Introduction
Hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons, tornadoes, thunderstorms…Causes of that we desperately need a device called “sump pump”. For example, like this Wayne 3/4 hp sump pump which we will review in this article. One of the most important features of these extreme weather events called violent storms. The storms which are important and violent in their own way is that they happen unpredictably.
Even though the science world has discovered and shared with us the reasons, we still don’t have the 100% exact information about when they will happen. Additionally, global warming which is frequently mentioned is in theory seen as the main starting point of hurricanes. Indeed, as the temperature felt by people is constantly rising, the effect and violence of the hurricanes are rising too.
Anatomy of a hurricane
Hurricanes, which are named differently each time they occur, especially occur when summer ends and fall starts. Therefore, it indicates that the correlation between hurricanes and global warming is not a coincidence. Because this is when the earth is the warmest and hurricanes basically form as the wind blowing over the warm surface causes the water to evaporate and rise into the atmosphere forming clouds full of rain. Nature creates them in order to balance the temperature of the earth. As we are familiar from the sump pumps, they are kind of similar to the “thermal overload protection”.
Why do we need sump pumps in our basements?
Hurricanes are unpredictable, sudden weather events which are impossible to prevent. But does it mean that we can’t take any precaution in order to prevent the damage these extreme weather events cause? Of course not. Isn’t this what the living creatures on the earth do? While we let nature protect and renovate itself, we take precautions to protect our lives. One of these precautions at the best is buying a sump pump for the basement. And this is the most efficient precaution against flooding while water level sneakily rises on your basement floor. If you give yourself some time to read our Wayne 3/4 hp sump pump reviews, you will get to know one of the best sump pump products on the market which has considerably high star counts on sump pump ratings that customers give every day. Here we go:
WAYNE CDU980E 3/4 HP Submersible Cast Iron and Stainless Steel Sump Pump
Wayne CDU980E is one of the top-rated sump pumps in high-performance products of Wayne 3/4 hp sump pump series. So, it is one step below of the highest performance models (1 HP). For this model, the strongest components in the sump pump systems are assembled and a product that you don’t see every day in terms of appearance, durability, and performance is created by Wayne sump pumps, one of the best brands in worldwide and the countries. Therefore, it deserves its own full-page review. Especially when it is affordable and has a long warranty period.
Design, Quality
When we take a look at the product, unlike the usual rugged cast iron image we see a cylindrical submersible sump pump with smooth and shiny metallic housing. The harmony in gray and black color reveals the beauty of the design. You may think that this beautifully designed sump pump can’t work under tough conditions.
The smooth cylindrical metal motor housing is completely made out of stainless steel. It is the best material to be used in a sump pump which is one of the biggest plusses of this sump. This abundant use of stainless steel indicates the longer for this product, as the main characteristic of stainless steel is its resistance against rusting and corrosion and durability against external blows. When we consider that the most important part of the product is its motor, the stainless steel motor housing will allow you to sleep through the nights without any problem.
Parts and Materials
Ball bearings are permanently lubricated by the oil inside the motor. Therefore, you don’t need to make any further efforts to lubricate them. Sealing is made from carbon/ceramic shaft in order to prevent leakage. The base and volute case of the pump is epoxy coated rugged black cast iron. Plastic is used in a part of the impeller which is glass reinforced thermoplastic and on top of the pump called switch case which is where the switch is connected to the pump. The color harmony can also be witnessed here with the choice of gray color in the switch case preferred not to distort the beauty of the product and the gray switch case completes the visual design. There may be two reasons for choosing plastic on top of the Wayne 3/4 hp sump pump product:
- Plastic gives the manufacturer flexibility in terms of design.
- It can be easily removed to reach the motor.
Some Flaws
Stainless steel sticks going downwards from the switch case provide additional protection to the motor housing. Those are connected to the volute case shaping a cage around the pump. But we must mention that float switch connections don’t look very safe. The safety of the plastic switch connection points (top and bottom) is open to discussion. It is our opinion that the switch can be easily removed due to this structure.
The second disadvantage that needs to be mentioned is the large holes on the intake screen. This part aims to prevent clogging by not allowing the debris or small particles to pass through. They seem like they are large enough to allow bigger solids to enter into the pump. This creates a potential risk of clogging. The solution we can offer for this problem is to buy an additional sump pump base stand.
Power
We have said that the product is in the Wayne’s 3/4 Hp sump pump category and has the capacity just one step below the 1 Hp sump pump scale. What is the performance of this product? Let’s put it into the digits:
- 0 ft., 91.5 gallons (3463 liters) of water per minute, 5490 gallons (20781 liters) of water per hour,
- 5 ft., 84.6 gallons (3202 liters) of water per minute, 5076 gallons (19214 liters) of water per hour,
- 10 ft., 76.6 gallons (2899 liters) of water per minute, 4600 gallons (17412 liters) of water per hour,
- 15 ft., 68.3 gallons (2585 liters) of water per minute, 4100 gallons (15520 liters) of water per hour,
- 20 ft., 58.3 gallons (2206 liters) of water per minute, 3500 gallons (13248 liters) of water per hour.
These numbers are not disappointing in terms of performance for such a strong pump. Designed for extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes. It is preferred by the users who want to have a bigger discharge capacity or replace the existing system with the new one at affordable sump pump price.
Cooling System
The motor of the Wayne 3/4 hp sump pump which requires 120V and 60 Hz power supply is cooled with the dielectric oil filling. The thermal overload protection system is in charge of the cooling system. The thermal overload protection turns off the motor when the fluid temperature is over the 40 ºF – 120 ºF temperature range. We must add that the dielectric oil used for motor cooling consists of environmentally hazardous substances. Therefore, you must dispose of it as a waste in accordance with your state’s laws.
We can list the reasons for the thermal overload protection to restart unexpectedly.
- Operating the pump at low heads
- Excessively high or low voltage (And as we’ve said before, you always have the best option to have a battery backup sump pump system or combination sump pump backup system for extra insurance),
- Inadequate wiring,
- Incorrect motor conditions,
- The sump pump is at the end of its life.
Usage and Warranty
Wayne 3/4 hp sump pump is 12 pounds. It has 11-1/2 inches high and 9-3/4 inches base dimensions. The height required for the switch to operate is 9 inches with the vertical float, 12 inches with the tethered float switch. The off level of the pump is approximately 4 inches with the vertical float switch and 7 inches with the tethered float switch.
The two most important things we need to mention about the Wayne 3/4 hp sump pump is firstly the material used in this pump and affordable price as well as the high performance, and secondly 5-year limited warranty.
Wrap Up
As in the other sump pumps, we have tried to be as objective as possible in our Wayne 3/4 hp sump pump reviews and give you the information we have on the product with our good and bad comments related to the sump pump. There is one more point we want to mention about Wayne CDU980E apart from its many advantages and some disadvantages that it can be used indoors. We can definitely tell you that the customers who tried to use it in their pool and failed and therefore called the product “useless” have no idea about the manual sent with the products.
You should always read the manual and learn about the installation of this sump pump product. It has many benefits, for example, you will extend the lifetime of your product. We have seen that customer’s complaints are mostly related to this matter. It is possible that the product won’t work due to factory or company errors. But remember that the product you have is tested many times and companies have to manufacture their products within certain quality standards.
To sum up our general opinions about Wayne CDU980E, you will buy an above-average product manufactured from the most-quality materials at an affordable price with a 5-year warranty (one of the best warranty offers in the industry). Only problems related to the switch and intake screen may bother you. Therefore, don’t forget to take some additional precautions such as buying a combination sump pump backup or battery backup sump pump system.