Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

[Expidia]

I have an electric auto sump pump in my basement in a large and 4 foot deep sump hole

But water tends to pool in several areas about 10 feet away from the sump where the floor is lower. Over the past two weeks I've had to sweep all that water about 10 times so far with a push broom into the sump hole. Few hours later puddles are back. Several times I've used a wet vac, but that's so tedious to have to dump it into the sump hole when full.

Water comes up through the basement floor. This house I'm renting is to be torn down for a condo development in another year or two so repairs to stop the water source is an investment the landlord is not going to make.

Tonight I thought of an idea to use a bilge pump and hook up a 10 foot piece of hose and just place the pump at the low spot in the middle of the inch or two high puddles and the other end of the hose into the sump hole. These puddles will continue to accumulate during a wet season for few months out of the year when the water table is high.

So can anyone recommend a brand of bilge pump that sucks close to the floor. I think Walmart carries the cheap Atwood ones that might work, but they may sit too high off the ground for my needs.

Any other suggestings other than breaking a channel into the concrete floor to the puddles and into the sump.

 

[oops!]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

if you are handy.....

you can take a cheap atwood.

cut a peice of plexi about a foot round........then cut a hole for the pump right in the middle.

then use plastic.....duct tape.....what ever...and duct tape the pump tp the plexi.....the base of the pump is by the top of the plexi.

vaccume would cause the plexi to suck all the water to the pump

. cheap....effective.....and you would not have to keep a squgee in your hand !

 

[Bondo]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

Any other suggestings other than breaking a channel into the concrete floor to the puddles and into the sump.

Ayuh,... Take a 4" angle grinder,+ cut a groove to drain it...

 

[HVAC Cruiser]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

What Oops said^^^^^ is a great idea.
Not to state the obvious but the bilge pump is 24v you will also need a converter or have it hooked up to a battery. you can also just get a cheep utility pump like this pump from HD for $63.00 it pumps down to 3/16 of an inch. if that is not low enough you can always grind or cut down the feet to get it lower.
Good luck

 

[stevenj]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

my first thought is what Bond-o said.

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

Not to state the obvious but the bilge pump is 24v

Where do you buy them where they're 24v ?? .
The 3 Rule bilge pumps that I have are all 12v.

 

[HVAC Cruiser]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

Where do you buy them where they're 24v ?? .
The 3 Rule bilge pumps that I have are all 12v.

Oh gee my mistake, I just woke up lol. Being an hvac guy my mind went to low voltage vs line voltage :redface:
but hey at least I got the battery part right lol

 

[Expidia]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

Thx for all the suggestions. I like the grinder idea but I'd hate to go thru all that work and then find the channel isn't deep enough for the water to run to the sump hole by gravity.

I store a lot of stuff in the basement too, I would think all that cement dust getting all over the basement from grinding would be a pain to clean up.

I store several deep cycle batteries in the basement anyway so I'll try the bilge pump with the plastic. We have a HD right next to a Walmart here anyway so I can get a bilge pump and a piece of plexi and a length of hose on the same trip.

I wonder if I were to buy a model with the float switch if there would be enough water to set it working being that the plexiglass raises it up a little so it would go on and off when I'm not home. I'd like to get an auto bilge pump I can mount it in my boat later on since the one in there now is a manual.

I've only lived here since Sept. so I don't know how long or how much water can accumulate. It's been a dry basement for the past 5 months until now.

If the water builds any higher, I'll get that HD pump. Maybe even HF has one cheaper.

Thanks for all those quick ideas and comments

 

[Bondo]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

Ayuh,... Personally, I see way more Trouble, than pay-offs with the bilge pump idea....

How about you go ride around an industrial park somewhere,+ grab a bunch of junk Pallets...
Throw 'em on the floor,+ you have about 4" of Insurance....

As far as whether a cut groove will work or Not,...
Cut it, then pour some water into the high side,+ it'll show you whether it works, or Not...

 

[kend301]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

Go to LOWES and in the garden section you will find fish pond pumps . They are less that 50.00 and come in many sizes and gph . I use the auto shut off one in my boat when it is docked and plugged in to relieve the bilge pump strain. They are magnetic drive and can be used at any angle so if you got one you could stand on end with the water intake on the bottom it should work very well.

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

You mentioned you had "several area's", are they each going to need their own relief system? We had a similar problem at my Dad's place, we routed out shallow pathways with chisel & hammer as we were concerned about dusting the area as well.

Also... my shop vac has a drain port which a garden type hose can attach to{Yours might have one as well} eliminating the need to move or lift the vac to drain, although that doesn't help much if your away.

 

[Expidia]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

You mentioned you had "several area's", are they each going to need their own relief system? We had a similar problem at my Dad's place, we routed out shallow pathways with chisel & hammer as we were concerned about dusting the area as well.

Also... my shop vac has a drain port which a garden type hose can attach to{Yours might have one as well} eliminating the need to move or lift the vac to drain, although that doesn't help much if your away.

That's a great idea. I have 3 shop vacs in various sizes. I'm sure one of them will have the exit port. I'll try that today.

If I'm away, anything over the puddle size will eventually flow into the sump on it's own. The sump was probably originally put in at the basement low point. But there is a wood burning stove in the middle and a real chimney (not a metal vent pipe) next to it so that whole area probably settled a bit over the years and that's where it puddles.

As soon as I saw the sump when we first moved in I made sure to store things on 2 x 4's or in those large Rubbermaid plastic boxes which are stacked.

I just don't want to go through the channeling thing if water only pools for a few weeks into Spring.

I have some long hoses from some other vacs. I'll duct tape them together and if it works with the vac I'll buy a real long one that will reach a few puddles that are in my work shop too.

Emptying those big shop vac containers got old real quick

 

[Expidia]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

Wow, hopeshefloats that worked great. My large shop vac had a drain cap on the bottom of the tank. I duct taped a long hose on it and ran the other end into the sump.

Thx for pointing that out. Took me 10 minutes to vacuum up the remaining puddles.

It was 19 degrees here over night. Can't go boating. Puddles are gone now

Now what am I going to do for the rest of the day????

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

I did the vacuum cleaner trick for several years until I got tired of it. Finally rented a concrete saw and cut grooves in the floor so the water drained to the sump. Obviously, that doesn't cure the root problem but you don't have standng water and the resultant mold problem.

Ultimate fix was a bulldozer!

 

[Expidia]

Re: Need a Bilge pump that runs real close to floor?

Ultimate fix was a bulldozer!

Ya that's why I don't want to put too much effort into channeling as this house is going to be bulldozed in a year or two anyway to make way for a condo development. It's a huge house and it sits on 12 acres. The owners bought it as an investment for the condos.

It will take them another two years to get all the approvals in place. So for now, I'm in a 4 bedroom country farmhouse with a 3 car garage. For $1400 a month. Our two boats and a canoe on a trailer are lov'in those garages