Liberty Pumps PRG101A ProVore PRG Sewage Grinder Pump Review and LE51A, M267 Comparison

When it comes to sewage pumps, we’ve learned from experience that you can either pay less and pay often (while cleaning up mess after mess along the way) or pay more and buy lasting peace of mind. We’ve spent enough time knee deep in sewage to prefer the latter option to the former, which is why we typically use and recommend sewage grinder pumps for residential and commercial-grade sewage applications.

Do you absolutely need a sewage grinder pump for your home, rental, or small business? No. There are a number of quality sewage ejector pumps (e.g., the Liberty Pumps LE51A or the Zoeller M267) that will handle 2 inch solids while delivering years of reliability. But if you need pumps capable of shredding difficult solids like feminine hygiene products, towels, baby wipes, and rags and don’t want to put your home or business at risk of an expensive and ill-timed plumbing emergency, you don’t want to leave your toilets at the mercy of a normal sewage ejector pump. You need a sewage grinder pump. If you’re reading this, you already know such things shouldn’t be flushed down drains, but a good grinder pump will help you prepare for people who flush these things anyway.

Today we’re going to look at the Liberty Pumps PRG101A ProVore PRG Series Automatic Residential Grinder Pump. Like the other members of the PRG series (e.g., the PRG102A or the PRG101m or PRG102m), it’s one of the best grinders on the market below $1,000, and we’d trust our home and business on it. Our full review is below, but if you’re ready to buy it, you can buy it here.

Key Features of the Liberty Pumps PRG101A Sewage Grinder Pump (60 Second Summary)

The Liberty Pumps PRG101A is an automatic submersible residential sewage grinder pump that can also be used in most applications that call for a standard sewage ejector pump. It includes a 1 hp electric motor, a 2,760 gallon per hour maximum flow rate, a max head of 50 feet, and a 3 year warranty. The PRG101A is 11 inches wide, 17-5/8 inches tall, and 7-1/8 inches deep. It weighs 58 pounds.

The PRG101A is housed in class 30 cast iron and  includes a class 25 cast iron impeller and a 440 stainless steel cutter and cutter plate. Its motor is oil-filled, thermally protected, runs on 115 volts single phase at 60 Hz AC and draws 12 amps at full load; locked rotor amp draw is 47.5 and thermal overload occurs at 221F. The default configuration includes a 10-foot quick-disconnect power cord; an identical model, the PRG101A-2, can be purchased with a 25-foot power word. The maximum liquid temperature is 140F. It includes an automatic mechanical wide angle float switch and a piggyback plug. The discharge is 2 inch NPT.

While the max pumping rate is 2,760 GPH at zero feet, this rate drops to 2,610 GPH at 10 feet, 2,220 GPH at 20 feet, 1,680 GPH at 30 feet, 960 GPH at 40 feet, and max head and shut-off occurs at 50 feet.

How Does the Liberty Pumps PRG101A Compare to the Liberty Pumps LE51A and Zoeller M267 Sewer Ejector Pumps?

Liberty Pumps specifically states the PRG101A can be used to replace 2 inch discharge systems where both LE50- and LE40-series solids-handling pumps are present, although they add the disclaimer of consulting with their factory regarding specific application and head needs. Practically speaking, the PRG101A will be able to do anything the LE50- or LE40-series pumps can do; despite having a much slower maximum flow rate (e.g., 46 gallons per minute vs 160 gallons per minute), it can pump water much farther and to much greater heights (e.g., 50 feet vs 24 feet), and backs up the additional power with a grinder for processing a range of difficult solids likely to jam sewer ejector (solids-handling) pumps like the LE51A- and LE41A-type pumps.

Similarly, the PRG101A will be able to process everything the Zoeller M267 can while exceeding it dramatically by being able to shred a range of materials that would stop an M267, including entire towels, sanitary wipes and napkins, diapers, rags, and similar trash inappropriately flushed instead of thrown into the garbage.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Liberty Pumps PRG101A  Grinder Pump

We’re not going to tell you installing a grinder pump is easy; in fact, it’s quite a bit tougher than installing a sump pump. It’s not because of anything related to the pump; it all has to do with where you install it (beneath your house or commercial building), in addition to the fact that you’re working with sewage instead of simply with water. We’d recommend buying a good wet / dry vacuum to help with the inevitable messes if you’re going to install this on your own, and you’ll of course want to have a good amount of experience or someone who does at your side. It’s a fair estimate that you’re going to need at least a full day (a weekend will be better) if performing a standard sewage pump installation. If you’re using it as a replacement sump pump, of course, it’ll only take a few hours.

We rarely come across dissatisfied owners of the PRG101A. The most satisfied residential and commercial owners are those who have either dealt with failing sewage pumps or who were preemptive and installed it to head off future disasters. It’s important to note that, as is the case with all sewage grinder pumps, it’s designed for high pressure and low volume. It’s not going to be nearly as fast as even a mid-range sewage ejector pump; what it will do is pump much higher and much farther at greater pressure. For example, a typical installation of pushing sewage uphill by 30 feet and horizontally by 200 feet won’t give this pump any trouble, while many sewage ejector pumps would give out long before that in both height and distance.

