Pumping water out of my basement? What kind of pump?

[mchambers]

Currently, I drain my water changes into a shower in my basement, but I've read here about folks using pumps to drain the water in their yards. (I do this with my two small tanks on my first floor.)

What kind of pump would I need to pump water into my yard? I'm guessing the water would have to go up about 8 feet.

 

[Tony]

I have a sump pump with a float switch from Home Depot. It has a crazy flow rate... empties by 15-20 gallon tub in under 10 seconds (straight up to the ceiling, around perimeter of the dog room and back down to the shop sink). Are you looking to pump from a central sump or straight out of the tanks?

 

[chriscoli]

I use a pond pump for both. I got either a Pondmaster 900 or 1200 (cant' remember which). I'm not overly impressed with the head pressure on it, though...but I am asking it to run through a long hose, so that's probably part of my problem.

I use it for both dropping directly into the tanks (I use the debris guard that came with it to keep fish from being sucked in) or if I need to clean the gravel, I gravel-vac the tanks into a rubbermaid bin which has the pump in it. I'm only asking it to lift about 5 ft out the back door and into a barrel that I use to water my plants.

The big think that I do like about it is that it's threaded for a common garden hose already on the outlet, so I didn't have to go searching for fancy connectors.

One of the other nice things is that it's got a seriously long cord on it so it's easier to move from tank to tank and keep the electrical end of things well away from the water.

 

[Becca]

You might want something debris-handling, but generally, I'd agree, a sump-pump will do the trick.

Used to do this for my old pond and pump it all over my parents' .75 acre yard to water grass, gardents, etc.

 

[jonclark96]

The pump I use to drain my tanks is an Eco 1200 (or something like that). I picked it up for a decent price from Ken's a year or so ago. It does the job, but probably isn't strong enough to overcome pumping up 8 feet. I know that there are threads (more likely on reef forums) that talk about head loss on pumps. If you aren't dropping it right into a tank, a commercial sump pump (that doesn't have anything to do with aquariums) is probably the most economical route to go.

 

[mchambers]

Thanks. I don't have a sump pump and my basement hasn't ever flooded from natural causes (although a few times from fish keeper screwups and other human causes), but maybe I'll get an inexpensive one.

I don't think it would go in my tanks. I think I'd just hook it up to a tub into which my water changers empty.

 

[chriscoli]

Thanks. I don't have a sump pump and my basement hasn't ever flooded from natural causes (although a few times from fish keeper screwups and other human causes), but maybe I'll get an inexpensive one.

I don't think it would go in my tanks. I think I'd just hook it up to a tub into which my water changers empty.

Yep, sounds like a good plan.

 

[ezrk]

For that use I would get an inexpensive sump pump and go from tanks to tub or some intermediate container (i.e. garbage can) then use the sump pump to take it up to your yard.

Getting a decent tank/pond pump for eight feed of head at a decent flow rate is probably not going to be worth it.