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22 Jul 07 - 04:12 PM (#2108728) Subject: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Mr Red Joy lives beside a stream and now twice in a month the water has risen to about 20 inches up the outside wall. I cut a board with foam tacked to it and it worked well at the front door but the old house is not flat and the foam has to press into stucco. So seepage (even through the bricks - made the house wet. Then another wall leaked. The problem is that there are only a few inches of water spread over a large area and in nooks and crannies. The house is Elizabethan. Apart from a vacuum cleaner like a Henry (she will be getting one) is there a pump type that can suck up water that shallow continuously? and does it need priming and therefore stops when it sucks air? A vacuum cleaner has to be emptied but has uses daily. I found these guys Pume Express .co.uk but it looks like their products are designed for a residual water level to work. I suggested digging a hole and dropping the pump in, which would work for the porch, but indoors - I might be lynched................. I have quietly cleared some rubbish and detritus from the stream creating wiers and backing-up the level to the haouse but there is a gov edict that prevents you clearing vegitation from the banks of streams until August - which if you are a farmer would mean loosing subsidies and her brother works 24/7 as it is for less than I earn! (last holiday in 6 years was 2 days for son's graduation day). |
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22 Jul 07 - 05:42 PM (#2108783) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Bill D There ARE 'submersible' pumps which come on when water reaches a certain level(there's a float)..I have one in the attic to combat a leaky AC, and it works in only 2-3 inches. It really depends on how much volume one needs to move.. My little one is not designd for floods. (This is USA,,,but similar items should be there) |
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22 Jul 07 - 06:03 PM (#2108797) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: vectis If there's not too much water at any time then an aquarium or pond pump might be enough and is easily obtained. B&Q used to sell a pump attachment for standard drills so might also be worth checking up on as a lo tech solution. Good luck from one in a dry area and half way up a hill. |
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22 Jul 07 - 07:07 PM (#2108830) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Liz the Squeak We have/had a pond pump that worked in 2/3 inches of water - we used it in our cellar when that flooded due to a blocked stormdrain down the road. It was widely available and took a standard 'hoseclip' fitting (can't remember the name but it's the most popular hose pipe fitting and is bright yellow), managing to pump water up a storey and some 30ft out into the kitchen sink. Couldn't take it the short way out the front and into the gutter as it would have gone straight back into the blocked stormdrain! Good luck. If your house is Tudor, you may be able to get some help from your local authority, whichever department is in charge of listed or historical buildings, or from the Environment Agency. LTS |
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23 Jul 07 - 07:21 AM (#2109110) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: JohnInKansas Although she may want a Henry, and if so of course you get that for her, the ones I found with a quick web search looked like they have perhaps a gallon1 capacity in the receiver tank, which isn't going to get you very far if you've got even an inch of water spread over a room sized area. 1 1 gallon = 231 cubic inches, => 1/2 inch deep ~20" x 20" per dump ?? => 23 dumps per 8' x 8' area ?? Your local lumber/home hardware outlet quite probably has "shop vacs" with 30 gallon (more or less) capacity that will do the flood cleanup more efficiently - and comparatively cheaply. A vac with at least a 5 gallon capacity would be the minimum size I'd consider "usefully efficient" for the area described. I use a 12-gallon regularly around the house, and have an 18 gallon in the "shop." The shop-style wet/dry vacs may have slightly less "suck" but will have enough to get the water, and usually have little or no "filtering" to impede sucking up the silt/mud/hair/marbles and such likely to be brought in, or brought up, by flooding. A high vacuum (lots of suck) is not what really counts for picking up water - it's the volume of air and the speed at which it moves that gets the water into the tank. Even if it's just seeped in throught the cracks, the water is likely to have lots of "contained material" better handled by an ugly piece, with the Henry reserved for final cleanup after the bulk of the water is removed. (You'll likely have plenty of "finish cleanup" to do after you get the bulk of the water out.) A good "shop fan" of perhaps 24" - 30" diameter that moves a lot of air even if it doesn't "blow really hard" will be a great help in getting the surfaces - esp. carpet - much dryer than any "sucker" can achieve. (You'll probably want to fan the area for some time after it looks/feels "dry" to avoid mildew in and under the surface.) Just some thoughts for alternative and supplemental methods. John |
