Wayne Sump Pump Review shares company info, sump pump types, key features, model comparison, how they work, how to install and how to choose the best model.
Wayne Pumps are well known Big Box Store pumps. We look behind their brand name and identify who Wayne Pumps is, why their pumps are good, what makes their models desirable and different, which primary and backup sump pump models are available, how their pumps work, how to install them and how to choose the best one for your water pumping needs.
Wayne has three sump pump types: the Primary, The Battery Backup and the Combination (which is a primary pump plus a battery backup pump). For each sump pump type see what it is. how it works, how to install, how to choose the best one, and lastly shopping links to buy. Select your pump type of interest using the Page Topics Menu.
Who Is Wayne Pump Company?
Wayne Pump Company has a long history which began in 1928 by its founder, Norbert G. Berghoff, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Wayne Pump is known for the Home Equipment it provides the home owner. Throughout the years Wayne continues to provide sump pumps for the home owner even though where and how its pumps ore made has changed.
Who Makes Wayne Pumps?
Originally Wayne Pumps made its own pumps at their Fort Wayne, Indiana plant. On March 4, 2019 they were acquired by the Scott Fetzer Company.
Today Wayne no longer manufactures its pumps. Instead it assembles them with foreign and domestic parts at their Harrison, Ohio facilities. Its quality standards are different from those of Zoeller. Testing pumps for Wayne means that only a few pumps are selected for testing before they leave the shop. They rely on the warranty to handle those they may not work when installed.
Are Wayne Sump Pumps Good?
Of course Wayne Sump Pumps are good and still work very well. Because of their top suction design they require no bottom screen maintenance and the pumping performance is stellar.
Their warranty provides home owners assurance that if the pump does not work initially when installed it will be replaced if a purchase of receipt complies with the warranty date. And if the pump fails before the end of the warranty Wayne Pumps will also honor their warranty.
What Makes Wayne Pumps Desirable And Different?
5 Important Sump Pump Specifications
These five notable specifications are: the housing, float switch, suction type, pump performance and horse power, testing, where made, and warranty. Learn why these features are important.
Pump Housing
Wayne uses three pump housing types: thermoplastic, steel and stainless steel. Each of these materials responds differently to heat and long term pumping.
Thermoplastic is most affected by continuous pumping and can over time warp, crack or break. It is the least desirable pump housing for heavy pump usage. Stainless steel does not dissipate heat as well as carbon steel, but heat does not affect it as readily as it does carbon steel. For that reason we see stainless steel pump housing with a longer warranty. In addition carbon steel rusts easily so it is coated with an additional finish to delay corrosion. So stainless steel becomes the material of choice because heat does not affect it as much as it does thermoplastic and carbon steel.
Pump housing is the outmost layer visible to the eye; however there is another layer to consider: the motors housing. Unlike Zoeller, Wayne pumps include third party canned motors which have an aluminum housing. Aluminum housing heats up quickly passing heat to the pump housing. This is why thermoplastic is not a good outer housing to use for pump motor longevity. Stainless can handle a lot more heat which caused the motor not to overheat. This is why the stainless steel pumps have a longer warranty period. Just in case the motor gets hot, thermal protection is present to shut the pump off. It takes a long, long period of continuous pumping before the motor would shut down. Wayne pumps are known for doing their job very well during heavy rain storms so they are a good sump pump choice.
Thermoplastic housing is used for the primary submersibles SPF33, SPF50, WST33, and WST50. Carbon steel housing is used for CDT50, CDU790, CDU800 and the backup ESP25n. Stainless steel housing with a cast iron base is used with the CDU790SS, CDU800SS, CDU980E, Wayne Guardian Halo and CDU1000.
Float Switch
The float switch for Wayne sump pumps includes both the tether and the vertical.
The tether float switch requires up to a 7 inch wider basin because the float swings out as it rises. An 18 inch diameter is recommended. The vertical float moves up and down on a two pole rod so requires less diameter to operate: eleven inch diameter basin to be exact.
The vertical float switch is preferred. Here’s why. The location of the switch is different for these switch types.
The tether float has an enclosed switch within it. When the float rises high enough as the water in the sump basin rises, the float rises and snaps up which causes the switch circuit to close which causes the pump to turn on.
The location of the switch for the vertical float if found in the sump pump head. Wayne uses a reed switch. It is more reliable and lasts longer than a tether switch.
