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Zoeller M267 Waste-Mate Sewage / Sump Pump Review: 1/2 HP, The Best AC Sump Pump Under $400?

When it comes to choosing a reliable, buy-it-for-life type sewage or sump pump, one of our primary recommendations is to choose a model primarily, if not fully, based on a cast iron housing. In fact, we prefer a full cast iron pump housing, switch case, and base if possible. Thermoplastic is cheaper to source and easier to shape, which is why you’ll see it all over budget sump pumps (e.g., the Wayne CDU980E). But if you want a sump pump that you can throw in a sump pit and forget about for the next 10 years or more, you don’t want plastic; you want iron. On top of that, there are a special class of submersible pumps that do everything sump pumps can do and more; they just aren’t marketed as sump pumps.

One of the best kept sump pump secrets involves choosing sewage, effluent, and dewatering pumps for high-end sump pump service instead of regular sump pumps. The reason behind this is simple: a sewage pump is designed to handle much rougher conditions (i.e., solid wastes) than a regular sump pump, while the reverse isn’t true. In particular, sewage pumps capable of grinding solids are pretty much guaranteed to keep your sump pump working through any debris or naturally-occurring contaminants in your groundwater. Today we’re going to take a look at one of the best sump pumps (if not the best) under $400: the Zoeller M267 Waste-Mate Sewage Pump, 1/2 Horsepower, 115V. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth the money, it absolutely is, and you can buy it here.

Key Features of the Zoeller M267 Sewage Pump (60 Second Summary)

The Zoeller M267 sewage pump is a submersible pump with a 1/2 horsepower motor, a 7,680 gallon per hour maximum water flow rate, and a 3 year warranty that begins with the date of manufacture. It’s 16 inches tall, 13.7 inches wide, and 10.8 inches deep with a maximum pumping height of 21.5 feet and a switch-on/switch-off height of 4 inches and 12 inches respectively. The aforementioned pump switch is vertical. It draws between 1.5 and 10.4 amps and runs on 115-460 volts. It doesn’t come with a battery backup, it weighs 35.8 pounds on our scale, and has a 10-foot long power cord. The working temperature spans 40-130 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s self-priming and housed in cast iron and stainless steel, and the discharge size is 2″ female or 3″ male NPT. It’s designed to be used with sump pits (sump basins) at least 15 inches in diameter.

How Does the Zoeller M267 Compare to the Wayne CDU980E Sump Pump?

Compared to the Wayne CDU980E, the Zoeller M267 is a huge step forward. The CDU980E is a good pump for its price range, but the construction on the M267 is far superior, both in terms of the materials used and in the integrity of the connections. We’d estimate the typical M267 to have a 10-20 year lifespan, while we’d expect 5-7 years from the typical CDU980E. The maximum water pumping rate is close to 2x as fast in the M267 as that in the CDU980E, and it’s capable of grinding up to 2″ solids, which puts it in a different universe compared to the CDU980E in terms of its ability to resist slowdown or stoppage from debris in the sump pit. To put it simply, the CDU980E is a good budget pump, while the M267 might be the last sump pump you buy for your house.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Zoeller M267 Sewage Pump

You shouldn’t expect much trouble installing the Zoeller M267 as a sump pump; you basically connect it to your discharge pipe, plug it in, and lower it into the pit. From that point on, you might as well forget you’ve got a sump pump, because you’re virtually never going to need to look after it. The included instructions are thorough and written in clear English; even if you have limited plumbing experience, you should be able to follow them with a little help from a more experienced friend.

In terms of noise levels, it’s not the quietest sump pump on the market, but it runs so quickly that you barely have time to hear it. We found it significantly quieter than the Liberty pumps we frequently recommend replacing with the M267.

Regarding longevity, we can only give it the highest praise. We’ve never seen anyone replace an M267 after installing it. We believe the quality of the construction of these pumps has everything to do with their longevity. The oldest Waste-Mate we’re aware of has been running in a friend’s house for 24 years. It’s still running. We know several others that have lasted past 20 years with no signs of stopping.

Above all, we were impressed by the engineering and thoughtful design that went into the creation of the M267. It’s heavy, solid, and has the feel of a sump pump that’s not going to need its warranty. We liked the copious use of cast iron and stainless steel; we absolutely loved the fact that it was capable of grinding solids as a fail-safe for taking care of anything imaginable entering your sump pit (or up to 2″ spherical solids if you use it as a sewage pump).

