Whether you’re looking for a dewatering pump to defend personal and commercial property (e.g., preventing or mitigating basement flooding after hurricanes and flash floods) or simply to drain pools, rooftops, or similar areas, you’re going to want a good utility pump, and preferably an automatic one. So what options are out there?

If you’re primarily interested in moving water instead of in removing it completely, a drain pump like the Tsurumi LB-480A-62 will get the job done quickly, automatically, and reliably. If you want water drained down to the last millimeter, you’ll want a strong low-level residue pump like the Tsurumi LSC1.45-61. However, it’s a manual pump, which requires a utility controller or constant monitoring. If you’re happy to drain water down to 1/4 inch (e.g., 6 mm) and want automatic, worry-free operation, you’ll be happy with the Tsurumi LSRA2.4S-60 Automatic Pitless Sump Pump. It’s the automatic version of the LSR2.4S-60 we recently reviewed and loved. The LSRA2 does just as good of a job without needing to be supervised. Our full review is below, and you can buy it here.

Key Features of the Tsurumi LSRA2.4S-60 Submersible Pump (60 Second Summary)

The Tsurumi LSRA2.4S-60 is an automatic low-level submersible dewatering pump; Tsurumi describes it as a pitless sump pump, which defines most drain pumps. Designed to be used indoors and outdoors, the LSRA2 is an electric utility pump designed to clear water from areas where sump pumps would be impossible or time- and cost-ineffective to install. It uses a 2/3 horsepower, 115 volt, 6.1 amp single phase motor capable of pumping water at up to 3,780 gallons per hour (63 gallons per minute) at 5 feet. The LSRA2’s pumping rate scales down to 3,000 gallons per hour at 15 feet with max head and shut-off at 40 feet. The minimum water removal level is 1/4 inch, or 6 mm above a flat surface, and the pump requires a minimum of 1/5 inch of water for continuous operation.

The pump is 11-15/16 inches tall, 8-1/4 inches in diameter, weighs 26 pounds, and has a power cord 32 feet long. It comes with a 2 year warranty from the purchase date and uses a 2 inch vertical (top) discharge outlet that requires a standard 2 inch hose (e.g., a PVC discharge hose); you won’t be able to directly connect it to a garden hose without an adapter. The pump includes thermal and amperage protection for the motor and a semi-vortex impeller to increase the usable life of the pump.

How Does the Tsurumi LSRA2.4S-60 Submersible Compare to Other Drainage Pumps?

Compared to the LSR2.4S-60, the advantage of the LSRA2 instead is its inclusion of an automatic float switch that lets it turn itself on and off automatically. Since you won’t need to plug or unplug it in or connect it to a utility pump controller, you can simply turn it on and let it get to work. The minimum water draining level appears to be slightly lower at 1/4 inch vs 2/5 inch, but practically speaking, they’ll both drain water to the same level (very low) and at the same maximum speeds and to the same maximum head.

Compared to the Tsurumi LSC, the main advantage of the LSRA2 is the fact that it’s an automatic pump; you won’t need to constantly watch it the way you would with the LSC. However, the LSC, as a low-level residue pump, will drain water down to 1 mm instead of down to 6-10 mm.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Tsurumi LSRA2.4S-60 Submersible Pump

The LSRA2 will pump water in a range of situations and down to very low levels. you can use it as a water pump in both fresh and salt water environments (e.g., 15,000 gallon koi ponds or swimming pools). You can use it with streams or waterfalls, and you can also use it in rental situations or to defend property against flooding. A number of people simply buy them when moving to the gulf coast (e.g., Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana) to help keep things dry during hurricane and flood seasons. If you live in a flood zone, you’ll already want to have a good sump pump (e.g., the Zoeller M267 for an AC pump or the Basepumps CB1500 for a water-based pump). A quality dewatering pump will also pay for itself again and again if water does get past your sump pumps or if you’ve got standing water outside your house and don’t want disease-carrying mosquitoes breeding around your family and property.

Reliability appears to be high; we’d expect the average user to get several years out of a given pump. Compared to the manual LSR2, we’d expect reliability to be the same or slightly higher due to the automatic float switch negating the potential for the pump running dry if left unattended.

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Tsurumi LSRA2.4S-60 Submersible Working Sooner

The only issues we’ve ever come across with the LSRA2 have included the potential for the lower intake holes to become clogged with debris (e.g., sand, leaves, mud, or gravel). You’ll want to either use clean water, filter the water going into the pump, or simply check the holes and clean them out on a somewhat regular basis (e.g., monthly). You won’t damage the pump with dirty water, but if the intakes get clogged, that will slow the pump down and reduce its efficiency until they’re cleared.