Hang up potential is much greater for the tether float because it is free floating in the sump basin, as found in the WST33, WST50 and the CDT50, therefore it is much more likely to get caught on the basin wall.
The vertical float, as found in the SPF33, SPF50, CDU790, CDU790SS, CDU800, CDU800ss, CDU980E, CDU1000, and in the ESP25n, is much less likely to get caught because it is protected by a head guard plus it only moves up and down.
The Air Switch, as found on the Guardian Halo has no float to cause hang up. It is activated by air. A push button is used to instigate a “puff” or “sip” of air which travels along a length of PVC tubing and activates the air switch. The air switch will turn the pump on or off.
No Screen Suction Type
Wayne’s pump design eliminates the need to remove clogging and performing periodic cleaning. There is no bottom screen that can get clogged and requires periodic cleaning.
Top suction used by Wayne pumps works great if the basin is debris free. If there is debris such as small pea gravel coming into the basin, this design will not handle it and an effluent sump pump is recommended.
A top suction design eliminates air lock which occurs with vortex impellers with bottom suction. There is no place for air to get trapped with top suction. Air lock is a common problem with some brands which causes the motor to run and not pump any water. Air can get trapped between the impeller and the discharge port piping. Thus sump pumps using a vortex impeller require an air hole to be drilled into the pump discharge pipe near the pumps discharge port.
Pumping Performance
Wayne’s sump pumps use top suction which yields a more powerful pumping performance. The down side of top suction is that it causes more pressure during operation than a vortex pump; however the pumps function just fine.
The battery backup ESP25n performs at 25 GPM or 1,500 GPH. The one-third horse power pumps, SPF33, WST33, CDU790 and CDU790SS perform at 36 GPM (gallons per minute) or 2,130 GPH (gallons per hour) at a 10 foot vertical height up to 51 GPM or 3,060 GPH. The one-half horse power pumps, SPF50, WST50, CDT50, CDU800 and CDU800SS, pump 36 GPM or 2,130 GPH to 64 GPM or 3,840 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height. The 3/4 HP pump, CDU980E and Guardian Halo pumps 76 GPM or 4,600 GPH. And the one HP pump, CDU1000 is capable of pumping 85 GPM or 5,100 GPH at 10 feet vertical height. This is a wide range of pumping performances.
Installing the right sized pump is important because installing a pump with too much horse power will cause to it run too short and too often thus wearing the motor out prematurely.
Testing
All home owners want their sump pump to work when initially installed. Wayne tests their sumps to run one million cycles without problems just like Zoeller pumps. Wayne, however, does not test each pump before it leaves the factory. Their approach to quality is testing a few by batch. Thus it is possible for a new pump to fail when first installed. That is the purpose of the warranty. A replacement pump is provided.
USA Manufacturing vs Assembly
Wayne uses foreign and domestic parts and only assembles their pumps at Harrison, Ohio, USA. Other companies like Zoeller and Liberty Pumps choose to both manufacture their parts and assemble their pumps in their factories in the USA.
Warranty
Sump pump warranty adheres to the industry standard. A one year warranty is applicable to their thermoplastic pumps, the SPF33 and SPF50. A two year warranty is offered for the WTS33, WST50 and ESP25n.
A three year warranty is applicable for the steel housing cast iron base pumps, the CDU790 and CDU800. A 5 year warranty applies to the stainless steel housing cast iron base pumps, The CDU790SS, CDU800SS, CDU980E, Guardian Halo and the CDU1000.
What Submersible Sump Pump Types Exist?
Wayne Submersible Pumps include two pump types: the Primary pump that runs on electricity and the backup pump that runs on battery power. Both of these pump types are known for their unique specifications. The third pump type is known as the Combination Pump because it includes both the primary and battery backup pump preassembled together as one system. Learn about these pump types, how they work, how to install them and how to choose the best.
Wayne Primary Sump Pumps
Wayne Primary Sump Pump Similarities
Wayne primary sump pump models have similarities and differences which cater to a wide variety of home owner needs and preferences.
Wayne Primary Sump Pump Differences
Thermoplastic pumps, SPF 33 and SPF50, have a 1 year warranty. The Glass reinforced thermoplastic pumps, WST33, WST50 and CDT50, have a 2 year warranty. The coated steel and cast iron base pumps, CDU790 and CDU800, have a 3 year warranty. The stainless steel, cast iron base pumps, CDU790SS, CDU800SS, CDU980E, Guardian Halo and CDU1000 have a 5 year warranty.
