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Liberty Pumps SJ10 SumpJet Water Powered Backup Sump Review: Battery-Free Basement Protection

Whether you’re a homeowner or a landlord, if your home has a basement in an area with flooding, it needs a sump pump. There are a number of good AC models available, such as the Zoeller M267. But you don’t just need a sump pump, unless you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where the power never goes out and your sump pump never stops working. For the rest of us, a backup sump pump is just as important as the main pump itself.

Many people choose a DC backup sump pump, and there are a number of models that work well, such as the Wayne WSM3300. However, if you don’t want to deal with maintaining a deep cycle battery or if you have a high water table or frequent flooding, you might be better served with a backup sump pump that doesn’t need electricity at all. A water-based sump pump gets rid of battery drama; as long as you have water pressure from your local municipality, you’ll be able to keep your basement dry–in theory, at least.

Today we’re going to take a closer look at one of the best budget water-based sump pumps on the market, the Liberty Pumps SJ10 SumpJet Water Powered Back-Up Pump. It’s a solid and popular pump among families and investors interested in basement flood prevention. Our full review is below, but if you’re wondering whether we think it’s worth it, we do, and you can buy it here.

Key Features of the Liberty Pumps SJ10 SumpJet (60 Second Summary)

The Liberty Pumps SJ10 is a water-powered backup sump pump. The pump does not require electricity or batteries, but runs through water pressure from a municipal water supply. It requires a constant, uninterrupted water source to work. Its maximum water flow rate is 1,188 gallons per hour (19.8 gallons per minute) and it comes with a 3 year warranty from Liberty Pumps. It is 21.6 inches tall, 5.1 inches wide, and 14.5 inches deep, and weighs 6 pounds.

The SJ10 features a 1-1/2″ discharge and includes a 3/4″ NPT water inlet connection to receive water from a municipal water system. It can accept an inlet supply pressure between 20 PSI and 100 PSI, and will remove 2 gallons of sump water per gallon received. The full technical specifications are here.

Because it is a water-powered sump pump, its pumping performance will increase and decrease with the water pressure at the inlet as well as with the pumping head. Sump pump water removal at 20 PSI tops out at 11 GPM (660 GPH) with a max head of 13 feet. At 40 PSI, the max pressure is 16 GPM (960 GPH) with a max head of 25 feet. At 60 PSI, the max pressure is 19.8 GPM (1,188 GPH) with a max head of 39 feet.

How Does the Liberty Pumps SJ10 SumpJet Compare to the Wayne WSM3300 and ESP25?

Compared to the Wayne WSM3300, the biggest differences between it and the SJ10 SumpJet involve functionality. The WSM3300 requires a deep cycle battery to work as well as an AC supply to charge the battery from time to time while the SJ10 never requires batteries or an AC connection. On the other hand, the SJ10 does require a connection to a working municipal water supply, while the WSM3300 does not. The WSM3300 is also a smart sump pump and includes a range of self-monitoring and communicative abilities. The SJ10 does not, although there is an enhanced version available with smart features–the SJ10A-Eye.

Beyond the power supplies and communicative differences, there are also differences in pumping efficiency to be aware of. The WSM3300 can move water much more quickly than the SJ10 (3,300 GPH vs 1,188 GPH), but the max pumping height of the SJ10 can be up to 2x as large depending on main water pressure (39 feet vs 20 feet).

Compared to the ESP25, the battery-vs-municipal water power source is the biggest difference, as the ESP25 doesn’t include smart features. The pumping speed differences are the same.

In general, the biggest difference to keep in mind between a water-based pump and a battery-based pump is that a water-based pump offers the security of not relying on the electricity to come back within a few days the way a battery-based pump does. To put it simply, if you lose power for more than around 3-4 days, your battery-based pump will be as dead as your AC-based pump unless you have a charged deep cycle battery ready to swap into the pump, because the main deep cycle battery keeping the pump going will only run for a few days of intermittent use before dying. This isn’t an issue with a water-based pump; as long as you have city water pressure, you’ll be able to keep your basement dry. This alone makes it worth considering over a battery-based pump if you live somewhere with frequent power outages or if you leave your home unoccupied (due to work travel or vacations) for days or weeks at a time.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Liberty Pumps SJ10 SumpJet

Installing the SJ10 was a snap; it comes fully assembled and the manual is rather easy to follow. Instead of using PVC and copper water lines, you might want to consider SharkBite push-to-connect fittings as well as PEX tubing, since they make the job faster. If you’re okay soldering, though, you’ll save a lot of money by soldering copper fittings; it depends on whether you want to save money or time. The basic procedure is to connect the horizontal inlet to your municipal water supply (which powers the pump), the vertical inlet to your sump basin inlet tubing (which brings in the water that fills your sump basin), and the horizontal outlet to your sump ejection line (which carries water out of your basement and home).

