Puddle pump
A submersible puddle pump is capable of draining a surface dry to a height of just a few millimetres, which means that it leaves less water behind than the average submersible pump.
Situations in which a submersible pump can be used for draining include:
flooded cellars or crawl spaces;
fixed or portable swimming pools in the garden;
basements flooded with groundwater;
rainwater that has collected on the roof of a barn or shed.
Puddle pump or puddle sucker pump
The submersible puddle pump is capable of draining water to a height of 0-2 mm. This means it leaves less water behind than the average submersible pump, and therefore is sometimes referred to as a puddle sucker pump.
It is important to know that puddle sucker pumps are only capable of processing clean water, and will therefore have no trouble processing rainwater, groundwater, or tap water. In principle, puddle pumps can handle water well as long as it does not contain very large solid particles or too much sand. In many cases, this pollution can be avoided by placing the pump in a sump well/sump pit (with a grid placed on top). Puddle pumps are usually fitted with an internal float They are kept as slim as possible so that they can easily be installed in a sump pit with a diameter of about 20 centimetres. If the pump is placed on a water-permeable stand - and not directly on the sandy soil - it will draw in only the less-polluted water.
Using a puddle sucker pump
Generally, a puddle pump is a small, handy device that can help you get rid of excess water in the event of flooding, and some models are even capable of draining a surface dry to a height of 0-1 mm. In most cases, they are used in combination with a heavier pump that first drains most of the water, after which the puddle pump finishes the job.
Locations in which puddle pumps are commonly used include cellars and basements, because these spaces are often affected by rising groundwater, and are the first places to flood in the event of heavy rainfall. It is important to keep these areas dry if they contain a washing machine or other electrical equipment. In these situations, the submersible puddle pump is the ultimate solution.
Operating a puddle pump
People often think that using a puddle pump / puddle sucker pump with a float is the best solution for flooded spaces. In many situations it is, but a puddle pump can only drain in manual mode. Submersible puddle pumps usually have two settings: manual and automatic, indicated on the pump name by the letters M (= Manual), A (= Automatic), and NA (= Non-Automatic[CF1] ).
The device cools itself with the water it processes. When the pump runs in the absence of a water supply, this is referred to as dry running. No water pump should run dry for more than a few minutes, otherwise it may burn out and be damaged beyond repair. Therefore, a puddle pump always needs to be used in manual mode to drain a space completely. The pump has to be switched off in time to prevent it from running dry. In automatic mode, the puddle pump will not switch on until a water level of 11 centimetres has been reached, and it switches off at around four centimetres of water. If you want to drain more water, this can be done by setting the pump to manual mode and draining the last few centimetres.
Our range of submersible puddle pumps
At Waterpump.co.uk we have put together an ideal selection of submersible puddle pumps. For example, we offer pumps that can be set to both manual and automatic mode, but also only to manual mode in order to always drain surfaces completely dry when needed. We also have the slimmest models offered on the market, which are capable of draining water to a level of 0-1 mm.
Please contact us by phone or by email if you need more information about submersible puddle pumps, or if you would like our help in making a choice.
