What Sort Of Pump Do I Need?

[Yorick]

When we have flash rainstorms the drains on our driveway are overwhelmed sometimes with the danger that the apartment will flood like it used to do before we fitted the biggest drain.

I'm gonna fit a submersible pump with float switch where one of the drains goes but I need a mobile pump that will suck up water from wherever I put it. Preferably with the option to have a flexible hose to suck the water up.

The sort of thing you'd stick down a manhole cover or into a flooded ditch.

I think I'm searching for the wrong thing.

Help.

[cheb]

What do you want it powered by, petrol or electricity? It reads as if you are pumping the water twice, out of the drain to somewhere else and then from there to another somewhere else.

The usual water pumps aren't self priming, you need a non return valve on the hose down the hole and have to fill the pump chamber and hose before it will pump water upwards. They are primed through a removable bung on the pump chamber. And if they are run dry it can damaged the seals, and they have to be reprimed.

[cheb]

Is a Honda WX15T the sort of thing you want?

[cheb]

TAM105's are good, I had several of these in my biodiesel plant. Fiddly to prime though.

[cheb]

Submersible pumps are lobbed into the water and should have a float switch to make the automatic.



Borehole pumps are similar but a smaller diameter, 75-100mm.

You might get away with using an old shower pump. Or use a pressure washer and have a fountain.

[Count Steer]

I'm pondering on one of these https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-tti853 ... /217pt#_=p as a moveable pumping option but I don't think you can attach an inlet hose. However, Screwfix is a good browse for pumps. eg dirty water pumps if the water is likely to be less than clean.

[Yorick]

What do you want it powered by, petrol or electricity? It reads as if you are pumping the water twice, out of the drain to somewhere else and then from there to another somewhere else.

No, sorry. The main drain on the roundabout can't shift the water fast enough and water then flows towards the house. Then the drain by the house overflows and can't shift the water fast enough.
I want something that I can insert into the first drain to suck the water out and dump it on the garden.

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The usual water pumps aren't self priming, you need a non return valve on the hose down the hole and have to fill the pump chamber and hose before it will pump water upwards. They are primed through a removable bung on the pump chamber. And if they are run dry it can damaged the seals, and they have to be reprimed.

Aha

[Yorick]

Submersible pumps are lobbed into the water and should have a float switch to make the automatic.



Borehole pumps are similar but a smaller diameter, 75-100mm.

You might get away with using an old shower pump. Or use a pressure washer and have a fountain.

I have 2 of those, but they are too big to go into the drain.

[Yorick]

TAM105's are good, I had several of these in my biodiesel plant. Fiddly to prime though.

That looks good. Is it a bugger to prime ?

[Yorick]

This is small enough to sit in the drain


https://gogrow.co.uk/products/water-pum ... 4581300394

[Cousin Jack]

This is small enough to sit in the drain


https://gogrow.co.uk/products/water-pum ... 4581300394

It might sit in the drain, but I suspect it may not be man enough for the job. If the drains are normally ok and only get overwhelmed in a storm then you need something that will cope with storm rates. A really heavy storm can dump water at a prodigious rate, 2 inches of rain in an hour is not unknown. Have a look at the area of drive draining into that drain, and then work out how much water 2 inches of rain on that area represents. That is roughly how much water the pump may need to shift in an hour.

You may also need to look at where you are dumping it, not much point pumping it into the garden if that just floods back onto the drive.

[Yorick]

This is small enough to sit in the drain


https://gogrow.co.uk/products/water-pum ... 4581300394

It might sit in the drain, but I suspect it may not be man enough for the job. If the drains are normally ok and only get overwhelmed in a storm then you need something that will cope with storm rates. A really heavy storm can dump water at a prodigious rate, 2 inches of rain in an hour is not unknown. Have a look at the area of drive draining into that drain, and then work out how much water 2 inches of rain on that area represents. That is roughly how much water the pump may need to shift in an hour.

You may also need to look at where you are dumping it, not much point pumping it into the garden if that just floods back onto the drive.

I didn't explain maybe. The drain does shift a helluva lot of water when the monsoon comes.

But maybe needs an extra 10-15% help at times.

So an additional smaller pump to help and attach a hose pipe to shove it out onto the road. .

[Gregor]

I’d dig a sump at the low point of the drive that can accomodate one of those draper submersible pumps with the internal float switch, it’s what I use in my cellar. Only needs to be 18 inches deep and size of a bucket.

[Yorick]

I’d dig a sump at the low point of the drive that can accomodate one of those draper submersible pumps with the internal float switch, it’s what I use in my cellar. Only needs to be 18 inches deep and size of a bucket.

Yes. That's the plan. Now we have a drain to the plot next door but they're building there now and they've blocked the pipe a bit. This idea will sort it in the short term.

Gonna sink a small dustbin and put the submersible pump in that.

Just want a small pump as backup.

[Cousin Jack]

What is all this about monsoons and floods?

You have been telling us for years that Lazerotte is heaven on earth, where the sun always shines (and beer is 2p a pint).

[Yorick]

What is all this about monsoons and floods?

You have been telling us for years that Lazerotte is heaven on earth, where the sun always shines (and beer is 2p a pint).

Usually get 2 rain storms each year. A few years ago we got 2" in under 2 hours. The pool filled up 2"

[Gregor]

I’d dig a sump at the low point of the drive that can accomodate one of those draper submersible pumps with the internal float switch, it’s what I use in my cellar. Only needs to be 18 inches deep and size of a bucket.

Yes. That's the plan. Now we have a drain to the plot next door but they're building there now and they've blocked the pipe a bit. This idea will sort it in the short term.

Gonna sink a small dustbin and put the submersible pump in that.

Just want a small pump as backup.

I was looking at 12v marine bilge pumps a while ago as back up if we ever lose mains power, those are relatively small.Might be worth checking out.

[Yorick]

I've found exactly what I need

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225131309085 ... BMtOOyqfFg

[cheb]

If it's for a back up then a self priming pump might better, they are a lot less faff.

Re the TAM105 I linked to above, they are fiddly to prime because it's done through the bolthole to the outlet and it's not very big. Mine were below the oil supply pipe so didn't need priming.

A good hand powered bilge pump will shift a surprising amount of water, even more so as the boat sinks.

[Yorick]

If it's for a back up then a self priming pump might better, they are a lot less faff.

A good hand powered bilge pump will shift a surprising amount of water, even more so as the boat sinks.

I've discovered that I want a pump with a hosepipe attachment at each end. That drill attachment is just the job, just a shame that it doesn't have a motor.

Gonna order it as see what happens.