DeWalt 3/4 HP Aluminum Submersible Utility Pump with Industrial Hose Kit & Quick Connect Cam-Lock Fittings

I spent a weekend moving a lot of water—basement seepage after a heavy storm, a muddy koi pond, and a couple of test barrels—using DeWalt’s 3/4 HP submersible pump. By the end, I had a clear sense of where this pump shines, what it asks of the user, and how to get the most from it.

What it is and what it’s built to do

This is a fully submersible utility pump designed for general dewatering and water transfer. It uses a permanent-split capacitor (PSC) motor with solid copper windings and dual O-ring motor seals inside a cast aluminum housing. The bottom-suction design pulls from near the floor, and the vortex impeller is meant to reduce clogging while passing small debris and grit (up to 3/8 in). DeWalt includes a 25 ft industrial discharge hose with quick-connect cam-lock fittings and a 3/4 in garden hose adapter, so you can get pumping right out of the box.

Headline specs: up to 5000 GPH (about 83 GPM) at zero lift, roughly 4400 GPH (73 GPM) at 10 feet, and a maximum head of 41 feet (about 17.7 PSI). The power cord is 20 feet, and the outlet is 1-1/2 in FNPT.

Setup and fittings: fast, secure, and leak-free

The cam-lock fittings are the quiet hero of the kit. Attaching the included 1-1/2 in hose takes seconds: align, insert, snap both cams, and you’re done. Under load, I didn’t see any drips or burps at the coupling, which is more than I can say for some budget kits. If you need to adapt to a garden hose, the 3/4 in adapter threads on cleanly, but be aware of the massive flow penalty (more on that below).

The pump itself is compact and sturdy. At about 17 pounds, it sits flat and stable. The integral carry handle is properly placed—no pinched fingers—and the 20 ft cord is generous for most basements or patios. If you must use an extension cord, use a 12-gauge cord for longer runs; at 9.1 amps, voltage drop is real and directly reduces performance.

Pro tip: include a 1-1/2 in check valve in your setup if you’re lifting water up and over a threshold. It prevents backwash when you shut the pump off and keeps prime at the impeller.

Performance: honest flow, strong lift

Using the included 1-1/2 in hose and an 8–10 ft vertical lift to a storm drain, the pump moved water briskly. Timing against a 5-gallon bucket, I saw around 4.5–4.8 seconds per fill—about 62–67 GPM—right in line with the published curve once you account for hose friction and a couple of sharp bends. In practical terms, a 12 ft x 12 ft area with 2 inches of water (roughly 180 gallons) went from “standing water” to “thin sheen” in under four minutes.

The pump also handled head pressure better than most homeowner-grade units I’ve used. Lifting to a first-floor window well—roughly 14 ft total lift with 40-ish feet of run—I still saw solid, continuous discharge. You won’t get fire-hose velocity at that head, but the stream stayed steady, and the motor didn’t bog.

Where flow absolutely tanks is the garden hose adapter. Reducing to 3/4 in turns this into a trickle pump by comparison. That’s physics: friction loss in small-diameter hose skyrockets. In my tests, output dropped to well under 20 GPM with 10 ft of lift—fine for slow transfer into a nearby flower bed, not fine for flood response. If you want anywhere near the rated performance, stick with 1-1/2 in hose and keep runs as straight and short as possible.

Solids handling and maintenance

The bottom-suction intake and vortex impeller combination did what it claimed. In muddy water with pea gravel, leaf bits, and sand, the pump kept moving without choking. The serviceable intake screen is easy to remove and rinse; do that any time you notice flow tailing off. I like to elevate the pump an inch or two on a paver when working in silty conditions. It reduces the sandblast effect at the intake and keeps the screen clearer for longer.

It won’t vacuum a surface bone-dry. Few submersibles do. Expect to get down to a thin film before switching to a squeegee, wet/dry vac, or letting evaporation finish the job.

Build quality and durability

Cast aluminum housing, copper windings, dual O-ring motor seals, and a PSC motor are exactly what I want to see in a pump that will live in damp places. The aluminum keeps weight reasonable but feels tougher than plastic-bodied competitors. PSC motors are efficient and start reliably; they also run cooler and quieter than shaded-pole motors.

The pump is thermally protected. That’s a good safety net. If you run it dry, deadhead it, or bury the intake in muck, it will heat up and cut out rather than cook itself. I verified the protection when I intentionally blocked the intake for a stress test—it shut down, cooled, and restarted once I cleared the blockage. Treat that as a warning, not a feature. Continuous dry-running is not what this pump is for, and cycling on thermal overload is hard on any motor.

Temperature range is 33–120 °F. Don’t use it with hot effluent or near-freezing slush that could ice the intake. After use, flush clean water through the pump and hose, drain them thoroughly, and store dry; freeze damage to seals is permanent.

Ergonomics, noise, and day-to-day use

Noise is a low hum and a steady whoosh at the discharge—easy to talk over. Vibration is minimal; it doesn’t walk across smooth concrete. The 20 ft cord length is adequate, and the included 25 ft hose is useful but could be limiting if your discharge point is a long way off. I’m glad DeWalt didn’t skimp on the cam-locks; they make coiling/uncoiling and quick redeployments painless.

Two small notes:
- There’s no integrated automatic float for unattended sump duty. This is a plug-in utility pump. Plan to be present while it runs or add an external controller if you need automation.
- The 1-1/2 in outlet is standard and plays nicely with common hoses and PVC. If you’re assembling longer runs, respect bend radius and use sweep fittings to reduce friction loss.

Certification, warranty, and support considerations

It’s CSA-US and SSPMA certified, which gives confidence the performance numbers aren’t fantasy. The 10-year limited warranty is unusually long in this category. As with any tool under warranty, save your proof of purchase and read the fine print—consumables and misuse aren’t covered. My advice: register it, label the storage bin with the purchase date, and keep the manual handy.

Where it fits and where it doesn’t

Use it for:
- Basement or crawlspace dewatering
- Draining pools, spas, and ponds
- Construction site puddles and trench water with grit
- Transfer jobs where you can run a 1-1/2 in discharge line

Avoid or rethink if:
- You need an automatic sump pump with a built-in float switch
- You must run very long, small-diameter hose (performance will disappoint)
- The application involves hot water, chemicals, or debris larger than 3/8 in

Tips to get full performance

• Use the largest, shortest, straightest discharge path you can—1-1/2 in hose or pipe.
• Add a check valve when pumping up and over an elevation change.
• Elevate the pump slightly in silty water; clean the intake screen periodically.
• Use a heavy-gauge extension cord if needed; avoid coiled cords that trap heat.
• Don’t leave it to run dry; rely on the thermal protector only as a safeguard.

The bottom line

The DeWalt 3/4 HP submersible pump hits the marks that matter: strong real-world flow through a full-size hose, solid lift capability, durable materials, and thoughtful kit components that make setup quick. The vortex impeller and serviceable screen handle the kind of dirty water most of us actually face, and the motor’s thermal protection adds a layer of safety without getting in your way.

The main limitations are inherent to the category. It’s not an automatic sump pump, and it won’t perform miracles through a garden hose. If you match it with the right hose and keep an eye on the intake, it’s a reliable workhorse.

Recommendation: I recommend this pump for homeowners, facility managers, and contractors who need a robust, grab-and-go dewatering solution and can run a 1-1/2 in discharge. The included cam-lock hose makes it immediately useful, the performance is honest, and the build quality inspires confidence for long-term, intermittent use. If you specifically need unattended, automatic operation or must plumb long runs of small hose, look for a different style of pump; otherwise, this one earns a spot on the truck.