Submersible pump

Pump capacity

The pump capacity (also called flow rate) of a submersible pump determines how many litres per hour the device is able to process in the most optimal situation: this means without resistance and without needing to pump the water upwards. The delivery head and the pump capacity are focal points in choosing the right submersible pump. After all, you do not want to wait forever until a certain space is drained.

Tip: When selecting a submersible pump, refer to the 'flow rate table', which indicates how much water the submersible pump is able to drain per hour with a certain delivery head (the height at which a pump can raise water).

Delivery head

The delivery head indicates how many metres the submersible pump is able to pump up water through a discharge hose/tube. It is based on a wide discharge hose/tube with as little resistance as possible.

Tip: Apply a wide margin when you determine which submersible pump is right for you. If in your situation the device needs to pump the water five metres upwards, you should opt for a submersible pump with a delivery head of at least seven metres.

Type of water

The type of water the pump needs to process is important when you are choosing the most suitable submersible pump; we have subdivided these into four categories.

Clean water
This refers to clean, clear, almost potable water that contains no or hardly any solid particles (sand). Every submersible pump can handle this type of water. In this case, you are advised to consider the other points with regard to choosing the most appropriate submersible pump.

Slightly dirty water
This type of water refers to slightly clouded water that contains sand or other small solid particles, which should not be larger than about 10 mm. Examples include water in a flooded cellar, bathwater, and rainwater mixed with road dirt.

Dirty water/Wastewater
This category refers to cloudy water that may contain larger solid particles, which can be up to 50 mm in size, depending on the pump. Situations in which these pumps are used include construction sites, agricultural/cattle farms, and industry. The FEKA series is even suitable for draining water that contains faecal matter.

Salt water
What is not ruined by salt water? Even for submersible pumps, processing salt water is a different thing altogether. However, we have one hero we can always rely on to tackle this situation: the DAB Nova Salt M-A.

Automatic activation

How does a float work?
With most of the submersible pumps in our product range, we state that they include a 'float', which serves as a type of switch for the pump. As the name suggests, it floats on the water, and therefore rises along with the water level. Once the float is at a certain height, it will have reached the pump's activation level, and ensures that the pump switches on and continues operating until its deactivation level has been reached.

Activation level
Every submersible pump that is fitted with a float has its own moment of activation, with water levels ranging from about 8.5 cm to approximately 30 cm. When selecting a pump, take into account that a particular level is required before the pump switches on automatically.

Submersible pump - manual operation
All submersible pumps with a float can also be used manually by 'securing' the float, which means fastening it securely at the activation level. With regard to puddle pumps, this involves simply turning the handle on the side. However, with submersible pumps that have a loose float such as a float cable or float arm, for example, the float needs to be secured with a tie wrap. In that case, make sure the tip of the float points upwards so that it activates the submersible pump.

Puddle pump

A submersible pump drains water until only a few centimetres remain, while a puddle pump drains a flat surface practically dry to a level of 0 to 2 mm. This makes a puddle pump ideal in a house with flooded spaces that need to be drained practically 'mop dry'.

Prolonged use

If you plan to make frequent use of the submersible pump and for a prolonged period (more than three consecutive hours), you are advised to opt for true quality. DAB submersible pumps have been designed specifically for this purpose. If you are faced with a tough job, we recommend opting for a high-quality pump. It will provide the optimal long-term benefit.

Puddle pump

Submersible puddle pumps, also known as residue pumps or puddle suckers, are used when a space or reservoir needs to be drained practically dry. When the pump has finished, no more than 0 to 2 mm will be left, which is ideal if practically all excess water needs to be drained from the surface. However, a puddle pump can only handle clean or slightly dirty water; therefore, flooded cellars or rainwater that contains road dirt and so on are not a problem for this pump.

Dirty-water pump

A dirty-water pump is used for heavy duty jobs such as water that is heavily contaminated with sand or faecal matter, but also water from a ditch or pond. Other situations may involve the construction industry or the agricultural sector.

Clean-water pump

All submersible pumps can handle clean water, but there are also clean-water pumps specifically designed for the purpose. These pumps are compact, have a fairly low activation level (if a float is used), are very powerful, and the price is favourable. Situations in which a clean-water pump is used include draining a rain barrel, a reservoir, or a collecting tank.

Adjustable float

If you want to ensure that the submersible pump switches on automatically at a specific water level, you can opt for the DAB Nova Up 300 M-AE. This submersible puddle pump has a sliding float switch on its side, with which you can determine an activation level ranging from 8.5 cm to 25.5 cm. This submersible pump has the lowest automatic activation level, and is therefore very versatile.

High capacity

If you want to drain a specific space, a reservoir, or a tank as quickly as possible, you can opt for a high-capacity submersible pump. Tip: dirty-water pumps usually have a high capacity, and are also perfect for use with clean water.

Permanent installation in a frequently flooded space

Suppose you have a particular space, such as a cellar, that is frequently flooded during heavy rainfall, but you want to protect the stored products. However, the automatically activated submersible pump you selected does not start draining until a water level of about 10 cm has been reached, which is an undesirable situation. How would you solve this problem?

• Look for the lowest level in your cellar.

• If possible, dig or cut a hole in the ground/floor surface, preferably at least 10 cm deep and with a diameter of about 21 cm.

• Place the automatic submersible pump (for example, the DAB Nova Up 300 M-AE) in the sump pit you have created, and insert the plug into the wall socket.

• When water runs into the cellar, it automatically runs to the lowest point. As soon as the water level in the sump pit is about 10 cm, the pump switches on and keeps the rest of the cellar practically dry.

