Best Sump Pumps For The Basement

The Zoller M63 and M95 are made of all cast iron (motor and pump housing), pump base, switch case and impeller. Cast iron is great for dissipating heat produced from the motor during continuous pumping and it adds weight to keep the pumping stationery during usage.

The M63 is an upgrade of the M53, long known as the plumbers favorite because it is built to last, double tested in the factory before shipping and guaranteed to work when installed.

The popular 2-pole vertical float switch is upgraded to decrease the friction caused when the pump turns ON to give it a much longer life span. It has been tested to 3 million cycles which is three times longer than then M53. The upgrade makes such a difference that the warranty is extended from 3 years to 5 years.

To help the homeowner know the plug and cord are in operating condition, a LED light is added to the plug.

The M63 as well as all of Zoeller's M model series are made and tested in the USA which symbolizes quality. Zoeller is always known for its Made in America symbol.

The M63 is more costly than the M53, known as the plumbers choice, however its upgraded features: the switch , the viton switch boot, an LED lighted plug,, a cast iron base and impeller along with the cast iron motor and pump housing, base and switch case and a 5 year warranty give much value added for the additional cost.

The Wayne CDU790 and CDU800 sump pumps are made of carbon steel which is a hybrid of stainless steel and cast iron. Cast iron dissipates heat better but carbon steel is a good alternative housing material. Unlike Zoeller pumps, there is no cast iron for the motor housing, but these Wayne pumps have a cast iron base.

If a lighter weight pump is preferred, the CDU models are the best choice. The weight difference between the Zoeller and Zoeller pumps is around 10 pounds heavier because carbon steel weighs less.

These pumps work well in a pit free from debris and pea gravel because they use top suction rather than a vortex impeller used by Zoeller pumps which handles such. The top suction design does give the CDU models more pumping performance at 13 gallons more per minute for a total of 3,840 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height.

The CDU790 and CDU800 also use a 2-pole vertical float switch. The 2-pole vertical float switch is known to last longer than the tether or magnetic vertical float switch.

Unlike the Zoeller M63 and M95, the Wayne CDU 790 and CDU800 are not made in the USA. They are assembled from foreign parts in the US. Plus each pump is not tested before shipment. The 3 year warranty covers failure however.

Both Wayne, Zoeller and Little Giant Pump companies have been around 75 years now so know a lot about sump pumps.

The Superior models 92341 and 92571 use cast iron; however the 92341 base and pump housing are cast iron while the 92571 base is cast iron and its pump housing is stainless steel. Stainless steel does not rust. Cast iron does rust in water; however all sump pumps with cast iron pump housing and base are epoxy coated to retard rust.

Unlike the Wayne models that use top suction, the Superior Pump 92341 and 92571 use bottom suction with a screen. The bottom screen needs periodic cleaning if debris exists in the pit; however the float switch can be removed and both pumps can be used as utility pumps.

Though the 92341 and 92571 are equipped with a vertical float. The vertical float is not a 2-pole float like Wayne and Zoeller pumps use. The float switch uses a magnetic closure e the circuit during the ON cycle. The float switch is very easy to replace; it does relies on magnetic field attraction to cause the positive and negative ions to close (connect) and pass electricity to the pump motor.

These sump pumps use less electricity, 4.1 amps vs 4.8, however their pumping performance is also slightly less at 1800 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height vs 2040 GPH for the Zoeller M63, M53 and 2,700 GPH for the Wayne CDU790. The warranty is the same.

These pumps are designed by engineers in Minnesota but are not made and assembled in the USA. All pumps are not tested; however they have a 3 year warranty.

The Superior Pump 92551 is included because some home owners prefer a pedestal style pump so they can easily maintain it without removing it from the pit. The 92571 comes with a 5 year warranty, pumps 2,700 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height and uses only 3.06 amps during operation. The base is cast iron to keep it in place during heaving pumping while stainless steel is used for the housing, impeller and column shaft.

The Basement Watchdog SIT33D and SIT50D use cast iron for the pump housing and base and offer a 3 year warranty.

Unlike the Wayne models that use top suction, the Superior Pump 92341 and 92371 use bottom suction with a screen. The bottom screen needs periodic cleaning if debris exists in the pit; however the float switch can be removed and both pumps can be used as utility pumps.

The SIT33D and SIT50D sump pump are unique with their external dual float switch which provides protection even if one of the floats fails. The added value of an external float switch, meaning the float is not attached directly to the pump, is the float height is adjustable. To keep the pump from running dry, the bottom of the dual float case must be attached at least 3 inches above the bottom of the pump because the pump continues to run for 10 seconds after the water recedes below the bottom float. To keep the pit from overflowing it is best to attach the float cage so the top float is just below the bottom of the incoming drain tile tubing.

Even though the amps required during operation are low, 3.5 amps for the SIT33D and 4.2 amps for the SIT50D, the pump performance GPH is high. For the SIT33D, the GPH at a 10 foot vertical height is 3,100 and for the SIT50D the GPH is 3540.

These pumps are eco-friendly. The motor coolant is water rather than oil as found in the Zoeller, Wayne, Superior and Little Giant models so there is no emissions. The pumps are not made in the USA.

To save time and provide protection when the electricity fails, the SIT33D and SIT50D come preassembled with a battery backup sump pump system known as CITE-33 and CITS-50 respectively.

