Here Are The 5 BEST Types Of Pumps For A Flooded Basement
If you are reading this guide then you probably have water in your basement or at least know someone who has a flooded basement and need a solution to pump the water out. Let us start out by saying, this is a bad situation to be in but completely solvable if you take the appropriate corrective actions.
There is no way around it right now, you will need a quality basement pump to get the water out of your flooded house. However before rushing out to buy one, you will need to understand the types of basement pumps that are available for you to remedy this problem.
But first a warning! If done incorrectly you can cause serious structural damage to your house if you remove all the water at once. This is due to water pressure that might be on the exterior of your basement walls that is currently being equalized by the water that has also flooded inside your basement.
FEMA recommends the following procedure when pumping water out of your basement in order to avoid further damage, collapse or even personal injury.
- Begin pumping when floodwaters are no longer covering the ground outside.
- Pump out one foot of water. Mark the water level and wait overnight.
- Check the water level the next day. If the level went back up (covered your mark) it is still too early to drain your basement.
- Wait 24 hours and then pump the water down one foot again. Check the level the next day.
- When the water in the basement stops returning to your mark, pump out two to three feet and wait overnight.
- Repeat daily until all the water is out of the basement.
With that out of the way, we will now get into how you can get the water out of your basement.
Trash Pumps
Our Top 3 Trash Pump Recommendations
| Best Overall | Premium Option | Cheapest Option | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picture of Pump |  |
|
|
| Pump Name | Champion Power Equipment 66525 | Honda WB20XT4A | DuroMax XP650WP Trash Pump |
| Rating | |||
| Where To Buy |
How a Trash Pump Will Help You
A trash pump is a work horse of a pump and is designed for the most extreme flooded basements. They can quickly pump large amounts of water that contains other hard and soft items typically found in flood water such as mud, leaves, sticks, sand, and thick sludge. Some trash pumps have the capability of pumping hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water out of your basement per hour.
The best trash pumps are gas powered, heavy-duty centrifugal pumps that are portable and have larger water discharge openings than other pump types. You will also need two hoses to operate a trash pump. The first hose will connect to the inlet side of the pump and needs be long enough to get into the basement and down to the bottom. The second hose will connect to the outlet of the pump and needs to be long enough to discharge the water far enough away from your house so that it doesn’t cause further issues.
If your basement is completely flooded, this is the best type of pump you will need to get the job done. They are also typically more expensive but are well worth the money and will last many years.
Electric Submersible Water Pumps
Our Top 3 Electric Submersible Water Pump Recommendations
| Best Overall | Premium Option | Cheapest Option | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picture of Pump | |
|
|
| Pump Name | WAYNE WaterBUG Submersible Pump | Site Drainer SD 300 | Superior Pump 91330 |
| Rating | |||
| Where To Buy |
How a Electric Submersible Water Pump Will Help You
If a gas powered trash pump is too much pump for your flooded basement situation, then you should consider another top water pump that has two features that are very different than a trash pump. First, an electric submersible water pump is (obviously) electric powered so you will need to ensure that you have access to a safe and dry power source to provide the pumps electricity. Second, these pumps are meant to be directly submerged under water into the flooded basement in order to suck out the water.
The best electric submersible water pumps can come in many different sizes and can move up to a few thousand gallons of water per hour, depending on the horse power of the pump. They are not as durable as a trash pump and can become clogged or damaged if your flooded basement contains a lot of mud, leaves, sticks, sand, or thick sludge. The pump sucks from the bottom and not from a hose, however there still is a discharge hose that needs to be long enough to direct the water out and away from the basement.
These pumps can also be used as a sump pump in addition to being portable for a flooded basement remediation. If your basement flood level is not all that high and the water is generally clean, you should consider an electric submersible water pump to get your basement dry again. Perhaps the best part is the price is generally much less expensive than a gas powered trash pump.
Utility Pump
Our Top 3 Utility Pump Recommendations
| Best Overall | Premium Option | Cheapest Option | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picture of Pump | |
|
|
| Pump Name | Trupow 330GPH | Wayne PC4 55832 | SumpMarine 11AA |
| Rating | |||
| Where To Buy |
How a Utility Pump Will Help You
If you are looking for a handy way to get small amounts of water out of your basement a utility pump is a useful and inexpensive tool to have around. A lot of times a utility pump is also called a transfer pump and the names are used interchangeably. It really comes down to nomenclature or branding of the particular manufacturer of the pump.
Regardless of what you call the pump, when looking for one to buy you need to make sure the specifications meet your requirements. These pumps are a lot like trash pumps because they have two houses that attached to the inlet and outlet of the pump to transfer the water from point A to point B. The pump does not go directly into the water like electric submersible water pumps but the horse power is typically similar. They are no where near as durable as trash pumps or as powerful but they still work great if your flooded basement situation is not that extreme.
Pool Pumps
Our Top 3 Pool Pump Recommendations
| Best Overall | Premium Option | Cheapest Option | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picture of Pump | |
|
|
| Pump Name | Pentair 340039 | Hayward W3SP2610X15 | Hayward W3SP1580X15 |
| Rating | |||
| Where To Buy |
How a Pool Pump Will Help You
If you find yourself in a bind and in need of a pump but can’t get your hands on one but have an inground pool, you might be able to use your pool pump. These pumps are designed to move water around the pool and not necessarily transfer water at fast rates of speed but the concept is still the same. In order to get these to work it is going to take a bit of Macgyver skills. You will need to rig it up with the pool hose into the basement and make sure the water doesn’t recycle back into the pool rather away from the house and foundation.
Unlike trash pumps that are designed to pump and withstand debris, these pumps are typically made with plastic impellers and will most likely break if your basement is flooded with debris filled water.
Hand Crank Pumps
How a Hand Crank Pump Will Help You
Last and most certainly least, is a hand crank pump. If you have exhausted all other options then this tool can also make the job slightly more bearable than carrying the water out of your basement in buckets. Perhaps there is no power, you can’t get a generator or you can not get a gas powered trash pump, if you find yourself in this situation a good old fashioned hand pump will get the job done… eventually. These pumps are typically used in wells to manually pump the water out of them so it could take some modifications to get the pump to work for your basement but it can be done.
The good part about using a hand pump is the workout your arms will get as well as an appreciation for how hard people worked before gas and electric powered tools.
Further Reading: Looking For More Information About Flooding and Home Cleaning? Check These Articles Out!
