My unfinished basement leaks after heavy rains. I have banked the dirt against the sides of the house, put sheet rubber in the obvious places to run the water off, and put up gutters.

There is a trench under the house around the inside wall next to the basement where water collects and seeps through where the concrete floor and cinder block walls meet. There is a spring on our property and I've been told that rain makes the water table rise to fill up the trench. It then seeps in by hydrostatic pressure.

So right now, before I spend any more money or hassle with a sump pump, I just want a wet/dry shop vac to get the bulk of the water out right away after a rain.

I will spend up to $100 and will be in the big city Thursday, so I can pick one up at Home Depot or Sears, or order one from Amazon. I have no idea how many gallons or horsepower I need. I may also use it to vacuum the car, vacuum miscellaneous indoor water leaks, or clean up after a future reflooring project. There is a drain hole in the middle of the basement floor I can discharge the water into. What do y'all suggest?

Any should be fine.. really comes down to how many gallons are needed.

Though I'd just put the sump in with a float valve, run the line to the drain and be done with it. You can do that for around the $100 you want to spend on the wet/dry van.

I've been using this pump without the float for more than a year with no issues. That is $61, add in another $20 for either PVC or a garden hose. Simple easy and will do the job.

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

what happens when you go in vacation, who will vacuum when you are not there? maybe a sump pump is better. what do you do when power goes out? do you have a generator?some sump pumps have battery backups, or you could use an UPS. I don't think you can run a shop vac on a UPS, at least not long.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2013 04:05PM by space-time.

For that kind of product I kind of doubt Amazon will beat the Depot on price. HD has 90-day return vs. 30 at Amazon, plus you'd have it in hand immediately.

I've always liked the Sears shop vacuums. Their line of filters now are washable, so you can use it for both wet and dry. Be sure to get one with a drain plug, so you can just drain it into a drain without having to lift up 10-20 gallons of water.

I don't go on vacations and it's not a disaster when it happens. I just want to dry it as quick as I can to cut down on the mold and smell. I want to get a shop vac anyway so I'd like to decide what to get before tomorrow and worry about a sump pump later.

It doesn't "flood," it just gets wet with about 1/8" of water covering up to about 40 square feet - usually less. I can't visualize how many gallons of capacity I need with some to spare.

I'll start a sump pump thread later.

OK. I've ruled out Amazon. It's head-to-head between Sears and HD.

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Dennis S
OK. I've ruled out Amazon. It's head-to-head between Sears and HD.

Go with whoever has the best deal. Either one should stand behind their product.

---

Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

For your use, especially with a drain nearby, I would get a smaller portable unit.

[www.homedepot.com]

The larger ones with higher HP and larger gallon capacity are great, but their large size makes them more "shop" vacs. I have one for example, that I use in the garage and around the yard, but I can't carry it into the attic to service my AC drains. Using it for any purpose inside the house is unwieldy. If you have a drain nearby and it only rains occasionally, I'd get the light duty vac I linked above, and vac up 4 gallons at a time, and then just empty it into the drain and start over.

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Dennis S

It doesn't "flood," it just gets wet with about 1/8" of water covering up to about 40 square feet - usually less. I can't visualize how many gallons of capacity I need with some to spare.

40sf @ 1/8" (.125) deep = 5cf
1cf = 7.48051948 gallons
5cf = 37.4 gallons, so you would need a 40 Gallon wet dry to do it in one trip. They don't make those

16 gallon are the largest wet/dry's, so you'll dump a few times.
These are both 6hp, and similar.

HD - 14 gallon: $99
Sears - 16 gallon: $79.88

So Sears looks to have a very slight edge. just depends on the build quality.


But an idea --Maybe a bucket head vacuum for $22 and a pool vacuum hose. Just put the pail over the drain (with the bottom cut out), attach the long hose to it, put the floor attachment to the other and vacuum away. the water goes straight down the drain.

Buck head
Pool hose (this is 24')

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2013 05:05PM by Ombligo.

Quote
DRR
For your use, especially with a drain nearby, I would get a smaller portable unit.

[www.homedepot.com]

The larger ones with higher HP and larger gallon capacity are great, but their large size makes them more "shop" vacs. I have one for example, that I use in the garage and around the yard, but I can't carry it into the attic to service my AC drains. Using it for any purpose inside the house is unwieldy. If you have a drain nearby and it only rains occasionally, I'd get the light duty vac I linked above, and vac up 4 gallons at a time, and then just empty it into the drain and start over.

The ones I've seen like that require you to get on your knees to vacuum the floor unless I looked at the pictures wrong. I need to stand up and do it. Plus, I want to take the opportunity to have a bigger sure-nuff shop vac to handle whatever comes along.

