WayneWSM3300 Sump Minder™ Advanced Notification Battery Back-Up Sump Pump System

Purchased this unit after a lot of research which I initiated after my current pump began failing.Likes:1) Primary/combo backup - easy way to install a backup pump;2) Pump horsepower - both pumps evacuate the sump pit very quickly;3) Pump sound level - you can barely hear the pump operating from the next floor, which was not the case with my prior pump;4) Battery backup system - easy to program, periodic self-testing; audible alarm piercing enough to reach next level of house;5) Phone callout on system alerts -- although see my "Do it again?" comment below. Also, be aware that to use this feature, you need to be able to wire connect to a traditional phone plug (whether landline or some of the cellular technology that is available).Dislikes:1) Documentation is contradictory - product information cites check valves on each pump base; installation guide notes the need to have check valve on outlet line;2) Installation documentation needs statement to have you check that primary pump float is tethered to the pump - mine was not and float did not rise vertically (instead rose "sideways"). Only after noticing the tether piece on a replacement parts sheet did I realize that I needed to reattach this piece. (Full disclosure: I am not a pump expert so this was not obvious to me).Do it again?:Based on seeing the backup pump in action during testing and what is a [currently unsubstantiated] level of confidence that this pump will perform adequately during a power outage, I might opt instead for the WSS30V model as I'm not sure I need the system phone call alerts that this system provides. (Note: anything the unit would call you about is also reported via alarm and status message on the unit). I'm not sure what other significant differences exist between these models to account for the ~$200 difference.I am less than pleased with my customer service experience with them. On trying to register my pump, I found 1) that their registration requires a birthdate (cannot bypass this) and 2) I could not find a product serial number anywhere (this is also required). I emailed support and asked why they needed birthdate and how to enter "prefer not to answer". I also asked where I could find the product serial number. Several emails ensued. One indicated that they were forwarding the birthdate question to technical support for a response (which never came). Several other emails went back and forth with no help in finding the serial number ("on the label attached to the power cord" - wrong). The CSR then just stopped responding after his last recommendation to "just enter the information you have got" (which I notified him did not work). Hopefully actual product difficulties will not be so hard to resolve if they occur.Love the product, not too sure about the company at this time.

I normally do not buy a product that is new to the market, but I took a chance on this because it had the exact capabilities I wanted, plus the ability to call our cell phones in the event of a power outage (even if there is no water problem). And it also calls if there is an issue with the pump. Installation was relatively easy (and there is a video on YouTube). I have run it through a series of tests, first simulating a breakdown in the primary pump, and then simulating a power outage, and it seems to work perfectly. I would have a few suggestions to prospective buyers:• I bought the 75AH Wayne battery online from HomeDepot for a good price. Seemed worth it to get the more powerful battery having gone to all the trouble and expense to install the backup.• A battery backup system only makes sense if the flow into the sump pump is not too fast. In Super Storm Sandy, our pump was pumping no more than once every 10 to 20 minutes. According to the Wayne specs, at that rate, this system with the 75AH battery should go for more than a week. So that is a sensible backup in a power outage. If your water flow is fast (e.g., pumping every minute), you are probably better off with a water-powered backup, because the battery will die in a day or two.• To get every last pump out of the battery, I wanted the most unrestrictive path for the water as possible. So I used 1.5 inch PVC. Also, I didn't want a restrictive check valve. I found that the 1.5 inch check valves were actually less than 1.5 inches in diameter, plus had flaps that weren't so easy to open. So I installed a 2-inch check valve (King Brothers KSCC-2000-S on Amazon), and I installed it just above the pump.• The phone feature is great, and worth buying this system just for that. But of course you need to be sure (a) you can get a phone wire from a phone jack to your pump and (b) you have phone service even when there is a power outage. (We have phone service on Verizon FIOS, which comes with its own backup battery, so I tested that as well, and it worked.)

It was relatively easy to install, although the cords from the battery to the pump were short for my application, which required some creative thinking. A week after I installed it our power went out for a few minutes and the pump called my cell phone to let me know! So all in all it seems like a quality product. However, I have not had a heavy rain/power outage situation so I can't say how effective it is on it's own. It definitely pumps water, and it definitely does so at a lower rate than my regular pump. But it gives my wife peace of mind and that made the purchase and installation worthwhile.

It hooked up well and I tested it. The voltage remains at 13.5V where it should be. Now I hope it all works next year when the snow melts in Minnesota. I bought a 9000 W generator and I realized after I was home and had to use it, what if I wasn't home. This should give me 8 to 16 hours to get home or contact my son-inlaws to get the generator started. I had a Wayne cast iron ($300) type and I wanted to stay with Wayne as they had tested this battery backup with that pump. Now time will tell. I got the battery at Menards it is a Campbell H-something manufacturer, but Wayne said they makes them.ED

A few years ago my sump pump died and I bailed with a pail all night, barely keeping up to the flow, and then rushed out once the stores opened to buy a new pump. Since then I've been waffling on what to install as a backup. I did buy one of the pumps that uses municipal water pressure, but never got around to installing it. It did however come in handy as a manually operated pump during a power failure. I finally decided on a battery operated pump, but worried about the battery failing exactly when it was needed. Hopefully the smart charger and self-test on this product will let me know when I need to replace the battery after I have become complacent.The manuals that come with this product are a hodge-podge of generic pump instructions and instructions for some of the individual parts, but there is nothing that covers the whole product as shipped. There are check valves already installed on each pump, so no need for another one in the discharge pipe like the manuals keep insisting. However it's a fairly straight-forward install, although the control panel programming instructions could have been better.The 12V pump float switch cable would not fit into the connector on the control panel without excessive force (possibly a poorly crimped pin). I had to open the inside of the panel to hold the connector so it wouldn't just disappear inside.The pre-plumbed PVC pipes on this set-up end in a socket. That made it tricky trying to figure out how to join it to my existing ABS discharge pipe. It would have been easier if a short length of PVC pipe had also been included so that a flexible rubber coupling could be used to join the dissimilar materials . I suppose one option would have been to replace the PVC piping with ABS. An ABS wye fitting and 45 street elbow don't cost much and I had some solid wall ABS pipe lying around (the box stores are only stocking foam core pipe these days). However it seemed a waste to buy a pre-plumbed product and then throw away the piping. Alternatively I could have replaced my ABS discharge pipe with PVC piping that actually has a pressure rating, but I didn't realize at the time that my local box store actually does stock schedule 40 PVC pipe and fittings. My end solution and the least amount of work, was finding the Fernco P1059-150 Flexible Coupling (sold by Amazon) which is designed to join a 1.5" pipe to a 1.5" socket.