Once your installation is complete, you can expect somewhere between 15 and 25 years of trouble-free functioning in most cases, although we’ve heard of sporadic cases of failure here and there. When such cases have occurred, they’ve always been well within the warranty period, which is a relief. Overall, such issues should be few and far between.

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Liberty Pumps PRG101A Working Sooner

If you’re installing the PRG101A on your own as a DIY sewage pump project, bless you for your patience. Remember to buy as many accessories ahead of time as possible. Similarly, take your time and measure twice in order to cut once. You’re going to need PVC pipe, threaded adapters, additional tubing and coupling adapters, and PVC pipe. It’s better to have these things close at hand in case you break or strip a part while you’re working; you’re not going to want to stop when you’re knee deep in a project like this. Similarly, remember to buy enough PVC cement and that it sets very, very quickly.

Once you set up the float switch, make sure it has no obstructions throughout its range of motion; the last thing you want to deal with is a stuck switch (open or closed; both are bad) once you’ve cemented and shut everything several hours later. In general, you’ll also want to make sure both the pump and your float switch are fully functional before you caulk and bolt everything down. You might not want to take the time to start and stop your water and look for leaks and proper water flow throughout the house or building (this includes all sinks, showers, and toilets), but if you don’t do so in the middle of the job, there’s a chance you’ll regret it the moment you think you’re done.

As noted above, don’t forget both a wet-dry vacuum (we like the Craftsman XSP) and  a good 2 inch  check valve. You’ll also want to measure your check valve’s positioning and make sure you do your fitting while it’s dry and before cementing anything. It sounds obvious, but four hours into a job, nothing will be obvious.

Liberty Pumps PRG101A Pump Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

In conclusion, there’s no question that you’re going to need to spend more money on a sewer grinder pump like the PRG101A than you would on a sewer ejector pump like the LE51A or M267. On the face of it, such an investment might seem hard to justify, especially if you only focus on the top speeds of sewage clearance. But you don’t buy a sewer grinder pump for speed; you buy it because it’s not going to stop working the first (or second, or third) time someone flushes a hygiene product or cleaning accessory down the toilet. You buy a pump like the PRG101A because you’ve got a business to run and don’t have time to call or play plumber multiple times a year, or because you’re a busy landlord and don’t want to spend what’s left on your free time dealing with clogged toilets, or simply because you’re a homeowner who doesn’t ever want to deal with replacing a sewage pump ever again. If these kinds of scenarios describe you, a grinder pump will pay for itself very quickly, in money and time saved and in peace of mind gained.

You can buy the Liberty Pumps PRG101A here on Amazon. You can buy it with a 25-foot power cord as the PRG101A-2 here. You can buy the Liberty Pumps LE51A here. You can buy the Liberty Pumps LE41A here. You can buy the Zoeller M267 here. You can buy a good wet / dry vacuum here. You can buy a silent 2 inch  check valve here.

If you find our work at PumpThatSump helpful, you can support our relentless reviewing of every sump pump on the market by shopping via our Amazon link for whatever you need to make your house a home. Despite being self-employed, we promise not to spend it all on health insurance.

Liberty Pumps 297 and 297-2 3/4 HP 290-Series Sump Pump Review: Almost 50 Feet of Max Head!

If you’re buying an AC-powered sump pump, you can either go cheap with something that’ll last a year or two if you’re lucky, or spend more for a well-engineered device that’ll give you decades of reliability. We’d prefer the latter option, which is why we frequently recommend pumps like the Zoeller M267 for people interested in a “buy-it-for-life” approach. However, there are other great designs out there to keep in mind when searching for a set-it-and-forget-it pump, such as Liberty Pump’s line of pumps with vertical magnetic floats. We recently reviewed the 287 and its smaller sibling, the 257, and found the 287 one of the best budget alternatives to the M267 we’ve yet come across. Today we’re going to take a look at the Liberty Pumps 297 Vertical Magnetic Float 3/4 HP Sump / Effluent Pump. It’s basically an upgraded 287, and we’d consider it a very strong contender to the M267. If you need a pump with a high max head, it blows away the M267. This review applies equally to the Liberty Pumps 297-2, which is the same pump with a 25 foot power cord. Our full review for both  is below, and you can buy the 297 here and buy the 297-2 here.

Key Features of the Liberty Pumps 297 Sump Pump (60 Second Summary)

The Liberty Pumps 297 is an automatic submersible sump and effluent pump. It is powered by a 3/4 horsepower oil-filled, thermally protected electric motor  that runs at 3,450 RPM and is capable of pumping up to 4,980 gallons per hour (83 gallons per minute). It includes a 3 year warranty by Liberty Pumps. The 297 is 10 inches wide, 13 inches tall, and weighs 31 pounds. It is also available as the Liberty Pumps 297-2, which is the same pump in all specifications except in the cord length, which is 10 feet in the 297 and 25 feet in the 297-2.