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Zoeller M267 Working Sooner

There are very few things to keep in mind with the Zoeller M267 to ensure a long life. One that comes to mind is the junction body; you want to make sure that isn’t submerged in the sump, or that will allow water to get into the pump via the inside of the cord; once that happens, it’s no longer watertight, and you’ll destroy both the motor and the switches.

Check the float switch action every now and then, especially if you don’t have much water in your sump pit very often. Over time the float switch can become dry and sticky and become harder to move on its own. If this occurs, it might not activate when there’s actually water.

Make sure you run a discharge line at least 2″ in diameter; this pump is designed to move a lot of water, and a 1.5″ line won’t cut it. Don’t be afraid to run a 3″ line if necessary; that’s also within specifications.

When you buy a check valve for the M267, we’d recommend spending a few dollars more on a silent check valve. Even though the M267 is a quiet pump for how powerful it is, if you use a traditional hammer check valve, you’re still going to hear a “thunk!” every now and then when it kicks off. Buying a silent check valve like the Brady check valve will get rid of that sound for good. Similarly, we’d also recommend a separate water alarm; something cheap like the Basement Watchdog will give you an audible warning if water levels rise above the M267’s float switch.  However, a better redundant solution for any AC sump pump than a simple water alarm is a full on backup pump.

As great as the M267 is, we always recommend buying a DC backup pump (or a water-based backup pump) to support it, or any AC-based sump pump. You’ll realize why the first time you have a power outage during a rainstorm. Before then, we suggest the Wayne WSM3300 if you’re looking for the best DC-based backup pump money can buy; it’ll test itself frequently for functionality and it’ll literally call you whenever it needs to activate during a power outage. If you’re on a smaller budget,the Wayne ESP25 is a good basic alternative. What’s important is that you have some system to keep your sump pit from overflowing if a storm takes out your electricity.

Zoeller M267 Sewage Pump Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

Whether you’re buying the M267 as a sewage pump or as a sump pump, you won’t be disappointed. The fact that we know several owners who’ve put 20+ years of continuous service on these pumps speaks volumes. If you don’t want to find yourself either back in your sump pit (or worse, knee-deep in sewage) in a month or a year or 5 because your budget bargain box store pump stopped working, we’d strongly recommend just buying this pump and calling it a day. We’ve seen it installed in finished basements worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (property in Chicago can get pricey), and we’ve heard nothing but praise from homeowners, renters, and landlords alike. Buy it and buy peace of mind.

You can buy the Zoeller M267 sewage pump here on Amazon. You can buy the Wayne WSM3300 here on Amazon. You can buy a water alarm here. You can buy a silent check valve 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.

Wayne CDU800 Submersible Sump Pump Review: The Best Pump Under $150

We recently reviewed the Wayne CDU980E, which we’re convinced is the best sump pump under $200 currently on the market. However, if you don’t need 3/4 horsepower or are on a smaller budget, you might want to consider its slightly downscaled sibling, the Wayne CDU800. It goes by a lot of names, but you’re likely to see it referred to as the Wayne CDU800 1/2 HP Submersible Cast Iron and Steel Sump Pump With Integrated Vertical Float Switch. Whatever it’s called, it’s one of the best budget sump pumps out there, and we’ve yet to find a better sump pump consistently under the $150 price point. If you’re ready to buy it and just need a final confirmation that it’s a good deal, we’ll save you some time: it’s a good deal, and you can buy it here. For more details, keep reading.

Key Features of the Wayne CDU800 Sump Pump (60 Second Summary)

The Wayne CDU800 sump pump is a submersible sump pump with a 1/2 horsepower motor, a 4,200 gallon per hour maximum water flow rate, and a 3 year limited warranty. It’s 14″ tall, 10″ wide, and 10″ deep with a maximum pumping height of 22 feet and a switch-on/switch-off height of 4″ and 9″ respectively. The aforementioned pump switch is vertical. It draws 10 amps, doesn’t come with a battery backup, weighs 18.5 pounds, and has an 8 foot-long power cord. Although the discharge flow can reach 4,200 gallons per hour at 0 feet, it drops to 3,150 gallons per hour at 10 feet, 2,100 gallons per hour at 15 feet, and 500 gallons per hour at 20 feet. The working temperature spans 40-120 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s self-priming and housed in cast iron and stainless steel, and the sump pump outlet diameter is 1-1/2″ NPT. It’s designed to be used with sump pits (sump basins) at least 11-inches in diameter.

