12v sump pumps and water powered sump pumps both provide a level of automatic protection. Both help to keep basements dry and avoid flooding caused by primary pump failures or power outages. The reason I typically install a 12v sump pump over a water powered system is that the water powered system requires municipal water supply. If a home has a well for the source of water, a power outage will render that water source unusable therefore rending the water powered sump pump inoperative.
