Tag Archives: water backup

Basepump RB 750 Water Powered Backup Sump Pump Review: The Best Budget Water-Based Pump Under $200

When it comes to keeping basements dry in flood-prone areas, the first step for most homeowners or landlords is to install a sump pump. There are a number of good AC pumps on the market, such as the Zoeller M267. However, unless you live somewhere without power outages and with a pump that will never ever fail, you’re also going to need some kind of backup sump pump.

If you’re interested in a DC backup sump pump, the choice is simple: the best one out there is the Wayne WSM3300. However, if you aren’t interested in charging and maintaining a deep cycle battery or if you deal with frequent flash floods, you might want to consider a backup sump pump that isn’t dependent on any kind of electricity. A water-based sump pump relies on nothing but water pressure from your city / suburb water company. It’s an elegant, inexpensive, and almost fool-proof solution.

The other day we reviewed one of the standout budget water-based backup sump pumps, the Liberty Pumps SJ10. Today we’ll take a look at the Basepump RB 750 Water Powered Backup Sump Pump. It’s affordable, it’s effective, and it’s worth buying if you’re looking for a battery-free pump solution. You can read our full review below, and you can buy it here.

Key Features of the Basepump RB 750 (60 Second Summary)

The Basepump RB 750 is a water-based backup sump pump. It does not need batteries or AC power, but does require a constant source of water pressure from a municipal power supply to work. Its maximum water removal rate is 900 gallons per hour and it includes a 5 year limited warranty from Basepump. It is 11 inches long, 6 inches tall, and 4 inches wide while weighing 5 pounds.

The RB 750 features a 3/4 inch water intake connection, although it can be adapted to a 1/2 or 1 inch inlet; the discharge is 1-1/2 inches, and the inlet supply pressure can range between 40 PSI and 90 PSI, with 90 PSI as the limit. It will remove 2 gallons of sump water for every gallon of city water pumped.

Because the RB 750 is water powered, its pumping performance will vary based on inlet water pressure as well as on the pumping head. At 40 PSI and 10 feet of lift, the water removal rate is 700 GPH. This rises to 750 GPH at 60 PSI, 800 GPH at 80 PSI, and tops out at 900 GPH at 90 PSI. The max head, which is also known as the maximum pumping height or maximum lift is approximately 15 feet, depending on your city water pressure as well as the configuration of your piping (bends reduce max height while more inlet pressure increases it).

The RB 750 comes with a battery-operated water alarm that activates whenever the Basepump itself is activated.

How Does the Basepump RB 750 Compare to the Liberty Pumps SJ10 SumpJet and Wayne WSM3300?

Compared to the Liberty Pumps SJ10, the Basepump RB 750 is slightly slower (900 GPH vs 1,188 GPH) and has a much narrower range of acceptable inlet pressures (40-90 PSI vs 20-100 PSI). It also has a much lower max head (15 feet vs 39 feet). They both use the same ratio of city water to expelled sump water (1:2). On paper, as a result, the SJ10  would appear to be the better deal, and in many respects, it is. However, the Basepump wins when it comes to warranty coverage (5 years vs 3 years). Overall, both are well-designed devices and it ultimately comes down to which design you prefer.

Compared to the WSM3300, the RB 750 doesn’t require AC power or a battery, but it does require a consistent supply of city water. Unlike the WSM3300, it lacks smart self-monitoring or communicative abilities. It’s also several times slower at removing water (900 GPH vs 3,300 GPH) and has a lower max pumping height (15 feet vs 20 feet).

With all that in mind, the biggest differences between the two pumps are in their core designs: if you don’t want to depend on any kind of electricity (and statistically speaking, you’re much more likely to lose power than you are to lose water pressure), the RB 750 is the better deal. It’s also likely to last far longer; it’s not unusual for water-based pumps to last for 20 years or more, while battery-based pumps are doing well if they make it past a decade. It is worthy to note you’ll pay a bit extra for water, but most people don’t find the additional expense significant since water’s only used when the pump is running.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Basepump RB 750

Installing the RB 750 is straightforward if you have previous DIY plumbing experience; your goal is to connect your city water to the pump’s inlet, your sump pipe to the sump receiving inlet, and your ejection or discharge pipe to the pump’s outlet. The installation instructions are simple and clear, and Basepump has excellent phone support. If you don’t want to sweat copper lines and use PVC, you’ll want to consider SharkBite connectors and PEX tubing to speed things up. If you’d prefer to have most of what you need bundled with the sump pump, you’ll want to look into the sister model, the RB 750-EZ, which we review here.

When it comes to longevity, you can rest easy. Basepump describes their pumps as “extremely reliable”, and we’d be hard-pressed to argue with this claim; we’ve never seen one fail, although statistically, we’re sure it’s happened here and there from time to time. The fact that we’ve seen so many examples of units working year after year, however, speaks volumes (and moves water).

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Basepump RB 750 Working Sooner

As noted above, although it’s more than possible to install the RB 750 through soldering copper and chopping up PVC, you’ll save time (and potentially money) if you just get some SharkBite fittings and PEX tubing.You’ll need enough feet of PEX 3/4″ flexible line or copper tubing to run water from your city line to the pump (and of course, you’ll need the correct size line or tubing to match your water inlet). When removing water, you’ll also need PVC tubing or an equivalent discharge line. If you don’t want to deal with shopping for particular accessories and would simply like all you’ll need bundled together, you’ll want to buy the RB 750-EZ instead.

Depending on the regulations of your plumbing jurisdiction, you might be required to install a back flow check valve upstream (at the inlet) to prevent sump water from flowing into the city water supply. You won’t need one on the suction pipe (which brings in sump water), and you typically won’t need one on the discharge pipe (which carries away water). If you do need a check valve, we recommend the Brady check valve due to its quiet and reliable operation.

As noted above, the Basepump is a reliable device, and we’ve seen plenty in consistent operation year after year. Part of these strengths come from the inherent design of water-based sump pumps. Unlike electrical sump pumps, there are no motors to die or float switches to stick or power cords to unplug or batteries to wear out. The main vulnerability they face involve pressure changes–if your inlet water pressure drops below a critical value, they stop working until the pressure comes back. This won’t harm them. On the other hand, too much pressure will blow gaskets, break seals, and lead to lots of flooding due to leaks from both incoming city water and sump water. This is why you’ll want to make sure you test your maximum water pressure (or know it in advance) before installing this or any other water-based sump pump.

Basepump RB 750 Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

Overall, we’re pleased with the high level of functionality available in the Basepump  RB 750 for a modest price. It’s not the fastest backup sump pump on the market or even the fastest water-based sump pump out there, but it’s affordable, it’s simple to install, and it’s as reliable as the best battery-based pumps on the market. Frankly, it’s going to be more reliable since it will work as long as you have city water pressure, which is a more reliable utility in most parts of the country than our electrical network. People don’t buy water-based sump pumps for speed; they buy them because they offer maintenance free peace of mind for decades with a near guarantee of continued functionality.

You can buy the Basepump RB 750 here on Amazon. You can buy the Basepump RB 750-EZ here. You can buy the Liberty Pumps SJ10 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.

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.