Scott E. Pace MD says:

Some Needed Info Some Needed InfoWhenever I see such disparities in reviews, it makes me wonder why some individuals are having such poor results. One assumes that they must be doing something very wrong in order to have such a product not perform as expected. Yet my experience with the makes me appreciate both the positive and negative reviews.First of all, according to the manufacturer:1. At least ½ inch of water is needed to prime and operate the pump2. The pump should not be operated if the water level is 3/8 inch or less3. There is no mention of “the bottom suction can get water within 1/8-inch of the surface”4. A discharge hose of 1-1/4 inches should be used5. Despite a 3/4in. adjustable discharge adapter which connects to standard garden hose I couldn’t find it listed that a garden hose would be acceptable6. Do not allow pump to run dry. The shaft seal depends on water for lubrication. Operating pump without water will damage the shaft seal and cause pump failure.So, after finding a “safe room” in our temporary rented home to have approximately 1 inch of stagnant water in it which was next to my bedroom I decided to get this pump to transfer water to a 2 foot holding tank (this was after purchasing to larger sump pumps including the which would then pump the water out a 1 ½ inch hose).I purchased this pump with the (which was listed as 5/8″ x 15′) which connected to the garden house adapter, drop it into the water and turned it on. I could hear the pump running but nothing was coming out my 15 foot hose which was lying on the ground. To be sure, I placed the pump in a 12 inch bucket of water and still no water was coming out the hose. Feeling confused and starting to feel that this room would never be dry I took off the hose, dropped the pump back into the 1 inch water and presto water started flying out the pump at least 4 or 5 feet and bouncing off the wall. I concluded the 15 foot hose was to long and cut the hose into but still no luck. I continued shortening the garden house until it was approximately 12 – 18 inches and finally got enough water flow to fill up my holding tank. Note I haven’t hooked it up to a 1-1/4 inch discharge hose yet.So my main conclusions would be:1. Strongly consider using a 1-1/4 inch discharge hose for good results2. If you are looking a water levels consistently less than ½ inches consider another pump3. Prime the pump in at least ½ inches of water4. Remember not to let the pump run dryAddendum: Please see history above. On July 17, 2009 I took off the garden hose adapter and the 3/8 inch garden hose and used the and what a difference. This little pump was quickly pumping water at least 10 – 12 feet straight up with no problems.I will therefore raise my rating to 4 stars and stress:1. Use a 1 1/4 discharge hose2. Minimum water level 3/8 to 1/2 inches3. Don’t run dry and the pump does not shut off automatically4. I would forget about the garden hose and garden hose adapter

FredNeck says:

Wonderful Pump! The pool was closed a month ago, and there had been some serious rainfall over the past few weeks. Nearly 2500 gallons of rainwater laid atop our pool cover (500 sq ft x 1 ft of water), and our old pool cover pump had died. The pump arrived yesterday (01Nov07), turned it on and 2.5 hours later, the pool cover was dry (1800 to 2030 hrs)! This job would have taken our old Jacuzzi (or the little giant) pool cover pump several hours to complete. This is a great buy! Equivalent utility pumps at the home depot and lowes are at least 2X the price! The instructions were also very clear, with troubleshooting tips if the pump begins to malfunction. This was not available with our previous pool cover pumps, which we paid at least $100 for. Rather than keeping this pump in the shed, it is now stored in a special place in the basement. All Hail the Wayne!