WTB: Low head pump

For a one off, a pump that is run by an electric drill? £10 on Ebay

How much water is it likely to be? Unless your pond is very big then a manual bilge pump like these will probably do the job. The advantage of such pumps is that they only need a hose in and out and no cable to get in the way or impellers to get damaged and will keep sucking even if some air gets drawn in when the water gets low. You will probably have to fix it to something like a heavy wood block/or post. This sort of thing

If there is a lot of water then A pneumatic diaprham pump driven from a compressor would behave similary. But there are not cheap.

Much smaller versions are used in pubs etc to pump beer or soft drink syrup, with the number of pubs closing they can turn up in skips outside.

G.Harman

G.Harman

In message , Vir Campestris writes

Isn't this the issue of a water table being higher than the water level in the pond?

We had a thread a while back. My experience is that the only way to solve this with a flexible liner is to raise the pond water level.

I'd agree. This weirdness even happens if you live on top of a hill. Water tables are strange things. In the last drought, I know a lot of ponds did dry up, but when it had rained a bit you could actually see it coming up from below into ponds well above the level of a river in the valley.

Brian

In message , Tim Lamb writes

My parents live in March, Cambridgeshire, surrounded by the Fens.

When the first put in their pond and they had some rain the liner floated up because of this. however, weighing down with some bits of slab etc. on the bottom, and with plants on the ledges seemed to solve the problem

Yes. On occasions it meets the surface. (adjacent flower bed has standing water). And we are on top of a hill!

Which is the point of the pump - move the water _under_ the liner to _on_top_ of the liner. And possibly in extreme circumstances (when the flower bed is full!) pump it past the end of the garden where the downhill bit begins.

Andy

I've used bilge pumps like that to pump out bilges. They're slow and inefficient - really hard work to use, and much slower that then traditional frightened man with a bucket. Their place is where access to the bilge is awkward - which it may well be with some yachts.

HOW MUCH???

Mmm that's a thought. I'll keep my eyes open...

Andy

I'm at the bottom and next to the river. Luckily I had enough spare liner tucked under the paving to bring 6" or so up behind some Oak logs. With that and some judiciously placed sand bags, the worst I get now is some slight underwater bulges.

Umm.. if you have to get under there to fit the suction hose, how about creating a sump filled with pebbles and lay in a bit of 4" flexible land drain pipe trenched to where the downhill bit starts?

Because it's 50 yards away, and I don't want to dig 50 yards of trench.

Andy

That seems a reasonable excuse:-)

what about a standard boat bilge pump ... they would seem to do what you want

eg:

you can get unbranded items on eBay for very little

Which bit of "it can't be submersible" did you miss? ;-)

Tim