Review on 💪 Powerful Liberty Pumps 287 Sump Pump: Gray, 1-1/2" - Superior Performance for Effective Drainage by Ronald Dimatulac

When you look at a Liberty pump you are most likely comparing it to a Zoeller pump. First, both are great choices and many people will tell you in their reviews that they are vastly superior to what you find in "big box" stores. I totally agree. Both brands offer several Revain pumps that offer excellent value for their design, price, features and being manufactured/assembled in the USA. Given that this has all been covered by others, I thought I'd focus on why I chose Liberty, while hopefully highlighting some of the little-discussed points that set two excellent brands apart. I have a Zoeller M53 which has served me perfectly for a while. I bought the Liberty 287 because of its increased power (1/2 vs. 1/3 HP) and corresponding water capacity. I have had several instances where the amount of water entering my sump almost exceeded the capacity of my smaller Zoeller pump and nearly flooded my finished basement. Switch Design: Liberty and Zoeller use different switch designs, including floats etc. However, for purposes of this discussion I will focus on the most popular designs from each manufacturer. The Zoeller Mxx series typically uses a mechanical switch operated by a float/rod/lever assembly. The Liberty 2xx series typically uses a magnet/reed switch actuated by a compliant motor housing through a rod/float arrangement. During my research, I found several cases of Zoeller switch failures that appeared to be caused by water ingress into the switch housing or mechanical failure. I find the magnet/reed switch to be a superior design as the switch body containing the reed switch does not require a rubber grommet/gasket to seal the switch lever, eliminating this failure mode.2. Motor Shaft: Deep down in the Liberty pump specifications (available on their website) you will find that the motor shaft is made of stainless steel. I could not find such a material specification for the motor shaft of Zoeller pumps. Why is it important? Quite simply because corrosion and pitting of the rotor shaft can cause the shaft to become stuck in the motor housing, leading to overheating of the motor windings and insulation failure. In addition, due to accelerated wear of rubber or elastomeric shaft seals, shaft pitting can lead to premature shaft seal failure. Finally, in clarifiers fed by the brine outlet of a water softener, a stainless steel shaft can mean the difference between a fail-safe pump and a failure. (The ideal solution in this situation is a bronze pump, which resists salt corrosion much better than the cast iron pumps discussed here. Both Zoeller and Liberty make bronze pumps.)3. Bearings: Liberty states (again in the data sheet on their website) that the motor shaft is supported by ball bearings. Zoeller speaks of bushes made of the same material as the motor housing (cast iron). Generally higher quality motors use ball bearings and in this case where the pump is used very often or rarely I think ball bearings are a better roller bearing compared to cast iron bushings. Other Thoughts: Some may note that the cast iron impeller bushings used by Zoeller on some models could be a reason to purchase an engineering plastic impeller in Liberty pumps, particularly if the pump is operating in an environment with high levels of solids in the effluent (e.g. sandy or muddy environments). that I have highlighted outweigh the potential benefits of a cast iron impeller. Again, both brands are great brands that represent the best that American manufacturing has to offer. Neither is a bad choice as both offer a wide range of products for a variety of applications. I really think the features listed above are a good reason to choose a Liberty pump over a Zoeller pump and they reflect Liberty's commitment to product innovation and improvement. I haven't had a big storm to test his abilities against Zoeller yet, but I'm pretty happy with how well it's performing so far.