Wayne ESP25 12 Volt Battery Back Up Sump Pump Review : The Best Battery Backup Under $300?

Mike and Mary

One of the most frequent questions we get from homeowners interested in sump pump installation is whether or not backup sump pumps are worth it or not. We’re firm believers that they are, and we always recommend them whenever installing new sump pumps; the peace of mind is priceless, while the actual additional cost is as little as a couple hundred dollars over that of an AC sump pump. As a result, we frequently suggest combination systems like the Wayne WSS30V and the Wayne WSS20V. However, what do you do if you already have an AC sump pump you like and don’t want to replace it just because you’d like a battery backup system?

This is where the Wayne ESP25 12 Volt Battery Back Up Sump Pump System comes in. For a little over $200, or the cost of a great primary sump pump like the WDU980E, you can get a battery-powered backup sump pump that will take over when your main AC pump stops due to a power outage. We’ve already reviewed the ESP25 when working in concert with the WDU800 (together they make up the WSS30V); let’s look at how it works by itself. If you’re ready to buy and just want confirmation that it’s the right decision, then yes, we recommend it for any household looking for a battery backup to an existing functional primary pump. You can buy the ESP25 here.

Key Features of the Wayne ESP25 Sump Pump (60 Second Summary)

The Wayne ESP25 is a battery backup submersible sump pump system. The pump is DC-powered and features a 12 volt motor. It features a 3,300 gallon per hour maximum water flow rate and a 2 year limited warranty . It’s just under 11″ tall, 16.3″ wide, and just under 9″ deep with a maximum pumping height of 15 feet and a switch-on/switch-off height of 4″ and 9″ respectively. The aforementioned pump switch is vertical.

The ESP25 doesn’t use AC; it’s a DC battery backup, although the battery isn’t included; you’ll need a 12 volt deep cycle battery with either 40 amp hours or 75 amp hours. It weighs 16.3 pounds. Although the discharge flow can reach 3,300 gallons per hour at 0 feet, it drops to 2,300 gallons per hour at 10 feet, 1,500 gallons per hour at 15 feet, and is inoperative at 20 feet.

The working temperature spans 33-120 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s self-priming and housed in thermoplastic, and the sump pump outlet diameter is 1-1/2″ FPT. It’s designed to be used with sump pits (sump basins) at least 15 inches in diameter.

How Does the Wayne ESP25 Compare to the WSS30V Sump Pump?

The most important difference to keep in mind between the ESP25 and the WSS30V is that the ESP25 does not include the AC-powered CDU800. The WSS30V can do everything the ESP25 does and more, as it’s two pumps (the CDU800 and the ESP25) in one unit. As a result, the ESP25 cannot be plugged in, and the pump is not designed to be installed as a standalone device; you’ll need an already-installed AC sump pump in your sump basin to keep your basement dry. The reason behind this is that a brand new, fully charged battery will run down in around 2-4 days of round the clock use. If you don’t have a functional AC-powered sump pump, you’ll either want to buy a separate one (we recommend the Wayne CDU980E as the best sump pump under $200) or a combined AC-DC unit (we recommend the Wayne WSS30V as the best combination sump pump under $400).

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Wayne ESP25 Sump Pump

Installing the ESP25 was straightforward and without any unforeseen complications (keeping in mind that we do this on a daily basis). The supplied instruction manual is accurate enough, but it’s also quite general and contains a lot of information that won’t necessarily apply to the ESP25, so it’s best to use it as a benchmark rather than as a step-by-step guide to installation.

Being a backup pump, you ideally won’t hear the ESP25 going off except in dire situations (i.e., when the power has failed and you’re experiencing heavy rainfall threatening to overspill your sump basin). However, we’re happy to note that it’s an effective little beast at pumping water out; most of the families for whom we’ve installed it have given us positive long term feedback, with a number of homeowners stating they’ve had trouble-free experiences for more than 4 years (aside from changing the battery). It’s also a very quiet sump pump and effectively inaudible once you’re more than a few feet away.

There’s a small alarm that sounds whenever the ESP25 is activated, which is theoretically only during power failures. It’s a nice alarm because it can serve as a reminder to check the ESP25 to make sure it’s indeed working the way it’s supposed to when you need it most (i.e., when your main pump isn’t working due to said power outage). It’s not as loud as we’d like it to be, but you can hear it from at least one floor above (and presumably you won’t have the TV, computer, or stereo drowning it out in sound during a power outage).

