Because we're on heavy soil which isn't free-draining, the inspection pit in the garage accumulates water in it after periods of heavy and/or prolonged rain. This wouldn't be quite so tedious if the floor of the pit had been designed with more thought. My pump will only pump pown to approximately the last 10 mm, and hence because the pit floor is essentially horizontal the last 10 mm has to be ladled out manually. Now ........ if the floor had been sloped down slightly towards one end the pump could have been situated at the lower end and the remaining water would have been much less. Also, my pump needs a minimum of about 50 mm depth before it will prime itself, so it won't pump an initial depth of less then 50 mm. Now ......... if at the lower end the floor was stepped down 50 mm in depth for, say, a 300 mm square in one corner to form a sump into which the pump could be placed then the pump would prime with even the smallest depth of water in the main part of the pit
Unfortunately the pit was here when we bought the property so I didn't have a say in its design! As it is, the pit is more trouble than it's worth.
|
L'escargot,
Is it not possible to dig a small square pit at one end which is just big enough to house your pump, then using a mix of self leveller just slightly thicker than normal create a very minor slope towards the pit. This way your pump would work effectively, there would always be enough water to prime it. And even if not the water would be in the pit not you work area.
Even if the self leveller is a bit OTT you could just build the small pit and brush the excess water into it solving your problem (this is how an old cellar I used to have solved the problem).
Just a thought
Carse
|
|
|
Snap - is it enough trouble to be worth bashing out your own little 30cm-square pit in one corner?
But doesn't self-leveller end up level?
Edited by Andrew-T on 06/11/2008 at 10:41
|
|
duck boards! they were good enough for our lads int trenches all those years ago
|
Andrew,
Self leveller ends up level if it is fluid enough to flow, that is why I stated it should be thicker than normal to allow it to be manipulated.
Here endeth the lesson
Carse
|
Andrew Self leveller ends up level if it is fluid enough to flow that is why I stated it should be thicker than normal to allow it to be manipulated. Here endeth the lesson Carse
Then you might as well save yourself money on self levelers and mix up your own screed to the consistency you want.
Mind anything is self leveling if its fluid enough with a long curing time.
|
Could just dig a hole in one corner and set a plastic tub (big enough for the pump) 6" into the floor in new concrete. If you can't be bothered to lay the floor to falls, water can be swept into the corner. Thats what one of my colleagues did in his house cellar that floods in winter.
I've had to design proper pits a couple of times. 10mm/m gradient on the floor, 300x300x200mm deep pumping sump, timber duck boards, built in tool shelves and recessed lighting in the walls, tiled finish on reinforced concrete, etc. The sump though is only for catching other fluids or for washing down; if groundwater leaked in we could be in trouble with the client!
|
|
Duckboards are annoying when you drop a vital nut.
|
|
Try a boat chandlers for a different pump?
|
|
|
|
|
Put paving slabs in the bottom. Leave a hole somewhere for your pump.
|
|
buy a car lifter, no more wellies !!
|
F....THOMAS
had a good idea,,,with the slabs.
or use some cement and fill in 2inches of your pit, then you can add a slope and pump at the end... suppose it depends how tall you are....
|
I remember being told of a pit in a Police garage in the early 80`s. Apparently some work was being done on a fuel tank and there was a flash over from a garage heater into the pit. It had filled with heavier than air petrol fumes and I believe three mechanics died.
|
.......... there was a flash over from a garage heater into the pit.
No sparks from my heater ~ it's an ordinary domestic radiator.
|
What about static electricity though as you whip back into your shell?
;)
|
|
All you need is a dropped 240v inspection lamp: as the owner of a now-melted Reliant Robin found when he did a foreigner one Saturday. He got out with minor burns. Owner of garage not pleased - but had allowed inspection pit to exist. Just waiting for an error.
|
When in Police, went out to a 'fire brigade turnout' in a back street.
Arrived and saw a melted blob on the road...a Reliant Regal.
Owner smelled petrol and went under with a lighter to investigate. Nothing strange about that ?....................he was an inspector of fuel tanks at Shell in Stanlow !!!
Ted
|
|
|
just a quick thought,,,,what about using a windscreen washer motor, there small and must be able to pump water from lower than the 50mm you currently have.
ok ok it will take a while...but a quick solution...
when i worked at in production dept at an engineering dept, we rigged up a washer pump to squirt one of the chaps who was a bit of a joker, we had a washing up liquid bottle connected to it,,,,,worked a treat haha....
also used it to clean out my tropical fish tank...rather than sucking on a bit of hose pipe!
|
|
|
Where do you put the front wheel of your Reliant when it's over a pit ? Or do you perch the wheel at the end of the pit ?
|
Where do you put the front wheel of your Reliant when it's over a pit
Guy just up the road has an aluminum H beam that he lays along the length of the pit when he has to work on plastic pigs.
|
|
|
How about using a Pela (or similar) oil extractor to remove the dregs?
I used mine to remove some washer fluid when my washers froze the other night, now on strong winter mix.
Edited by Pugugly on 06/11/2008 at 19:05
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just don't tell the Environment Agency that you're pumping ground water - they'll want an abstraction licence from you!
|
Just don't tell the Environment Agency that you're pumping ground water - they'll want an abstraction licence from you!
I'm not abstracting it, I'm merely transferring it to the drainage dyke across the front of my property quicker than it would get there by natural means.
Edited by L'escargot on 07/11/2008 at 06:43
|
I'm not abstracting it
There's a bloke in Wales who collects water from the top of a stream, runs in down some orange pipe alongside the stream, through a generator turbine, then back into the same stream it came out of. He still needs an abstration licence.
Having read up on it though, you should be fine as long as you don't collect more than 20 cubic metres of water per day.
|
|
1. we had an inspection pit when I was growing up. Took me years to figure out what it was. 2. friend of mine worked for an HGV firm and was having a fag in the yard. Noticed the pit was a bit oily and, being thick, thought, i know, let's burn it off, make it nice and clean. BOOM! No-one got hurt though.
|
Very nasty if untrained types work on airconditioners etc.
the aicon gas is heavier than air, and also poisonous.
Likwise where ventilation is open, due to C0 from running engines - there's been cases of the CO building up in the pits.
|
|
|
|
