Michigan customers averaged 11.2 hours without power in 2025, versus 4.4 hours nationally (U.S. EIA)

Sump pump and water-powered backup installs by Mansour's Innovations in Southeast Michigan

Mansour's Innovations, waterproofing, excavation and plumbing in Shelby Township, Michigan

Only West Virginia was worse. A Shelby Township waterproofing contractor says a battery backup sump pump buys hours, and Michigan outages can run for days.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MI, UNITED STATES, November 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Michigan homes spent more time without electricity in 2025 than homes in almost any other state. Federal reliability data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration puts the average Michigan customer at 671.5 minutes without power for the year, a little over 11 hours. The national average was 262.6 minutes, under four and a half hours. Only West Virginia ranked worse.

For most people that means spoiled food and a long night. For a house with a sump pump it can mean a flooded basement.

"The storm that fills the pit is the same storm that takes out the power," said Imad "Matt" Mansour, owner of Mansour's Innovations, a family-owned waterproofing, excavation and plumbing company in Shelby Township. "Every summer we pump out basements in Shelby Township, Macomb, Rochester Hills and Troy where the main pump was fine, the pit was fine, and the power was off for three hours."

Hours of backup, days of outage

The July 3 storms this year showed how long an outage can last. The Michigan Public Service Commission said DTE Electric reported 492,000 customer outages and Consumers Energy reported 276,000, with some lasting several days. The commission opened an investigation into how the utilities responded after it received more than 1,500 complaints. In its response to regulators, DTE said it restored power to 44 percent of affected customers within 24 hours and 99 percent within 4.6 days, according to WDIV Local 4.

That gap matters in a basement. A battery backup sump pump sits in the pit above the main pump and takes over when the main pump stops, whether the cause is a power cut, a failed pump or more water than one pump can handle. Most sound an alarm when they kick on. On a good battery, a backup can handle several hours of on-and-off pumping.

"A backup is there to hold the line, not to replace your main pump," Mansour said. "It covers the typical storm outage. It won't cover a three-day outage. For that you need a generator or a water-powered unit."

What to check before the next big storm

Mansour's crews install and service sump systems across Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. Here is what they tell homeowners:

1. Test the backup twice a year. Unplug the main pump, pour a bucket of water into the pit, and make sure the backup runs and the alarm sounds.

2. Know how old the battery is. Backup batteries usually last three to five years.

3. Match the backup to the outages on your street. A water-powered backup runs on city water pressure instead of a battery, so it keeps going as long as the water main has pressure. It needs a backflow preventer, and most cities in the area require a permit for that. It won't work on a well, because the well pump loses power too.

4. Think about a generator if you lose power for days. A standby generator with an automatic transfer switch keeps the main pump running as long as there is fuel. It doesn't help if the pump itself fails, so most homes with a generator still keep a backup pump.

5. Look at where the water goes. A discharge line that empties right next to the foundation sends the same water back toward the basement.

Mansour also warns that no backup can fix a pit that isn't catching the water in the first place. "If water comes through your floor and walls in places the pit can't reach, the pump is only catching part of it," he said. "That's a drainage conversation, and we'll tell you if that's what you need."

The company has published a free homeowner guide to battery, water-powered and dual-pump backups, along with details on its sump pump installation work and county-by-county basement flooding data for Macomb, Oakland and Wayne.

About Mansour's Innovations

Mansour's Innovations is a family-owned waterproofing, excavation and plumbing contractor based in Shelby Township, Michigan, serving Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties since 2014. Owner Imad "Matt" Mansour has more than 20 years in the trade, and the crew has completed more than 1,600 projects. The company holds a 4.9-star rating on Google, is licensed, bonded and insured, offers free estimates and answers emergency calls 24/7.

Imad Mansour
Mansour’s Innovations
+1 586-345-7292
Info@mansoursinnovations.com