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Wayne ESP25 Working Sooner

It’s essential to note that for your backup pump to work, it needs a 12 volt deep cycle battery attached; if you don’t, it’s not going to work when you need it to (which is when your AC pump isn’t working due to a power outage). We recommend (and Wayne requests) you choose either a 40 or 75 amp battery; if you try to use a larger battery, you might not get it to fit in the battery box. You need a 27-frame sized battery.

Instead of choosing a regular check valve for the ESP25, we’d recommend buying a silent check valve; this is the quickest way to get rid of the “thunk!” or “clunk!” sound that frequently accompanies traditional hammer check valves whenever the sump pump turns itself off. The Brady check valve is a cheap and highly effective model. And yes, it’s absolutely silent.

Try to make it a habit to test your ESP25 at least once a month. Being a backup mechanical device buried in a hole in a basement, it’s easy to install it and forget it. However, a monthly check is the best way to make sure everything is still working the way it should, so you won’t find out through a real-life test that the sump pump fails (i.e., a heavy rainfall during a power outage while you’re on vacation). Things we’ve seen fail in the ESP25 (and in other DC-powered sump pumps) include the float switch (if it fails, the pump won’t be signaled to activate) and the battery (if it stops holding a charge, it won’t power the sump pump).

Finally, we’d recommend installing a separate water alarm. It doesn’t have to be very fancy; a basic model like the Basement Watchdog will do. The important thing is to have one installed in your sump pit slightly higher than your backup float switch. If water levels rise, the main float switch is triggered and your AC sump pump gets to work. If the power goes out, the water level rises to the backup float switch, which triggers your DC pump to work. If the DC pump doesn’t start, stops working, or simply can’t keep up with the water, then the water reaches the water alarm sensor and you know it’s time to get to the basement.

Wayne ESP25 Sump Pump’s Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

Overall, we’re extremely pleased with the ESP25 and would recommend it to any homeowner with a functional AC powered sump pump. If you’re interested in replacing your AC pump and buying a DC backup at once, we’d recommend the WSS300V instead. Whatever you do, we absolutely recommend having a DC backup sump pump as additional basement insurance.

You can buy the Wayne ESP25 battery backup sump pump here on Amazon. You can buy the Wayne WSS30V combination sump pump here. You can buy the Wayne CDU980E sump pump here. You can buy a 75Ah backup pump battery here. You can buy a battery terminal set here. 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 WSS20V Pre-Assembled Combination Sump Pump Review and WSS30V Comparison

Mike and Mary

When it comes to home design and engineering, we’re believers in a few basic principles. First of all, if you have a basement, you should have a sump pump. Second, if you have a sump pump, it should have a battery backup. If not, you’re asking for a flooded basement (and all the problems that come with one) the first time you lose power during a rainstorm. This will, of course, happen while you’re out of town on business or vacation. And who wants to come home to that?

As a result, it’s no surprise that we think combination sump pumps are a good idea, and we frequently recommend them when installing pumps. We recently discussed the importance of including a battery backup in our review of the Wayne WSS30V combination sump, which we think is easily the best combination sump pump system under $400 you can buy today. However, if you’re on a slightly smaller budget, you might be interested in the Wayne WSS20V pre-assembled combination sump pump system. We took a look ait to figure out how it compared to the WSS30V. If you’re in a hurry, we recommend the WSS30V for most homeowners and the WSS20V only if you have minimal sump pump needs and simply want a bit of basement flood insurance.

Key Features of the Wayne WSS20V Sump Pump (60 Second Summary)

The Wayne WSS20V is a pre-assembled primary and battery backup combination submersible sump pump system. The main sump pump is AC-powered and is the CDU790; the backup is DC-powered and is the ESP15. The main pump features a 1/3 horsepower motor while the backup features a 12 volt motor. The primary pump features a 3,800 gallon per hour maximum water flow rate (1,750 GPH in the backup), and a 3 year limited warranty . It’s 11.5″ tall, 17″ wide, and just over 22″ deep with a maximum pumping height of 20 feet and a switch-on/switch-off height of 4″ and 9″ respectively. The aforementioned pump switch is vertical.

