Emergency Ground Water Backup
When municipal supply fails, automatically draw emergency ground water — with cooldowns that protect your borewell.
Emergency backup without midnight manual runs
Pipeline damage, maintenance, and supply delays can leave a tank empty for days. Many homes fall back to manually running the submersible — often at night, with no fill limit. Emergency Ground Water Backup monitors critical level, confirms primary supply is unavailable, and runs the borewell pump only up to a safe target (typically 50%), then enforces a cooldown before the next cycle.
Offline-first Zigbee coordinator and ESP32-C6 end nodes; configure and monitor via the mobile app over BLE. Cloud is optional.
Key features
Dual motor control
Main pump for municipal supply plus submersible for ground-water backup.
Automatic emergency trigger
Activates when the tank drops below a critical threshold (default ~10%).
50% fill cap
Stops backup fill part-way so municipal water still has room when it returns.
Cooldown between cycles
Configurable wait (default 30 min) limits continuous running of the submersible and over-pumping the bore.
Dry-run detection
Detects when ground water is depleted and stops the backup pump safely.
Manual override
Trigger or stop emergency fill from the HomeSense dashboard when you need control.
How it works
- 1
Normal mode — scheduled municipal fill
Uses composed Scheduled Water Supply windows for everyday municipal supply.
- 2
Primary supply flagged unavailable
Detects lack of normal fill activity over a configurable observation window.
- 3
Critical level reached
When the tank drops below the emergency threshold, backup mode can activate.
- 4
Submersible fills to target
Runs until ~50% level, max run duration, or dry-run — then enters cooldown.
How this extends scheduled supply
Compare with Scheduled Water Supply Auto-Fill
| This app | Scheduled Water Supply Auto-Fill | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use | Municipal windows + emergency borewell backup | Municipal window scheduling only |
| Motors | Main pump + submersible | Single municipal pump path |
| When backup runs | Critical level + primary supply unavailable | N/A — no ground-water path |
| Composition | Includes scheduled supply + submersible control | Standalone scheduling app |
Frequently asked questions
When does the submersible pump activate?
The backup pump activates automatically when the main tank level drops below the configured emergency threshold and the primary supply (municipal or overhead) is detected as unavailable. You can also trigger it manually from the Emergency Backup dashboard.
How long is the cooldown period between activations?
After each backup pump run, a cooldown period (configurable, default 30 minutes) prevents back-to-back activations that could overheat the submersible motor. The remaining cooldown time is shown on the dashboard.
How does the app detect that the primary supply is unavailable?
The app checks for an absence of normal fill activity over a configurable time window. If the tank hasn't risen despite the motor running, or if a flow-sense signal indicates no incoming supply, the primary is flagged as unavailable.
Can I limit how long the backup pump runs per cycle?
Yes. Configure 'Max Backup Run Duration' in Settings → Backup Configuration. The pump stops automatically after this duration to avoid draining the borewell or sump beyond safe levels.
Will I receive an alert when backup mode activates?
Yes. Push notifications are sent when backup mode starts, when the pump stops at the end of a cycle, and if the cooldown period is active. You can also see the full history in the Events log.
Overview
Version
2.1.7
Edge Capable
Yes
Cloud Required
No
Service
HomeSense
Pricing
Essentials
₹349/mo
15-day trial
Comfort
Popular₹499/mo
15-day trial
Premium
₹649/mo
15-day trial
Plus a refundable ₹8,000 device deposit and optional professional install (₹499 one-time — DIY opt-out available). Hardware, repairs, and care are included — the same prices are confirmed at checkout in the app. How DASS pricing works
Composed From
×1 (shared)
×1 (per_instance)
Tags
Supported Platforms
Get Started with Emergency Ground Water Backup
Part of the HomeSense product line. Available with a DASS subscription — hardware, install, and care included.