A submersible pump is one that has to be immersed in water. It has a suction grid fitted to the bottom, through which water is drawn directly into the pump. The water is then transferred through the pump body to the delivery connection, through which the water can leave the pump. The delivery connection has a discharge hose or tube attached to it so that the water can be drained.

Generally, submersible pumps are used for:

• draining a cellar/space

• draining wells

• draining a tank/barrel

In principle, a submersible is very easy to use. Like some other water pumps, it does not need to be installed. Waterpump.co.uk offers a solution for any situation. Most of our submersible pumps are supplied as standard with a 10m discharge hose. Attach the hose to the submersible pump and immerse the device in the fluids to be drained. If used properly, for example at the maximum depth, and with the right pump and the type of fluids that the pump was designed to process, you will easily achieve the desired result. For your convenience, we offer a logical selection of submersible pumps on our site. These pumps come in many shapes and models, and we have a well-considered range of submersible pumps that are suitable in 95% of the circumstances. We have made a deliberate choice in offering you submersible pumps from leading manufacturers. For example, DAB pumps are known for their premium quality, and no concessions in terms of quality were made to lessen production costs. This adherence to quality standards results in powerful submersible pumps that are capable of running longer and that are also very solid. TIP offers a clear line of high-quality and yet competitively priced submersible pumps. Specific differences between these two brands are their lifespan, how long they can run continuously, and the range of products offered.

In addition to a number of unique combined offers, Waterpump.co.uk guarantees that we always offer state-of-the-art products in the field of submersible pumps. Descriptions of the latest technologies are posted immediately online so that our customers can benefit from all this information. We offer, for example, strong, solid stainless steel submersible pumps by TIP at highly competitive prices. Furthermore, we carry a submersible puddle pump that helps drain a surface to a level as low as 0-1 mm.

A submersible pump with a float

Submersible pumps are usually equipped with a float (we indicate this with a blue bullet 'including float'). A float ensures that the pump is also capable of operating automatically, which means it switches on if a space or tank contains too much water. The float ensures that the pump switches off again when a certain water level has been reached.

The submersible pumps we supply are fitted with four types of floats:

• Internal: ensures that the pump switches on automatically at a water level of about 12-13 cm. Perfect for small spaces.

• Sliding float switch: allows you to choose the pump's automatic activation level from about 10 cm. Perfect for small spaces.

• Cable: attached to the pump with a cable. You can shorten the cable in order to determine the activation and deactivation level yourself.

• Float arm: attached to the pump, and has a fixed activation and deactivation level.

Dirty water/wastewater

Not every submersible pump is suitable for draining dirty water/wastewater, and with each model we have stated the size of the solid particles the water may contain. A grain of sand is usually smaller than 1 mm, but if grains stick together they can easily form a solid particle of over 5 mm.

We apply the following rule of thumb when selecting the right pump:

• Clean water: every submersible pump is suitable

• Clean water with small amounts of sand or gravel: every submersible pump is suitable

• Dirty water (e.g. sandy/muddy water): only dirty-water pumps are suitable

• Water with faecal matter: only submersible pumps from DAB's FEKA-series are suitable

Draining/surface drying /puddle pumps

Some submersible pumps are suitable for draining a space or tank entirely dry, which means that the pump leaves about 1-2 mm of water that can easily be mopped up. In our product range, we call these devices 'Submersible Puddle Pumps'. They are ideal for handling flooding.

Clean-water pump, dirty-water pump, pump for dirty water with solid particles

Submersible pump for clean water - suitable mainly for domestic, garden, and kitchen situations. This pump is particularly handy for draining spaces that contain clean or slightly cloudy water, such as crawl spaces, puddles in the garden, flooded rooms, and cellars or kitchens. Waterpump.co.uk supplies a top range of submersible pumps for such situations.

Submersible pump for clean and dirty water - usually robust, strong models. These pumps are suitable for draining both clean and dirty water. They are practical even if draining involves a few millimetres more: for example, draining garden water or creating waterfalls and streams, or for draining flooded sites.

Submersible pump for dirty water/wastewater - fitted with impellers that cut up and reduce large solid particles. These are also the only models suitable for processing water, contaminated with faecal matter or other types of pollution. Usually these pumps are made of high-quality stainless steel or synthetic material, but a combination of both materials is also possible with submersible pumps. These very strong, robust pumps are often used in professional environments, such as farms, construction sites, and in many other sectors. They are fitted with top-quality motors and are therefore suitable for prolonged use.

Usage

Generally speaking, submersible pumps are used to drain or transfer water from shallow sources (up to about 7 metres). Many of them are fitted with a float that can be switched on and off. When activated, the pump will start operating at a certain water level, and when deactivated the pump can manually drain an area 'dry'. These pumps are used for draining flooded cellars, gardens, rooms, barns, and so on, but are also practical for draining water from reservoirs, barrels, swimming pools, ditches, or canals.

Which accessories will be handy for you?

A submersible pump is useless without a hose to drain the water. We supply discharge hoses for immediate use with our pumps. Some pumps include as standard a 7m or 20m hose that can be connected directly to the pump by means of the supplied coupling pieces.

The following applies to all the submersible pumps we have in stock: If ordered on a work day or on Sunday before 5 p.m., the pump will be delivered in 48 hours. Please refer to our shipping page for delivery-related questions. For other questions, please contact our customer service, which is available every working day.

If the pump is running but not pumping any water, there may be air trapped in the pump body. This can be dealt with easily by placing the pump at an angle in a container of water so that the pump body can fill with water and any air can escape. The following video demonstrates how this is done. Make sure as well that there are no kinks in the hoses or pipes so that the water can move through freely.