The WSS30V draws 9.5 amps and is equipped with a battery backup, although the battery isn’t included; you’ll need a 12 volt deep cycle battery with either 40 amp hours or 75 amp hours. It weighs 27 pounds, and has a 8 foot-long power cord. Although the main discharge flow can reach 3,800 gallons per hour at 0 feet, it drops to 2,700 gallons per hour at 10 feet, 1,700 gallons per hour at 15 feet, and 100 gallons per hour at 20 feet. The backup discharge flow is 1,750 GPH at 0 feet, 720 GPH at 10 feet, 300 GPH at 15 feet, and is inoperational 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″ FPT. It’s designed to be used with sump pits (sump basins) at least 15 inches in diameter.

How Does the Wayne WSS20V Compare to the WSS30V Sump Pump?

As you can see, the main differences between the WSS20V and the WSS30V are that the WSS30V is a much more powerful and efficient machine. Specifically, the main sump pump is significantly stronger in the WSS30V at 1/2 horsepower over the 1/3rd horsepower motor in the WSS20V, and the flow rates are higher in both the main and backup pumps at every level we tested. Perhaps most significantly, the warranty is chopped nearly in half in the WSS20V at 3 years compared to a full 5 years in the WSS30V.

Our Short and Long Term Experiences Installing and Using the Wayne WSS20V Sump Pump

The WSS20V was as easy to install as the WSS30V, which was easier than nearly any other sump pump we’ve installed (keeping in mind, as always, that we do this hundreds of times a year). Wayne’s approach to combination pumps is to do most of the pre-installation work for you; you won’t need to buy or install additional check vales, for example, and you can almost literally drop it into the sump basin and plug it in. You’ll also need to attach a battery and a main discharge pipe. Keep in mind that the included manual, while written in English and reasonably accurate, is also exceptionally general, which means much of the information in it won’t specifically apply to the WSS20V.

Noise levels in the WSS20V were equivalent to those in the WSS30V, or in other words, nearly non-existent. We couldn’t hear it working from more than a few feet away unless we strained our ears, and reports from homes where we’ve installed it suggest it’ll effectively be inaudible for all but the most sensitive ears.

We’d rate the 1/3rd horsepower motor in the primary sump pump as strong enough to keep small basements (or those with low water tables and low levels of flooding) dry; however, we’d really prefer to see 1/2 horsepower main motors (such as that found in the WSS30V) these days given how much larger basements have become in the last few decades with ever-widening houses. That said, the design is a tested and proven one, and we would be surprised if most homeowners didn’t get at least a full decade of service out of the main or backup pump systems in this unit. Keep in mind that the battery will naturally need to be replaced before then due to the inevitable degrade in power (much as in a car battery, which, by the way, can also be used to power the backup pump).

Troubleshooting and Installation Tips to Get Your Wayne WSS20V Working Sooner

Perhaps the most significant tip we provide families when installing the WSS20V is that you’re going to need to connect a 12 volt deep cycle battery to the unit. If you don’t, you’ll simply be working with the CDU790, and the CDU790, being an AC pump, will be completely useless if the power ever goes out. We suggest (as does Wayne) that you buy either a 40 or 75 amp battery; a larger battery might not fit in the battery box.

Another point to keep in mind is that the unit doesn’t come with battery terminals; if you’re interested in using either a car battery or a marine batter, you’ll want to buy a battery terminal set.

Wayne WSS20V Sump Pump’s Pros, Cons, and Value Comparison

In conclusion, we’re hard pressed to recommend the WSS20V when the WSS30V is only a few dollars more. If the price difference were in the hundreds, we could make a strong argument for the WSS20V. However, as Wayne has currently priced the two, there’s very little reason to choose the WSS20V over the WSS30V; the latter offers far more power, a far better warranty, and will fare far better at keeping your basement dry in the worst weather conditions. However, if you absolutely need to save those few dollars, the WSS20V is a more than acceptable combination sump pump system for the money; it only pales in comparison to its more equipped sibling.

You can buy the Wayne WSS30V combination sump pump here on Amazon. You can buy the Wayne WSS20V combination sump pump here. You can buy a 75Ah backup pump battery here. You can buy a battery terminal set here.