Remember that if you want to use the LSRA2 with a generator, you’ll preferably want a generator with at least 3 times the amperage-delivering ability. A typical 2,700 or higher watt generator should be able to power it without trouble. We’d recommend the Champion 75537i 3100 watt generator so you can keep the pump (or any other utility or AC-powered sump pump) going when you have a power outage. Finally, remember that you’re also going to need a 2 inch discharge hose to drain water from the pump.

Tsurumi LSRA2.4S-60 Submersible Pump Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

In conclusion, the LSRA2 resolves the main issue we had with the LSR2: needing to either manually supervise it or connect it to an automatic pump switch. As the LSRA2 is automatic, you don’t have to do anything more than plug it in, place it in water, and walk away. There are cheaper pitless sump pumps (or drainage pumps) on the market, but there are few from companies as reliable as Tsurumi. In the end, we’d rather spend twice as more on a pump that takes four times as long to break down than spend half as much on a pump that breaks twice as often. Remember that you won’t be able to completely drain water the way you would if you had a Tsurumi LSC (down to a millimeter or less), so if having every last drop gone is a priority, you’ll want the LSC instead. However, if you’re happy removing water down to a quarter of an inch and want it done automatically, you’ll be happy using the LSRA2 for many years.

You can buy the Tsurumi LSRA2.4S-60 here on Amazon. You can buy the Tsurumi LSR2.4S-60 on Amazon or here from Tsurumi. You can buy the Tsurumi LSC here. You can buy the Tsurumi LB-480A-62 here. You can buy a 2 inch PVC discharge hose here. You can buy a 3100 watt inverter generator here or a 3000 watt large-capacity generator 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.

If you’re looking for a residential, commercial, or industrial pump, you can either a.) try to spend a little and end up spending a little over and over and over again, or b.) spend a bit more and not need to spend money for a long time. We prefer the second option, and we’ve found that a good submersible pump is typically going to cost us at least $300. So what are good options currently on the market for draining areas from basements to rooftops?

For general dewatering and drainage, our favorite manual and automatic utility pumps are the Tsurumi LB-480-62 (manual) and the Tsurumi LB-480A-62 (automatic). Both will drain down to 4 and 5 inches respectively while providing plenty of power to pump water in a range of situations from ponds and waterfalls to flood control in basements. Sometimes we want every last inch gone, which is where a pump like the Tsurumi LSC1.45-61 comes in with the capability of draining down to 1 mm above a surface. But what about when we don’t need quite as much drainage but would like a greater pumping speed than that from a residue pump?

This is where the Tsurumi LSR2.4S-60 Low-level Submersible Dewatering Pump comes in. Capable of draining down to 0.4 inches (10.2 mm), it’s an excellent pump for near-complete draining of surfaces like basements and pools in a short amount of time. Our full review is below, and you can buy it here.

Key Features of the Tsurumi LSR Submersible Pump (60 Second Summary)

The Tsurumi LSR2.4S-60 is a manual low level submersible dewatering pump. It’s essentially an electric utility pump designed to remove and drain water from flat areas without sump pumps. It includes a 2/3 horsepower 110 volt, 6.1 amp single phase motor with a max flow rate of 3,780 gallons per hour (63 gallons per minute) at 5 feet. This rate drops to 3,000 GPH at 15 feet and shut-off occurs at the maximum head of 40 feet. It is capable of removing water down to as low as 0.4 inches (10.2 mm) above a flat surface and requires at least 0.2 inches of water to continuously run. The pump is 11-3/8 inches tall, 8-1/4 inches in diameter, and weighs 28 pounds. It is backed by the standard Tsurumi 2 year warranty and includes a 32 foot power cord.

The LSR is a submersible pump with built-in thermal and amperage protection for the motor to allow it to safely shut down without failure when overloaded or run dry. It includes a 2 inch vertical (top) discharge outlet that requires a standard 2 inch hose (e.g., a PVC discharge hose); it will not work out of the box with a garden hose, although adapters are available to help you fit it to one. It will slide inside 9 inch diameter pipes and enclosures and includes a semi-vortex impeller to reduce maintenance over the life of the pump.

How Does the Tsurumi LSR Submersible Compare to Other Drainage Pumps?

The LSR2.4S-60, like the majority of drainage pumps, is manual. To use it automatically, you’ll either need to buy an automatic float switch (we mention a range of recommended models below) or upgrade to the automatic version of the LSR, the LSRA2.4S-60. The primary difference between the LSRA2 and the LSR2 is that the LSRA2 includes an automatic float switch, allowing for fully automatic operation.