Shop Vac has a 16 gallon unit that is a wet dry vac but also has a built in pump that you can hook a hose upto to drain the tank after it is full.
I know Lowes has it but I can't provide a link here at work bucause all shopping sites are blocked.

Quote

40sf @ 1/8" (.125) deep = 5cf
1cf = 7.48051948 gallons
5cf = 37.4 gallons

Unbelievable!

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Ombligo

5cf = 37.4 gallons, so you would need a 40 Gallon wet dry to do it in one trip. They don't make those

Yes they do:
[www.exair.com]

but then you need an air compressor to run it, so get one of those also...

Quote
Ombligo

...
But an idea --Maybe a bucket head vacuum for $22 and a pool vacuum hose. Just put the pail over the drain (with the bottom cut out), attach the long hose to it, put the floor attachment to the other and vacuum away. the water goes straight down the drain.

Buck head
Pool hose (this is 24')

I never used one of those but I thought they suck air from the bucket, and the vacuum sucks water and dirt into the bucket, in other words the dirt and water never go through the motor. If this is so, then cutting out the bottom of the pail will render this useless.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2013 06:44PM by space-time.

here is the link for the shop vac i mentioned aboveLowe shop vac

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bruceko
here is the link for the shop vac i mentioned aboveLowe shop vac

I got that one, if not very similar for $29 on Black Friday I believe.

The Sears Wet Dry Vacs are pretty hard too beat. I destroyed one by forgetting to put the float in that shuts
down the suction when it gets full of water. The last one, a 16 gallon Sears, I bought has been around here
for about 12 years and I've used it numerous time to vacuum up the water in our leaky basement and I roll
it over to the basement drain and unscrew the plug and let it drain out. However poured our basement floor
must have made it as flat as possible because water can be sitting 1/4"- 1/2" deep at spots and the water
can't find it's way to the drain.

Make sure you get one with the 2 1/2" hose, stay away from those little 1 1/4" hoses as you may want to
use for vacuuming up leaves in the Fall and stuff. Rarely does the 2 1/2" hose clog.

---

Grateful11

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space-time

Quote
Ombligo

...
But an idea --Maybe a bucket head vacuum for $22 and a pool vacuum hose. Just put the pail over the drain (with the bottom cut out), attach the long hose to it, put the floor attachment to the other and vacuum away. the water goes straight down the drain.

Buck head
Pool hose (this is 24')

I never used one of those but I thought they suck air from the bucket, and the vacuum sucks water and dirt into the bucket, in other words the dirt and water never go through the motor. If this is so, then cutting out the bottom of the pail will render this useless.

Thinking about, I believe you are right.. oh well it was an idea, just not a workable one.

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

FWIW... my big honking Sears model also works as a leaf blower.

Quote
Ombligo

Quote
Dennis S

It doesn't "flood," it just gets wet with about 1/8" of water covering up to about 40 square feet - usually less. I can't visualize how many gallons of capacity I need with some to spare.

40sf @ 1/8" (.125) deep = 5cf
1cf = 7.48051948 gallons
5cf = 37.4 gallons, so you would need a 40 Gallon wet dry to do it in one trip. They don't make those

(40 ft^2) *(1/8 in)*(1 ft/12 in) = 0.42 ft^3 -> 3.1 gallons

Quote
cbelt3
FWIW... my big honking Sears model also works as a leaf blower.

So does my Ridgid (Home Depot). I use the blower around the yard more often than I use the vac, and the vac gets plenty of use - both wet and dry.

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vitus

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Ombligo

Quote
Dennis S

It doesn't "flood," it just gets wet with about 1/8" of water covering up to about 40 square feet - usually less. I can't visualize how many gallons of capacity I need with some to spare.

40sf @ 1/8" (.125) deep = 5cf
1cf = 7.48051948 gallons
5cf = 37.4 gallons, so you would need a 40 Gallon wet dry to do it in one trip. They don't make those

(40 ft^2) *(1/8 in)*(1 ft/12 in) = 0.42 ft^3 -> 3.1 gallons

well done! another example how easy it is to make errors in the US system.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2013 09:32PM by space-time.

Any chance you already have a sump hole that is hidden or something? A sump tank is code where I live although the hole doesn't have to have a pump installed, just 'pump ready'. I have never pulled the cover from ours but it looks like it might be a 30 gallon tank. I don't think ours will accept water unless the cover is removed but I've never had water so I can't say.

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Quote
Speedy
Any chance you already have a sump hole that is hidden or something?

No.

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space-time

Quote
vitus

Quote
Ombligo

Quote
Dennis S

It doesn't "flood," it just gets wet with about 1/8" of water covering up to about 40 square feet - usually less. I can't visualize how many gallons of capacity I need with some to spare.