When properly installed, you should be able to get a decade out of one of these pumps without much trouble; they have fewer moving parts than battery-based pumps (no external float switches to worry about), which makes them more likely to stand up to the long haul.

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Liberty Pumps SJ10 SumpJet Working Sooner

As noted above, while you can install the SJ10 with copper, PVC, and some soldering, you’ll have a much easier time if you spend some money on some SharkBite fittings and PEX tubing. You’ll need enough feet of PEX 3/4″ flexible line or copper tubing to bring water from your main line to the pump, keeping in mind that if you have a smaller size line (e.g., 1/2″), you’ll need a smaller PEX or copper tubing. Similarly, you’ll need a way to remove water, which is where you’ll either need 1-1/2″ PVC tubing or an equivalent discharge or garden hose.

The manual recommends a 3/4″ water line so enough water pressure will keep the pump going, but you’ll be fine with 1/2″ lines as long as you’ve got enough pressure. You want to make sure that you don’t have more than 100 PSI coming from your main water line or you can burst gaskets in the pump and create huge flooding issues. On the other end, you’ll want at least 20 PSI or there won’t be enough to drive the pump.You don’t need a check valve since one is already included, but if you’re interested in switching it out, we can recommend the Brady check valve, as it works well and is quiet.

Liberty Pumps SJ10 SumpJet Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

It’s hard to find any negatives about the SJ10 for its price. If you need a backup sump pump–and if you don’t have one, you need one–and don’t want to use a battery-powered backup system, this is one of the best budget water-based backup sump pumps currently on the market.

No, it doesn’t have smart features, although there is an upgraded equivalent you can buy to get such features (the SJ10A-Eye), but it will do a good job keeping your basement from flooding if your AC sump pump loses power, can’t keep up with rain or water levels, or simply stops working, and it will continue to work without ever needing any form of electricity. As long as you have water pressure, you’ll have a sump pump to make sure your basement stays dry. We recommend it heartily.

You can buy the Liberty Pumps SJ10 here on Amazon. You can buy the Liberty Pumps SJ10A-Eye here. You can buy the Wayne WSM3300 here on Amazon. You can buy PEX tubing here and SharkBite connectors here. You can buy a silent 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.

Zoeller 507-0005 Basement Sentry Battery Backup Sump Pump Review

When it comes to basements in single family homes, most homeowners and landlords fall into one of two categories: those who invested in backup sump pumps ahead of time and those who did so after dealing with a flooded basement. To put it bluntly, no matter how good your main AC sump pump is, if you have a power outage, that pump’s not going to move an ounce of water. And the way things work, you’re going to lose power just when your main pump was going at full throttle to keep your basement dry during a flash flood or thunderstorm.

In our books, it’s easy math: if you spend a few hundred dollars now, you won’t need to spend several thousand more later on while cleaning your basement, buying furniture, replacing high-def TVs, stereo systems, video games, or whatever other precious things you lost in a basement flood. So what’s a good backup sump pump?

The best DC backup sump pump we’ve yet reviewed is the Wayne WSM3300. This backup pump will perform a range of self tests each month and can call up to 5 phone numbers if you experience a power loss or if the pump detects maintenance issues. It’s the best DC backup pump on the market. However, if you don’t need the smart functionality and simply want many years of trouble-free functionality, you might want to consider the Zoeller 507-0005 Basement Sentry Battery backup. It’s a tried and true DC backup pump and it has high levels of compatibility with a range of Zoeller AC sump pumps such as the M267 (the best AC pump we’ve ever reviewed), the M98, the M63, the M57, and the M53. We’ll fully review it below, but if you’re deciding on whether or not to buy it, we recommend it, and you can buy it here.

Key Features of the Zoeller 507-0005 Backup Sump Pump (60 Second Summary)

The Zoeller 507-0005 is a pre-assembled battery backup submersible sump pump. The pump is a 12-volt DC-powered motor with a maximum water flow rate of 1,380 gallons per hour and includes a variable warranty of either 12 months from its installation date or 18 months from its manufacturing date. It is 12.5 inches tall, 7.75 inches wide, and 7 inches deep and weighs 13.3 pounds on our scale.

To run the Zoeller 507-0005, you’ll need a 12-volt deep cycle battery (not included). This needs to be 27, 29, or 31 size with at least 175 minutes in reserve capacity and maximum dimensions of 13″ in length, 7.5″ in width, and 9.5″ in height to fit within the polyethylene battery case. Multiple batteries can be connected via additional battery cases and hookup wires. Examples of compatible batteries include the MK-E27-SLD-G we reviewed, as well as the Zoeller Aquanot AGM.