The vertical float switch is used most frequently, the SPF33, SPF50, CDU790, CDU790SS, CDU800, CDU800SS, CDU980E and CDU1000. Only three models use the tether float switch, WST33, WST50, and CDT50. The Wayne Guardian Halo uses and Air Switch.
Four different horse power motor strengths are available. One-third HP is used for the SPF33, WST33, CDU790, and CDU790SS. One-half HP is used for the SPF50, WST50, CDU800 and CDU800SS. Three-fourths HP is used for the CDU980E and the Wayne Guardian Halo. One HP is used for the CDU1000.
Pumping performance is in direct correlation to the amount of horse power. The vertical height at which the water must be pumped from the basin to the discharge pipe leading away from the house of the also impacts the GPH. So the GPM and GPH provided here is based on a 10 foot vertical height. Here are the pumps GPM and GPH capability in order of the water volume pumped.
The WST33 and WST50 pump the least amount of water in one minute, 36 GPM and 2,130 and 2,200 GPH. The SPF33 pumps 45 GPM and 2,718 GPH; The CDU790 and CDU790SS pump 51 GPM and 3,060 GPH. The SPF50 pumps 56 GPM and 3,360 GPH. The CDT50, CDU800 and CDU800SS pump 64 GPM and 3,840 GPH. The CDU980E and Wayne Guardian Halo pumps 76 GPM and 4,600 GPH. The CDU1000 pumps 85 GPM and 5,100 GPH.
Wayne Sump Pump Comparison By Model
SPF33 (57610-WNY1) – 1/3 HP thermoplastic Pump Housing And Base, Vertical Float Switch with 45 GPM 2,718 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Glass Reinforced Thermoplastic impeller, 8 ft. cord, Weighs 12 lbs., 1 yr. Warranty.
WST33 (58366-WYN1) – 1/3 HP Reinforced thermoplastic Pump Housing And Base, Tether Float Switch with 36 GPM 2,130 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Glass Reinforced Thermoplastic impeller, 13 in. ON 7 in. OFF, 8 ft. Cord with Piggyback Plug, Weighs 9 lbs., 2 yr. Warranty.
CDU790 (56137-WYN3) – 1/3 HP Coated Steel Pump Housing, Cast Iron Base, Vertical Float Switch with 51 GPM 3,060 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Thermoplastic impeller, 9 in. ON 4 in. OFF, 8 ft. cord, Weighs 22 lbs., 3 yr. Warranty.
CDU790 (57629-WYN1) – 1/3 HP Stainless Steel Pump Housing, Cast Iron Base, Vertical Float Switch with 51 GPM 3,060 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Thermoplastic impeller, 9 in. ON 4 in. OFF, 8 ft. cord, Weighs 22 lbs., 5 yr. Warranty.
SPF50 – 1/2 HP thermoplastic Pump Housing And Base, Vertical Float Switch with 56 GPM 3,360 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Glass Reinforced Thermoplastic impeller, 9 in. ON 4 in. OFF, 8 ft. cord, Weighs 12 lbs., 1 yr. Warranty.
WST50 – 1/2 HP Reinforced thermoplastic Pump Housing And Base, Tether Float Switch with 36 GPM 2,220 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Glass Reinforced Thermoplastic impeller, 13″ On 7″ Off, 8 ft. Cord with Piggyback Plug, Weighs 9 lbs., 2 yr. Warranty.
CDT50 – 1/2 HP thermoplastic Pump Housing And Base, Tether Float Switch with 64 GPM 3,840 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Glass Reinforced Thermoplastic impeller, 13″ On 7″ Off, 8 ft. Cord with Piggyback Plug, 13 lbs., 2 yr. Warranty.
CDU800 (56270-WYN3) – 1/2 HP Coated Steel Pump Housing, Cast Iron Base, Vertical Float Switch with 64 GPM 3,840 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Thermoplastic impeller, 9 in. ON 4 in. OFF, 8 ft. cord, Weighs 22 lbs., 3 yr. Warranty.
CDU800SS (56270-WYN3) – 1/2 HP Stainless Steel Pump Housing, Cast Iron Base, Vertical Float Switch with 64 GPM 3,840 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Thermoplastic impeller, 9 in. ON 4 in. OFF, 8 ft. cord, Weighs 22 lbs., 5 yr. Warranty.
