Pump for fountain to suck out small debris

[dchou4u]

I have a medium sized fountain in my backyard that I have to clean out every few weeks. I have a pump to drain the water, but it cannot pick up small debris at the bottom of the fountain such as leaves and tiny rock fragments. Is there a pump that I can get so that I can suck out the debris using a hose before I drain the fountain?

Thanks

[bfrabel]

A "Shop-vac" type of thing would work. Many of them come with a large suction hose and a fitting where you can screw on a garden hose if you want to redirect the outgoing water so you don't have to keep empting out the tank.

[SteveB]

Spa shops make a small vacuum that is driven with a garden hose, and they have a large hypodermic syringe looking thing that is for just that.

Steve

[trader4]

Seems it would be easier to drain it first, then use a shop vac to get the remaining water and debris.

[Dennis]

I see that wet vac such as Ridgid 6 gal vacuum comes with a filter in it. Will the filter get clogged with all these leaves and small rocks? I have never used a wet vac before and am not sure how much the vac can handle.

Thanks

[Dennis]

Does it still go through the filter that is in the wet vac? Wondering how fast the filter will get clogged by the leaves and small debris...

[Dennis]

Does it still go through the filter that is in the wet vac? Wondering how fast the filter will get clogged by the leaves and small debris...

[Bob]

Depending on the size of the fountain and whether you can extend a hose below the water level, you could use a siphon hose with sufficient diameter to also handle the debris. Start the siphon by submerging the entire hose, making sure that no air is in the hose. Hold your finger or palm of your hand over one end of the hose while taking it out of the water and extending it over the edge and below the water level. A 1.5 inch pool vacuum hose will drain a 400 gallon spa in about 10 minutes. Work quickly if you just want to remove debris without completely draining the fountain.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

All the wetvacs I've used have been wet/dry vacs. You take the filter out when sucking wetness [the filter is just for dust].

And be sure to thoroughly dry the vac before putting the filter back in. Even if it doesn't get moldy, the dampness makes concrete out of the dust and ruins the filter.

Jim

[SteveBell]

The filter is for airborne dirt, not for liquids. You remove the filter before vacuuming up water.