The 297 and 297-2 are AC-powered and don’t include battery backups. The pump can handle solids up to 3/4 inch in diameter and liquids as hot as 140F. The motor runs on 115V and draws 10.4 amps at full load with thermal overload occurring at 248F. The vertical magnetic float is non-adjustable and turns on at 9.5 inches and off at 4 inches. The discharge is 1-1/2 inches NPT and the pump can be installed in sump pits as small as 10 inches.

Water removal peaks at 4,980 GPH at 0 feet, drops to 4,350 GPH at 10 feet, 3,480 GPH at 20 feet, 2,550 GPH at 30 feet, 1,440 GPH at 40 feet, and shuts off at the max head of 48 feet.

How Does the Liberty Pumps 297 Compare to the Liberty Pumps 287  and Zoeller M267 Sump Pumps?

The Liberty Pumps 297 uses the same vertical magnetic float design found in the 287. To put it bluntly, it’s a more reliable system than the typical mechanical design found in electric sump pumps (e.g., the kind found in the Zoeller M267 or other Zoeller, Wayne, or Liberty Pumps sump pumps). Compared to the 287, the 297 is both faster (4,980 GPH vs 4,020 GPH0) and capable of pumping to much greater heights (48 feet vs 37 feet). Reliability will be the same. Compared to the M267, the 297 is slower (4,980 GPH vs 7,680 GPH) but has more than twice the pumping height (48 feet vs 21 feet). We also expect reliability to be significantly higher in the 297 than in the M267 due to the float design. The 297, like the 287, will also fit into narrower sump basins than the M267.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Liberty Pumps 297 Sump Pump

Installation isn’t more complex than that in the 287 or most other sump pumps; you lower the pump into the pit. connect the pump to your discharge pipe, make sure the float height is correct (you’ll need to adjust the pump itself since the float switch height is not user-adjustable), and plug everything in. As always when dealing with a submersible sump pump, you’ll want to be sure not to let it run dry; despite being equipped with a thermal overload, you won’t want to stress the motor any more than necessary if you’re looking to get multiple decades out of the pump.

Once installed, it shouldn’t be too hard to get more than a decade (and perhaps two) out of the 297 as long as you remember to make sure the float switch is still working properly from time to time. With that in mind, you’ll still want to have a backup pump installed if you’re depending on the 297 (or any other pump) to protect your property. When operating, it’s quiet, fast, and attractive. The ability to grind small solids is a nice addition that adds to its reliability when working in less than perfect groundwater conditions. It’s not a trash pump, but it’ll still deal with gravel, sand, and small rocks that find their way into the sump pit instead of simply stopping and leaving you at the mercy of your backup pump.

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Liberty Pumps 297 Working Sooner

As always, our main recommendation when buying and installing an AC sump pump is to back it up. It doesn’t matter whether you use a water-based backup pumplike the Liberty Pumps SJ10 or a DC backup like the Wayne WSM3300, but you do want to have something on your side when you get a heavy rainfall, flash flood, and hurricane in the forecast right as the power goes out for the next three days.

No matter what you get as a backup, you’ll want to make sure that the backup float switch is above the 297’s so the 297 is what starts running first and the backup only turns on if the 297 can’t keep up or isn’t able to turn on due to the aforementioned power outage. Similarly, it’s also prudent to install some kind of water alarm above your backup float switch so you’ll know if both your main pump and backup pump aren’t able to keep water levels below a certain height. A cheap and functional option is the Basement Watchdog. Between a pump as reliable as the 297, a backup pump, and a water alarm, your odds of dealing with a flooded basement should be similar to those of someone in Death Valley.

Liberty Pumps 297 Sump Pump Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

In conclusion, if you’re a fan of the VMF approach to sump pump float switches or if you need the most head you can get for under $500, you’ll be a fan of the Liberty Pumps 297. The main question to ask after that is how much power and head you need. If you can get by with 1/3 HP, you’ll want to look at at the LP 257. If you only need 1/2 HP, the LP 287 is what you’re after. But if you simply have more water volume or need to move it to unimaginable heights and don’t want to wonder if your pump is going to have enough reserve power to get the job done, then you’ll be better off buying for the long haul and choosing the Liberty Pumps 297.  It’s not the cheapest sump pump out there, but it’s about as reliable as an AC-based sump pump can get. Our main recommendation would be to remember to buy a substantial backup pump to accompany it–peace of mind is worth a few extra hundred in our books.

You can buy the Liberty Pumps 297 here on Amazon. You can buy the Liberty Pumps 297-2 with a 25-foot cord here. You can buy the Zoeller M267 here. You can buy the Liberty Pumps 287 here. You can buy the Liberty Pumps SJ10 here. You can buy the Wayne WSM3300 here. You can buy a silent check valve here.You can buy a water alarm here.

If you find our work at PumpThatSump helpful, you can put our relentless reviewing of every pump and fixture on the market to the test by shopping via our links above for whatever you need to make your house a home. Despite being self-employed, we promise not to spend it all on health insurance.

We share best practices in pump and fixture selection, installation, and maintenance for families and small business owners who want water (or worse) gone for good.