How Does the Wayne CDU800 Compare to the CDU980E Sump Pump?

Comparing the CDU800 and the CDU980E gives you the impression that Wayne first designed the CDU980E and then progressively removed features from all of its lower-priced siblings. Compared to the CDU980E, the horsepower is cut from 3/4 HP to 1/2 HP (2/4 HP), the max discharge flows are reduced at every step (e.g., from an absolute max of 4,600 GPH to 4,200 GPH), and the maximum pumping height drops from 26 to 22 feet. The high end working temperature also drops by 20 degrees from 140F to 120F. Essentially, the CDU800 is a less powerful machine. The warranty is the biggest difference in our books, however; the 5-year warranty on the CD980E is unfortunately chopped to 3-years in the CDU800, which makes us steadfastly recommend the CDU980E to anyone whose top priority is maximizing maintenance- and worry-free ownership. We’d estimate a 4-8 year lifespan for the 980E and a 3-7 year lifespan for the 800.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Wayne CDU800 Sump Pump

Installation only took us a few minutes (keeping in mind the fact that we do this for a living). At 1/2 horsepower, we find it’s a good match for homes in average draining conditions in our area (the Midwest), and a good upgrade to houses struggling with 1/3rd or (perish the thought) 1/4 horsepower sump pumps.

One of the most frequent questions we get from clients involves noise levels. It’s understandable, as having a noisy sump pump is both annoying (try watching a movie in the basement or even on the ground floor when you hear what sounds like a muffled bowling ball dropping every few minutes) and unnerving (see above reference to the muffled bowling ball). Fortunately, the CDU800 is a quiet machine; most of our clients let us know that it’s either completely unnoticeable or far quieter than any other sump pump they’ve ever had. We’d personally rank it as ever-so-slightly quieter than the CDU980E, which makes sense when you keep in mind the fact that it runs less water per minute. It’ll make your Flotec sound like a circus cannon, and it’ll put any pedestal pump to shame (submersible pumps are almost always inherently quieter).

Other than that, it’s hard to think about what else to say about the CDU800. It’s a reliable machine, and it’s a rather plug-and-play design. We’ve had a number of landlords personally thank us for choosing this model for their installations, as they’d been facing numerous tenant complaints due to the gunshot-like kicks of their existing sump pumps. We’re always happy to bring people’s plumbing needs into the 21st century; sump pumps have come a long way.

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Wayne CDU800 Working Sooner

When installing the CDU800, you should be fine if you’ve installed a sump pump before or have access to someone who has; you basically drop it into the sump pump (not literally) and connect the power as well as a main discharge pipe. The check valve is already installed at the pump base. Keep in mind that the manual isn’t the most detailed, but it’s at least written in English and accurate enough. Just know that it’s generic enough to apply to pretty much every sump pump Wayne makes.

This might seem like a bit of obvious advice, but be prepared to cut and glue some PVC piping, depending on your particular existing sump pump configuration. Similarly, because the power cord is only 8 feet long, if you have a basement with only one outlet (which, naturally, will be located on the opposite end of the house from the sump pit), be prepared to need an extension cord. Remember that the CDU800 draws 10 amps.

Wayne CDU800 Sump Pump’s Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

In conclusion, while the CDU800 isn’t the best sump pump out there, or even the best on the market for less than $200 (that award easily goes to the CDU980E), it’s the best sump pump we’ve consistently found for under $150. The 3-year warranty is decent, its flow rates and horsepower are strong enough for small-to-medium-sized basements, and it’s essentially a scaled down version of one of our most frequently-turned to sump pumps. If you’re looking for an upgrade, we recommend the CDU980E. However, if volume is a priority and you don’t need a fantastic flow rate, it’s hard to go wrong with the CDU800.

You can buy the Wayne CDU800 sump pump here on Amazon. You can buy the Wayne CDU980E sump pump here on Amazon.

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.