In light of the recent rise in storm frequency and intensity, growing numbers of residents are exploring heavier-duty pumps.
“We have a number of good products that we’re carrying now,” says Hettinger. “In the primary pump market we’re using a lot of Liberty pumps which are all cast iron and have an epoxy coating that resists oxidation. Pro Series manufactures a great product for the customer who’s looking for a turn-key product that’s both a primary pump and a battery back up pump. Their battery-back up pumps typically move 2-3 times the amount of water that a standard battery back-up pump does. For the customer who’s looking for a permanently-installed commercial grade dewatering system which ranges anywhere from ¾ to 15 horsepower, we stock heavy-duty
Liberty and Zoeller pumps. Above that we get into our larger dewatering pumps of which we have all kinds.”
“As for entirely new products” Hettinger says, “We’re exploring large pump rentals, including 4-inch and 6-inch trailer-mounted pumps.”
For more information on these and other pumps visit our website: www.pumpexpress.com or call 1-800-298-4100.