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23 Jul 07 - 07:45 AM (#2109121) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Mr Yellow Thanks folks - I have discussed this with Applied Pumps UNIT 11, COBNAR WOOD CLOSE, SHEEPBRIDGE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, CHESTERFIELD, DERBYSHIRE. S41 9RQ They sell (et al) the Compac 150 which comes with a float switch but more important an overide manual switch. It needs about an inch to prime in manual , got that much. It pumps down to 3mm ish- mop and bucket territory. And shifts 100+ litres a minute (about 100 "aching muscles - weeks" worth). It musn't run dry, for more than a minute ish, but as long as it is watched - that is a small limitation. Cost is 160 GBP with hose and shipping (by comparison a good deal). Not my house but if I am called to help - I want one of those! I am ready to underwrite the deal. They have de-humidifiers on loan from the insurance co. From the first deluge. That produced deeper water inside because I was learning what it needed - even though the outside was not as deep. You could see it bubbling (seepage) up through the concrete floor this time - despite a membrane. |
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23 Jul 07 - 08:13 AM (#2109143) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: skipy Go to froogle and type water pump Skipy |
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23 Jul 07 - 08:15 AM (#2109146) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Mr Red froogle? I scroogle personally. |
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23 Jul 07 - 08:16 AM (#2109147) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Richard Bridge A Hippo pump will go down to pretty shallow and they are cheap from mail order place - about 30 quid I think. |
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23 Jul 07 - 12:11 PM (#2109332) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Mr Red Looks good and cheap - gets down to 5mm could buy 3 of them but making sure they don't all run dry and burn out might be a bit much. Maplin mail order and Machine Mart sell 'em. |
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23 Jul 07 - 01:50 PM (#2109402) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: skipy You get over the problem of them running dry by placing a garden hose in the area that is flooded and turning the tap on, this will ensure a constant supply of water for them to pump. Skipy |
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23 Jul 07 - 03:59 PM (#2109510) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Phot Try a hippo pump, you can get them from Machine Mart, reliable, durable, and submersible, but will w3ork down to around an inch. Wassail!! Chris. |
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23 Jul 07 - 05:54 PM (#2109570) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: GUEST,Oxie We are in for a serious shock next year with higher insurance premiums due to this summers floods. We are told the situation isn't helped by a Victorian drainage system. The government said tonight the money simply isn't there to replace it. What sickens me is the amount of overseas aid our government gives away each year. It's time to tell them that charity starts at home. |
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23 Jul 07 - 06:04 PM (#2109575) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: skipy With you all the way! Skipy |
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24 Jul 07 - 07:11 AM (#2109902) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: GUEST,Uncle Boko Live on a hill - we do! |
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24 Jul 07 - 07:43 AM (#2109916) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Mr Red Hill? Head in clouds? Tell me how you get on come winter and ......... remember snow - it will surprise us one year. Hippo pumps vary - the cheapo version has a 2 hour rating in water and no seconds dry. I fancy the 160 quid Compac150 because it pumps down to fractions of an inch if watched, and if you leave it in a cellar it has an integral float switch - it is designed to work non-stop. Hey! If it is my back and aching muscles and I couldn't ceilidh - I will forego Mars bars for - er a year - er make that 6 months. |
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25 Jul 07 - 07:53 AM (#2110770) Subject: RE: BS: UK flood pump - suggestions From: Mr Red Compac 150 on it's way. Should see it today and colleague will try it out on his shop's cellar. Spec'ed at 100% duty cycle - as long as it pumps water it will keep going. Water in Tweeksburg going down but their cellar is still rising - water table latency may mean days until it peaks inside. Rain tomorrow - ho hum. Warwick - no matter what. At least they will have water on tap - Cheltenham doesn't, and where I live further south no flow nor bowsers. |