CDU980E (58321-WYN3) – 3/4 HP Stainless Steel Pump Housing, Cast Iron Base, Vertical Float Switch with 76 GPM 4,600 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Thermoplastic impeller, 9 in. ON 4 in. OFF, 8 ft. cord, Weighs 22 lbs., 5 yr. Warranty.
Basement Guardian Halo (58375-WYN1) – 3/4 HP Stainless Steel Pump Housing, Cast Iron Base, Air Switch with 76 GPM 4,620 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Thermoplastic impeller, 8 ft. cord, Weighs 20 lbs., 5 yr. Warranty. Comes with Wi-Fi connectivity.
CDU1000 (58321-WYN2) – 1 HP Stainless Steel Pump Housing, Cast Iron Base, Vertical Float Switch with 85 GPM 5,100 GPH at 10 ft. vertical height, Top-suction no screen, Thermoplastic impeller, 9 in. ON 4 in. OFF, 8 ft. cord, Weighs 22 lbs., 5 yr. Warranty.
How Do Wayne Primary Sump Pumps Work?
Just like other submersible sump pumps, Wayne pumps work in the same way.
When the sump pit water level is low the tether float rests at the side of the pump and the vertical float rests at the bottom of the float rod attachment. As the water rises the floats rise. The tether float rises up and swings out; therefore needs a much larger sump basin. The vertical float moves up the float rod.
At a predefined height, the tether float will snap up and the switch in the float with close the electrical circuit and the pump will run. When the water recedes the float lowers and disengages the switch and the electrical circuit opens and the motor stops.
As for the vertical float, as the float with the magnet rises and the magnet is attracted to the switch. At a predefined height the magnet drawn to the switch causes the circuit to close and the electrical current to flow and the motor turns on. When the water recedes, the float lowers, the electrical current is broken (opened) and the pump stops.
Reed switches or relays eventually fail in one of three ways. 1) The magnet and switch do not disengage when the water recedes. This is called sticking and the pump keeps running even though there is no water to pump. 2) The magnet and switch do not make contact and close the electrical circuit. This is called missing. 3) The magnet and switch make contact, but the contact resistance reaches an unacceptable level after many, many contacts and eventually fails. Wayne does have replacement switches,
Watch How A Sump Pump Works
How To Install A Wayne Sump Pump
Installing a Wayne Sump Pump is easy. It will take you around 30 minutes if you have done it before. Otherwise, do it on a sunny day when you have plenty of time and can call a plumber if you run into difficulties. But there is no mystery when it comes to installing a sump pump.
Watch How To Install A Sump Pump With Wayne Pump Company
How to Choose The Best Wayne Primary Sump Pump
1) Determine if the current Model is doing the job. Buying the same model really makes installation easy.Why Install A Battery Backup Sump Pump?
Being prepared is much better than cleaning up a flooded basement and loosing valuables. Even if the basement is not finished and has no valuables, floods easily cause mold. Getting rid of mold can be very costly and definitely very time consuming. Plus mold has an effect on one’s health. So as the old adage says,” An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure.“
Wayne Battery Backup Sump Pumps
Wayne offers one battery backup system known as the ESP25. This backup system has been around for many years and has been updated to the ESP25n.
What Are The ESP25n Specifications?
Unlike many backup sump pumps, the pump housing is epoxy coated steel with a cast iron bottom to add weight and durability. It is meant to be installed on the basin bottom and weighs in at 24 pounds which definitely gives it stability in the pit during heavy pumping.
Its top suction design serves a two-fold purpose. It prevents the need for a bottom screen which can easily clog and need periodic cleaning and it prevents air lock which when present prevents pumping.
The impeller is thermoplastic and thus corrosion resistant.
Its dimensions are small enough that it should fit in an 18 inch diameter with a primary sump pump. It is only 6-1/2 inches wide and 11 inches tall.
Its pumping performance is 25 gallons per minute at a 10 foot vertical pumping height. This is 1,500 GPH.
The ESP25n warranty is two years.
One battery, the 75 Amp Wayne battery fully charged, pumps up to 10,000 gallons of water which is almost equivalent to a fully water-filled swimming pool. Its continuous pumping performance is around 6 hours.
Here’s another way of defining how long one fully charged 12volt, 75 amp hour, sealed lead acid battery will last. If the pump is running once every minute, it will provide 23 hours of protection. If the pump is running once every 5 minutes it will provide 100 hours of protection. If it is running once every 10 minutes, it will provide 172 hours of protection.
