Basement Watchdog BW1050 Sump Pump, 4400 Gallon Per Hour

I own a commercial laundry, and needed a powerful pump as a back-up when all our machines are draining at the same time. This filled the bill in terms of capacity (boy is it fast!) and also has a well-designed float switch. Thoroughly well-built pump.EDIT: In November 2018 - over 2 years after i purchased this, I broke the bracket on the float switch. I rang Basement Watchdog and explained what had happened, stressed that it was my own fault and asked if I could buy the part. The brilliant customer support lady I spoke to spent a long time making sure they had the part, and ended up saying that they would send it to me - no charge. Quite amazing, and this company deserves every credit. The pump is still working brilliantly (and so is the float switch), so thank you Basement Bulldog!Further update: Just before Christmas (2018) the pump stopped working. I contacted Basement Watchdog who sent a replacement out immediately, together with a pre-paid returns label. I know that there is a 3 year warranty, but the courtesy and helpful attitude of Kelly Crozier and speed of replacement are commendable. Just great, so a big thank-you!

I just finished installing it. The 1/2 hp provides amazing power. I will probably raise the float later. While testing, I was impressed with the way it sucked water. The water didn't have a chance.It replaced a battery backup pump. We installed a Generac home backup generator so this AC pump will serve as the backup and the generator will serve as backup power to the main pump and this one. For $120 it's cheap insurance. The battery backup pump was installed long before we got the generator. I was just waiting for the battery to die before replacing it.This pump was selected because of the narrow base diameter. Even so, I had to finagle about 1/4 inch to make it work with 2 pumps in the pit. Also, I was impressed with the advertised airlock hole built into the BW1050. My recycled pipe had one already drilled, but I was still impressed.If I were using it as a main pump I would set the float high. At 1/2 hp it moves a lot of water fast. As a DYI project, it needs a little experimentation. The sucking sound is a little loud if the pump empties the pit before the 10 second timer expires. Otherwise, it's pretty quiet.Also, since the float is separate from the pump, a replacement or alternate float may be used, I would assume. This is also a big advantage.

I was very impressed with the quality and design of this pump. Installation even in a small crock is a breeze due to the pipe coming out of the top of the housing at the center, and the caged float assembly being clamped to the pipe.The only negative is that the float assembly on and off points are too close together in my opinion due to the short caged float assembly. The pump runs for 10 seconds after the water goes below the float switch off point, presumably to try to compensate for this, but my large 18" crock still has more water in it than I'm used to with a traditional tether type float switch when the pump shuts off. This pump moves so much water so fast, I guess it's no big deal. Plus, the extra water keeps the pump cool, so all in all it's a good trade off to get rid of the tether switch design. The tether switches can be difficult to set up correctly, and can hang up and not turn on sometimes. Doh!!! I've had trouble with them even in my large crock. In a small diameter crock they must be a real pain!The caged switch assembly has TWO floats in it. The second float near the top of the cage activates the pump if the primary float leaks and won't float anymore. Great safety feature!!!I was skeptical about the comments on how quiet this pump is, but I can confirm this is true. This is a very quiet pump.I looked at the local big box stores and did some shopping and research online before buying this pump because I wasn't in desperate need. This is the best pump I found on the market for up to twice the price. The fact that this pump is this good for this price blows me away. The cheapest pump you'll find is about $100, and it's no where near this good!! I paid $130 for this pump shipped to my house from Wayfair. I couldn't be happier with my decision to purchase this pump. Good Luck All!!