Wayne sump pumps
The brand to buy when the limiting factor is how fast your pit refills. More flow for the money than anyone else here, in cast iron.
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Wayne Water Systems occupies a specific and useful position: real cast iron and real flow at a price that sits between the budget brands and the premium ones. If you have worked out that you need capacity and you do not want to pay commercial-grade prices to get it, this is where you land.
What Wayne is good at
- Flow per dollar. Consistently more gallons at a given lift for the money than the premium brands.
- Top suction intakes, which keep settled grit away from the impeller.
- Quiet operation, helped by the mass of the cast iron and stainless construction.
- A competitive battery backup, which not every pump brand manages.
Where it is not the answer
- Switch-critical installations. Liberty's sealed magnetic float has the better reputation.
- Long-horizon parts availability. Zoeller's network is deeper.
- Small pits. The higher-output models want inflow to justify them, or they short-cycle.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne CDU980E3/4 HP of cast iron and stainless, with top suction to keep pit grit out of the impeller. | Maximum output | 9.0 | Check price on Amazon #ad we earn a commission · Amazon shows the current price |
| 2 |  Wayne CDU7901/2 HP, cast iron, strong flow, and priced closer to the budget brands than the premium ones. | Value in cast iron | 8.7 | Check price on Amazon #ad we earn a commission · Amazon shows the current price |
| 3 |  Wayne ESP25N battery backup systemWayne's battery backup, and the highest backup flow at 10 ft in our registry. | The backup half | 8.8 | Check price on Amazon #ad we earn a commission · Amazon shows the current price |
Scores are ours and editorial, not lab measurements — see how we pick. Tap a row for the full write-up.
Wayne CDU980E
3/4 HP of cast iron and stainless, with top suction to keep pit grit out of the impeller.
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| Type | Submersible, cast iron and stainless steel |
|---|---|
| Horsepower | 3/4 HP |
| Electrical | 120 V, 10 A |
| Discharge | 1-1/2" NPT |
| Switch | Vertical float, on at 9", off at 4" |
| Intake | Top suction, to keep debris out of the impeller |
| Seals | Carbon/ceramic shaft seal, ball bearings in a sealed oil bath |
| Flow, by lift | 5,490 GPH at 0 ft · 4,600 GPH at 10 ft |
| Warranty | Five years, limited |
The top suction intake deserves attention. Drawing water from the top of the pump rather than the bottom keeps the silt that settles in every pit away from the impeller, and that is a design decision that pays off in year five.
What it gets right
- The most flow of anything in our registry
- Quiet for the output
- Top suction intake
Where it falls short
- Short-cycles in a low-inflow pit
- Higher current draw
Specifications from Wayne CDU980E specification listing, Wayne 58321 CDU980E distributor listing.
Wayne CDU790
1/2 HP, cast iron, strong flow, and priced closer to the budget brands than the premium ones.
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| Type | Submersible, epoxy-coated cast iron |
|---|---|
| Horsepower | 1/3 HP |
| Electrical | 120 V, 9.5 A, PSC oil-filled motor |
| Discharge | 1-1/2" NPT |
| Cord | 8 ft |
| Switch | Vertical float |
| Flow, by lift | 4,600 GPH at 0 ft · 3,060 GPH at 10 ft |
| Warranty | Three years (the CDU790SS stainless variant is five) |
For an unfinished basement with a hard-working pit, this is arguably the most rational purchase on the whole site: you get the iron and the flow, and give up a little on the switch and the spares network.
What it gets right
- Cast iron at a mid-market price
- Good flow at real lifts
- Top suction intake
Where it falls short
- Switch is competent rather than exceptional
- Thinner parts network than Zoeller
Specifications from Wayne CDU790 specification listing, Wayne CDU790 distributor listing.
Wayne ESP25N battery backup system
Wayne's battery backup, and the highest backup flow at 10 ft in our registry.
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| Type | 12 V DC battery backup pump |
|---|---|
| Housing | Epoxy-coated steel with a cast-iron base |
| Impeller | Corrosion-resistant thermoplastic |
| Discharge | 1-1/2" NPT |
| Battery | One Group 27 deep-cycle battery, sold separately |
| Minimum basin | 14 in diameter |
| Monitoring | LED display and audible alarm on the battery case |
| Flow, by lift | 2,900 GPH at 0 ft · 2,340 GPH at 5 ft · 1,680 GPH at 10 ft · 600 GPH at 15 ft |
| Warranty | Two years |
Wayne publishes this one's flow at four separate lifts including the unflattering one, which is a reasonable signal about how the rest of the specification was written. See battery backup sump pumps.
What it gets right
- 1,680 GPH at 10 ft
- Steel and cast-iron construction
- Fits a 14-inch basin
Where it falls short
- Battery sold separately
- Flow collapses above 10 ft
Specifications from Wayne ESP25N specification listing, Wayne ESP25 product listing.
Which Wayne to buy
| Situation | Model |
|---|---|
| Standard basement needing more than 1/3 HP | CDU790 |
| Fast-refilling pit, high lift | CDU980E |
| Adding outage protection | ESP25N battery backup |
| Small pit, modest inflow | Look at a 1/3 HP pump from another brand instead |
The head-to-head most people want is Wayne vs Zoeller.
Questions people ask
Are Wayne sump pumps good?
Yes, particularly on flow for the money. They are cast iron where it counts, quiet, and use top suction intakes. The switch and the parts network are where the premium brands pull ahead.
Wayne or Zoeller?
Wayne for maximum flow per dollar; Zoeller for the longest service record and the deepest parts availability. Both are sound choices and neither is a mistake.
What does top suction mean?
The pump draws water in near the top of its body rather than at the base, so the silt that settles in the bottom of the pit is less likely to reach the impeller.
Does Wayne make a battery backup?
Yes, the ESP25N, which has the highest published flow at ten feet of lift of any backup in our registry.
Sources
Read next
Wayne vs Zoeller
Flow per dollar against the longest service record in the category. Both are right answers to different questions.
The best sump pumps, ranked by what they move at real lift
Five pumps that cover almost every residential pit, compared on the number that matters: how much water they move at the height your basement actually needs.
The best battery backup sump pumps
The storm that fills your pit is the storm that takes the power out. This is the half of the system that works when the other half cannot.
The quietest sump pumps — and the cheaper fixes first
Most sump pump noise is not the pump. Before you buy a quieter one, it is worth knowing what is actually making the sound.
Zoeller sump pumps
The brand most plumbers name first, for an unglamorous reason: cast iron, a float switch that has barely changed in decades, and published performance data.