40sf @ 1/8" (.125) deep = 5cf
1cf = 7.48051948 gallons
5cf = 37.4 gallons, so you would need a 40 Gallon wet dry to do it in one trip. They don't make those

(40 ft^2) *(1/8 in)*(1 ft/12 in) = 0.42 ft^3 -> 3.1 gallons

well done! another example how easy it is to make errors in the US system.

At least it didn't result in a lost mars probe this time!

---

"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Quote
vitus

Quote
Ombligo

Quote
Dennis S

It doesn't "flood," it just gets wet with about 1/8" of water covering up to about 40 square feet - usually less. I can't visualize how many gallons of capacity I need with some to spare.

40sf @ 1/8" (.125) deep = 5cf
1cf = 7.48051948 gallons
5cf = 37.4 gallons, so you would need a 40 Gallon wet dry to do it in one trip. They don't make those

(40 ft^2) *(1/8 in)*(1 ft/12 in) = 0.42 ft^3 -> 3.1 gallons

Thanks for the correction -- 37 gallons sounded high but I couldn't find the error, now it was quite evident.

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Quote
Dennis S

Quote
DRR
For your use, especially with a drain nearby, I would get a smaller portable unit.

[www.homedepot.com]

The larger ones with higher HP and larger gallon capacity are great, but their large size makes them more "shop" vacs. I have one for example, that I use in the garage and around the yard, but I can't carry it into the attic to service my AC drains. Using it for any purpose inside the house is unwieldy. If you have a drain nearby and it only rains occasionally, I'd get the light duty vac I linked above, and vac up 4 gallons at a time, and then just empty it into the drain and start over.

The ones I've seen like that require you to get on your knees to vacuum the floor unless I looked at the pictures wrong. I need to stand up and do it. Plus, I want to take the opportunity to have a bigger sure-nuff shop vac to handle whatever comes along.

You can stand with that one. The hose and the rigid extensions are plenty long enough. My point was just, if you need a light duty vacuum (for this sole purpose you only need light duty) then consider how much portability is worth to you also. I have a larger unit and now I have to look at a smaller more portable unit for other task specific jobs (AC drain, etc) The larger ones are more powerful, but are also quite unwieldy.

I have one very similar to the model DRR linked, and it's handy for all sorts of things. The 4 to 5 gallon size isn't one of those tiny carry-around models (thus the wheels). You certainly wouldn't need be on your knees to vacuum the floor!

Good luck with your basement. I've always thought it would be lovely to have a basement.

Quote
vitus

Quote
Ombligo

Quote
Dennis S

It doesn't "flood," it just gets wet with about 1/8" of water covering up to about 40 square feet - usually less. I can't visualize how many gallons of capacity I need with some to spare.

40sf @ 1/8" (.125) deep = 5cf
1cf = 7.48051948 gallons
5cf = 37.4 gallons, so you would need a 40 Gallon wet dry to do it in one trip. They don't make those

(40 ft^2) *(1/8 in)*(1 ft/12 in) = 0.42 ft^3 -> 3.1 gallons

I still come up with 37.4 gallons
40/8=5 cu ft/.13368=37.4 gallon
it would be 40/8 or 40*.125 both equal 5 cu ft
1 gallon =.13368 cu ft or 1 cuft =7.4 gallons
so
5/.13368=37.4 gal
or 5*7.4=37 gal
Where is the error?
Show us our error

1/8 of an inch is .01041666 of a foot (1/8 divided by 12).

40 sq feet x .0104166 feet = .4166 cubic feet.

Edit: Or think of it this way -- cut the 40 Sq feet into individual 1 foot squares. They're 1/8 of an inch thick. Stack them up and you get a height of 5 inches. 5/12 = .41666.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2013 12:27PM by MikeF.

I found my error. forgot to divide by 12

I went to Home Depot and Sears today. Their line-ups are similar and there is a good incremental selection, but to get the 2.5" hose as grateful11 suggested, I need one of the $90+ ones.

I found out that if Whitey Bulger had stayed in a Home Depot, he would be a free man today. There was no sign of anyone to help me out. All of the vacuums were still in the boxes and all but two were on a high shelf.

Meanwhile, Sears had the actual vacuums out and displayed, arranged in order of price from left to right, and had clearly marked replacement accessories in bins below the vacuums. A woman came to help me withing two minutes, jerked to vacuum I was looking at off the shelf, took it apart, got out the manual and answered all of my questions. The only drawback to Sears is that the return policy is 30 days instead of HD's 90 days. The warranty is one year. My biggest decision is whether to get the leaf blower option for about $20 more ($120 vs $100.)

Lowe's was out-of-the-way so I didn't go today, but their service help is on par with HD usually.

So, Sears it will be.

I have a Rigid from Home Depot that I don't see on the web site. Mine is a 9 gallon / 3.5HP. It has a 2-1/2" hose but no drain plug in the basin.