WAYNE CDU980E 3/4 HP Submersible Sump Pump – Cast Iron & Stainless Steel, Vertical Float Switch, 5,490 GPH, 5-Year Warranty

Why it's worth it

The Wayne CDU980E is a 3/4-horsepower cast iron and stainless pump rated at 5,490 gallons per hour, roughly double what a standard residential pump moves. Get it if your pit refills as fast as it empties, or if your basin is too narrow for a swinging float.

The output is the whole point. At 5,490 gallons per hour, this pump clears a pit fast enough to stay ahead of hard inflow. If you're at the bottom of a slope, sitting on a high water table, or feeding one pit from a big basement footprint, that margin is what keeps water off the floor during the worst hour of a storm. Owners in flood-prone areas describe it running continuously and keeping up.

The vertical float fits pits that tethered floats fight. A vertical switch travels straight up and down in a narrow column, so it needs no swing room and can't snag on the basin wall or the discharge pipe. If your pit is on the tight side, or your old pump kept sticking on, this is the easier one to drop in.

From our review of 8 sump pumps, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +The output is the whole point
• +The vertical float fits pits that tethered floats fight
• +Cast iron and stainless steel, with a top-suction intake
• +Five years of warranty coverage is the longest here

What to know

• –It's more pump than most homes need
• –It's bulky, and the swap isn't always drop-in