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.