Compared to the Tsurumi  LSC, the LSR is faster (3,780 GPH vs 2,700 GPH) and will pump to the same max head of 40 feet. However, the LSR will not drain water nearly as completely as the LSC, which, as a low-level residue pump, drains to 1 mm instead of to 10.2 mm. Both pumps are manual and will require a utility pump controller or similar automatic pump switch if you don’t want to need to manually plug and unplug it with each use.

Compared to the LB-480-62, the LSR pumps water at approximately the same maximum speed (3,780 GPH vs 3,744 GPH) and to the same maximum head (40 feet). The main difference between the two pumps is that the LSR, being a low-level pump, will drain far lower (to 10.2 mm) than the LB-480-62 (down to 101.6 mm). The LB-480A-62 has the advantage of automatic operation vs the LB-480-62, LSR, and LSC, which are all manual.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Tsurumi LSR Submersible Pump

These pumps are capable of working in a range of settings, and we’ve generally come across strong reviews and feedback with a few exceptions.  We’ve seen it used to pump water out of flooded basements after spring showers and floods, after hurricanes and flash floods, and in many other situations. Keep in mind that you’ll likely need to move the pump from one location to the next if you’re using it to drain water in a basement or pool; it can’t drain what it can’t reach. This is also where the 32 foot power cord comes in handy.

Practically speaking, you’ll likely be able to clear water past 10 mm down to 5-6 mm, depending on your surface conditions.  The pump needs to be started with at least 1.5 inches (38 mm) of water, although once running, it can safely continue down to much lower levels.

The few issues we’ve seen with the LSR have involved rusting in the cast iron base and bolts; these issues were likely related to defective models. Thanks to the two year warranty, it’s easy to return the pump to have such issues addressed if they crop up. The main point to keep in mind for longevity is that the pump will need an automatic float switch or utility controller to work without supervision, as if you let it run dry, you will eventually damage the motor despite the thermal shut-off (which is intended to be a last-resort safety system, and not a set-it-and-forget-it alternative to a float switch). If you don’t want to set up a float switch like the HydroCheck HC7000 or HydroCheck HC6000 for indoor use or the HydroCheck HC6100 for outdoor use, you’ll want to buy the upgraded model, the  LSRA2.4SA-60, which includes a built in float switch for automatic operation.

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Tsurumi LSR Submersible Working Sooner

If you’re planning on using the LSR with a generator, you’ll want to aim for one that can supply at least 3 times the full load in amperage, which means at least 18.3 amps for the LSR. A typical 2,700 or higher watt generator should be able to power it without trouble. We’d recommend the Champion 75537i 3100 watt generator for emergency use of the pump when the power cuts out.

As mentioned earlier, it’s essential to remember that you’re going to need a utility pump controller or accessory float switch if you want to run the pump without needing to watch over it. We recommend either HydroCheck HC7000 or HydroCheck HC6000 for indoor use or the HydroCheck HC6100 for outdoor use. Any of these controllers can handle a pump generating up to 3/4 horsepower with up to a 14 amp draw, which is enough to handle the LSR. Keep in mind that you’re also going to need a 2 inch discharge hose to drain water from the pump.

Tsurumi LSR Submersible Pump Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

In conclusion, if you don’t need quite as much draining power as the LSC but want a bit more speed than what the LSC provides, the LSR is a solid choice for a low-level manual drain pump. It will also pump water down to a far lower level than the LB-480-62, which is a great all-around dewatering pump but not specifically designed to help extract water down to fractions of an inch.

Our main suggestion for the LSR would be to either connect it to an automatic utility pump switch so you won’t have to babysit it whenever it’s running or to simply buy the automatic version of the LSR, the LSRA2.4SA-60. If you choose the LSRA2 over the LSR2 and a separate float switch, you’ll never need to worry about warranty issues due to the reliability of the third party float switch. Beyond this advantage, you’ll also enjoy greater reliability due to using a switch Tsurumi specifically built to control the 4SA.

You can buy the Tsurumi LSR2.4S-60 here on Amazon or here from Tsurumi. You can buy the Tsurumi LSRA2.4S-60 here on Amazon. You can buy the Tsurumi LSC here. You can buy the Tsurumi LB-480A-62 here. You can buy the HydroCheck HC7000 here, the HydroCheck HC6000 here, or the HydroCheck HC6100 here. You can buy a 2 inch PVC discharge hose here. You can buy a 3100 watt inverter generator here or a 3000 watt large-capacity generator 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.