So if one battery does not provide enough run time it is not possible to attach a second battery because the control is not made to handle it.
As for battery charging, the battery is charged by the charger which runs on house electricity. While the battery charges, it does not drain the battery.
The home owner is notified both visually and audibly during its operation. Its battery case LED display indicates when the battery backup pump is in a readiness state, operating and when the battery is not operating properly. An audible alarm also sounds when the backup system is active.
Once the electricity comes back on, the backup system will automatically reset itself.
A Deep Cycle Mighty Max 75ah as well as a deep cycle group 31 series 100 AH battery will work as long as the battery is less than 14-3/4 inches long, 8-1/4 inches high and 10-1/2 inches tall; however Wayne has not used them for benchmarking purposes.
The Wayne battery, model WSB1275 battery has been used for battery run time bench mark purposes. The WSB1275 is a 12 volt, sealed AGM 7 5 amp hour battery. The ESP25n system is designed to operate most efficiently with an AGM battery. AGM batteries cost slightly more, but can last longer. The measurements of the battery case are 14-3/4 inches long, 8-1/4 inches wide and 10-1/2 inches tall.
The battery box with the battery and controller cover needs to be placed above potential flooding conditions. If the controller cover should fail a replacement is easy to purchase and install.
How Does The Battery Backup System Work?
A battery backup system has a float switch too. The float switch should be set slightly higher than the ON height for the primary pump.
When the water height goes above the primary float ON height the battery backup pump starts and notifies the home owner of its operation. As long as the water reaches the ON height of the battery backup float ON height the pump will continue to operate. When the AC power comes on the control box will reset itself and the warning alarm and LED lights will return to normal function unless the battery must be replaced.
To prevent the battery pump from short cycling, the systems has a built-in time delay of 20-25 seconds which keeps the pump running for the extra seconds without causing pump damage.
How To Install The ESP25 Battery Backup Pump
Wayne Combination Sump Pump
Wayne has the most innovative primary plus battery backup sump pump combination model known as the Wayne Basement Guardian. It is two cast iron sump pumps attached to a discharge pipe making them ready to install to any sump pump basin existing discharge piping. Both pumps are cast iron using the top suction design to eliminate failure caused by air lock. Its top suction design gives it an ultra-quiet performance.
When the primary pump fails the system switches to the backup pump. The battery for the backup pump will last up to 6 hours of continuous pumping or 11,000 gallons on a single charge. That is as much water as is found in a filled swimming pool. The primary pump is one-half horse power and pumps 3,840 GPH at a 10 foot vertical height.
The remote display panel for an Android or Apple device displays battery health and charge for current water level and hours of battery power remaining. Fortunately when there is no power, Local Link keeps updating the software application to let you know the status of your back up pump.
The switch for the backup pump is known as an Air Switch. An air switch is defined as a switch which is activated by air. A push button can be used to instigate a “puff” or “sip” of air which travels along a length of PVC tubing and activates the air switch. The air switch will turn the pump on or off.
How To Install The Wayne Guardian Pump
Before starting the installation the following items are required: a Phillips and Flathead screw driver, hacksaw, PVC glue and primer, socket wrench set, PVC discharge piping section, PVC coupling or rubber connector, a measuring tape and a WSB 1275 75 AMP hour deep cycle marine battery.
Your Wayne Guardian System comes with two case iron pumps, an aluminum control box with an air hose switch attached, a battery box, a remote display, a WiFi module, an AC power cord, a plastic cord wrangler and 2 steel clamps.
Watch How To install the Wayne Guardian Pump System
How To Set Up Your Mobile App for the Wayne Guardian System
Conclusion
In conclusion, this Wayne Sump Pump Review identifies who Wayne Pumps is, what makes them good, what makes their models desirable and different, which primary and backup sump pump models are available, how their pumps work, how to install them and how to choose the best Wayne sump pump for your water pumping needs What Are Your Thoughts On Wayne Sump Pumps, specifically the primary, backup and combination sump pumps? Are they a fit for you? If so, which one is best for you?
How To Pick The Best Wayne Sump Pump For Your Water Pumping Needs
We wish you well as you choose the best sump pump for your needs.
If you have questions or comments, please let us know. Take a look at the Wayne sump pumps and made the best choice today.
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