The Zoeller 507-0005 features a control box with information provided via an LCD screen. You can follow battery voltage via the screen, as well as LED indicators for battery charging states, AC power levels, float activation due to high water, and more. The high water alarm can also be silenced for 24 hours through the control box. Although the backup pump has a max flow rate of 1,380 gallons per hour at zero feet, the rate drops to 900 GPH at 10 feet, 300 GPH at 15 feet, and shut-off occurs by 17.5 feet. Zoeller does not recommend the pump for applications where more than 15 feet of total dynamic head is required. The temperature range spans 40-120 degrees Fahrenheit, and the manual specifies a sump pit at least 18″ in diameter with at least 24″ in depth.

How Does the Zoeller 507-0005 Compare to the Wayne WSM3300 Backup Sump Pump?

The primary differences between the Zoeller 507-0005 and the Wayne WSM3300, which is a smart pump, involve the sophistication of the Wayne’s autodial and self-monitoring features. Zoeller notes that it’s possible to receive email, text, and push notifications of alarm activation via Z control, which is an alert system you can connect to an existing home alarm system. However, unlike in the Wayne’s notification systems, the Zoeller system is not independent and will not work without an already-present home alarm system.

That said, the Zoeller will provide a high degree of reliability; it’s not uncommon to have a Basement Sentry 10 years old still in good working condition (keeping in mind that the batteries need replacement before then, of course). Keep in mind, however, that the WSM3300 is also a much faster backup pump than the 507-0005. If your priority is water removal, the WSM3300 will get it done much more quickly, reducing battery drain and giving you a significantly longer window of battery life.

With that out of the way, we see the Zoeller 507-0005 as highly compatible with many primary sump pumps, including thee M267 (our favorite AC sump pump), the M98, the M63, the M57, and the M53. Compared to the Zoeller 508-0005, the 507-0005 is slower but no less reliable.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Zoeller 507-0005 Backup Sump Pump 

Installation is straightforward, even if you don’t frequently install sump pumps. Remember that you’ll need to install a deep cycle battery while plugging in the unit to keep the battery on a full charge. And if you want to use the auto-dial features included, you’ll need to connect the pump to an already-existing home alarm system and program the two to work together.

Regarding long term feedback, we’re happy with the reliability of the Zoeller 507-0005, whether it’s installed independently or paired with a combination sump pump package like the Zoeller 507-0008 or the Zoeller 507-0011. It shouldn’t be too hard to get 10 years of good service from it, keeping in mind that you’ll want to test it every now and then during that interim to make sure the float switches don’t get stuck and that the battery continues to hold a charge.

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Zoeller 507-0005 Working Sooner

Remember to install the Zoeller 507-0005 above your main pump if they’re sharing a sump pump pit. More specifically, the float switch for the backup pump needs to be above that of the main pump so the backup pump only kicks in when the main pump can’t keep up with water levels (or during a power outage when the main pump will be inoperable).

Once you’ve completed your installation, have a look at the indicator lights to make sure you’ve put everything together correctly. When you’ve got AC power, the AC light should be green. If you lose power, it should blink red. Your battery charging indicator should be green when your battery is fully charged, yellow when the battery is charging or discharging, and red when it’s low. With battery voltage below 10.8 volts, the red light should blink slowly and the blinking should speed up when the voltage drops below 8.4 volts. If the battery is low, a low battery alarm should sound.

When the float switch triggers due to high water levels, there should be a yellow blinking light indicating as much, and the light should stay solid once it’s been on for 3 seconds. Similarly, your high water alarm should also begin to sound. If you press the alarm reset, you’ll reset all of the ongoing alarms. Pressing and holding it for 3 seconds will silence all alarms for the next 24 hours. If you’re in a situation with high water but feel your pumps are taking care of it, you can silence alarms without worry.

Zoeller 507-0005 Backup Sump Pump’s Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

Overall, we feel confident recommending the Zoeller 507-0005 to most families and landlords interested in a backup DC sump pump. It doesn’t have the built-in smart features of the Wayne WSM3300, but it’s reliable, affordable, and will give you another line of defense if your main AC sump pump runs into trouble. It’s also compatible with a range of AC pumps. If you need a high level of self-testing ability as well as a sump pump that can phone you, you’ll want the Wayne. Similarly, if you want top pumping speeds, you’ll want the Wayne. But if you don’t need either of those features, the Zoeller will do a perfectly fine job of keeping your basement dry when the power cuts out.

You can buy the Zoeller 507-0005 here on Amazon. You can buy the Zoeller 508-0005 DC pump here. You can buy the Wayne WSM3300 DC pump here. You can buy the Zoeller 507-0008 combination pump here. You can buy the Zoeller 507-0011 AC/DC pump here. You can buy the Wayne WSSM40V combination pump here. You can buy the Zoeller AGM battery here. You can buy the MK E27-SLD-G battery 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.