The CITE-33 combo pump includes the Primary sump pump SIT33D with cast iron housing, a pumping performance of 3100 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height and a dual float switch plus a switch controller and the Basement Watchdog Emergency battery backup sump pump BWE with a pumping performance of 1000 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height and a dual float switch plus a control unit and a battery box. One of the real benefits of installing the CITE-33 is that it is narrow so fits into a sump basin only 11 inches wide. It comes with a 2 year warranty.

The CITS-50 combination pump includes the Primary sump pump SIT50D with cast iron housing, a pumping performance of 3540 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height, a dual float switch and a switch controller and the Basement Watchdog Special battery backup sump pump BWS with a pumping performance of 3100 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height, a dual float switch, a control unit and a battery box. The Primary pump is narrow so the CITS-50 fits in a 12 inch diameter pit. It comes with a 2 year warranty.

The Little Giant 506160, 1/3 HP, is unique from the previously mentioned sump pumps because it has no float. Instead it relies on a diaphragm to respond to rising water height and pressure. As the water rises in the pit, the diaphragm begins to concave. At a predefined water height the diaphragm concaves enough to engage the switch which closes the electric circuit and the pump motor runs. As the water recedes the diaphragm becomes convex and the electric circuit is opened and the motor stops.

Though this pump is very short and can even operate in a 5 gallon bucket, it has a lot of pumping capability at 29 GPM at a 10 foot vertical height. The 506160 is well built with cast iron housing and has a 3 year warranty.

The Little Giant 510803, 1/2 HP, is unique in that it can handle ¾ inch solids with its vortex impeller. The largest solids the above mentioned pumps can handle is ½ inch solids. Its 2-pole snap action float switch, like the Wayne and Zoeller pumps, make the float switch more dependable than the vertical magnetic float switch used on the Superior Pump.

Like the Wayne CDU800 the 510803 has good pumping performance at 3300 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height. However the 510803 power cord is 2 feet longer at 10 feet. Extension cords should not be used with a sump pump so 2 feet can make a big difference.

Using cast-iron provides the following Benefits. It adds longevity to pump life because it dissipates heat very well, adds weight to the pump to keep it more stationary in the basin and does not dent, chip, crack or wear down. The grade used in class 25-30 25000# textile strength with a BHN (Brinell Hardness Number) between 170 and 229.

The two main killers of a pump motor is heat and water. During heavy pumping the motor heats up and needs a material such as cast-iron which dissipates the heat very well. Many competitors use canned motors which are purchased from a third party. A canned-motor is placed in stainless steel housing and does not dissipate heat as well. The motor is designed to last a long, long time because sleeve bearings have an infinite life span and the motor is sealed with carbon and ceramic which withstands vibration. The oil provides lubrication during the rotation and movement of the shaft.

Using cast-iron for the pump and motor housing, the impeller, the cap and the base adds an additional ten to fifteen pounds. Obviously this much weight makes a difference in keeping the pump more stationary in the basin during heavy, continuous operation.

The stainless steel float guard, handle and fasteners will not rust. Fortunately a float guard exists because so often unprotected floats get too close to the basin wall and get caught in the ON position causing pump failure.

The need to clean a bottom screen is eliminated. The Zoeller M63, as well as all Zoeller sump pumps, have no screen requiring maintenance. The vortex impeller passes one-half inch spherical solids like debris and pebbles. The distance between the volute, a curved funnel that increases in area as it approaches the discharge port receiving the water being pumped by the impeller, and the top of the impeller determines the size of solids handling capability. For the Zoeller M63 and M95 the distance is one-half inch. This open impeller style is much less likely to clog than a competitor who uses the semi open impeller design with impeller or the closed impeller design which uses a screen.

The pump performance curve of the M63 is 43 gallons per minute (2,580 GPH) at a total dynamic head of 5 feet. Total dynamic head includes the vertical height and the check valve, elbow and horizontal friction loss. At 10 feet the flow is 34 gallons per minute (2,040 GPH) and at 15 feet the flow is 19 gallons per minute.

The Premium Model M95 has a higher pump performance curve. The M95 has all of the same features and quality materials as the M63 except for greater pump performance. At a 5 foot total dynamic head, M95 is capable of pumping 80 gam (4,800 GPH); at 10 feet it can pump 66 GPM (3,960 GPH) and at 15 feet it can pump 49 GPM (2,940 GPH).

Zoeller has built a reputation over the past seventy-nine years (as of 2018) of building with quality that is lasting so homeowners can have peace of mind during heavy continuous rainstorms. Even today when we talked with a Zoeller technical engineer, one of the first things he said about the M63 and M95 is that because of stronger rainstorms these days we at Zoeller wanted to come up with a float switch that would last longer before replacement was required. The engineer then proceeded to talk about the other built in quality factors listed above.

Plumbers like happy customers; therefore they prefer to install Zoeller because it will outlast other brands.

Studying the customer reviews on Amazon, one of the websites with the most customer reviews, reveals a strong 4.5 and above out of 5 stars approval ratings.

The Zoeller M63 and M95 are truly Premium models and the best sump pumps for the basement. Quality materials such as cast iron used for the motor and pump housing, impeller, switch case and base; cold steel used for the motor shaft, solid polypropylene used for the float making it unsinkable, viton used for the switch case and covering over the seals, quality design upgrading the float switch to perform more pumping cycles before replacement, a non-clogging designed vortex impeller, a lighted plug indicating an active current, and leak and performance testing of each pump all support the characteristics of best sump pumps for the basement. No competitor uses the same grade of material for so many components, offers a five year warranty and tests each pump so thoroughly before it leaves the factory.

Check out the Zoeller M63 and M95 now. Enjoy the peace of mind a best sump pump in the basement brings when.those heavy rainstorms come.