Looking for some ideas and/or input on something I need only a few times a year.  I have a few "every year" large patios I do that have puddling issues,..especially when using a whole buncha' water in a short period of time.   I usually push it out with the water,..effective to a degree,.but also counter productive at the same time,.. And when I get down to a certain level I push it out with a broom.  

I have been considering getting one of the Shop-Vacs that work as a pump out,..basically you use the Shop-Vac as regular and the water is pumped out through a garden hose away from your work area. My concern with this is it may be junk,Ha,Ha,..The good thing is I only need it about  5-7 times a year maybe,..but "needed" none the less.  I like the idea of using the Shop-Vac  due to it's ability to use the floor tool to suck up all the water from the surface,..too even an almost dry finish.  

I also am considering getting one of the regular Shop-Vacs and using it as normal,..just emptying the water as I it fills. I have a small one,..but I am thinking and 18 gallon or so for this.   I don't know,..just brain storming. 

Jeff

Jeff, 

We have some dumpster pads at a few resorts down the Jersey shore we clean weekly during the summer season, that do not drain. They range from 15'X25' to 15' X 50' and of course they all pitch back towards the buildings. I bought a trash pump last year at Harbor Freight for $60.00 and some 2" roll up trash hose to attach to it. I bought 50'. It is kind of like a sump pump that can handle large debris and pumps out a ridiculous amount of water per minute. We set it in the ponding areas and run the hose to their sanitary drains. It has a handle and is lightweight. It sucks up about 90% of the water.

Thanks John,.that sound like it may be an option. For $60.00 it must be an electric trash pump,..I didn't even know they made them,..I will check that out.  

Does it just sit on the floor?,..I think I can picture what you talking about,..I used one a long time ago after I cleaned a customers basement after a flood.


Thanks,
Jeff

Yeah we just set it on the ground. We did these jobs for 2 seasons without it and my guys were taking another 30 minutes per cleaning. So I needed them to speed up. I actually got the idea from one of my buddies who does basement waterproofing. I will post a pic of it this week. We are working 4 days so far this week and the phone rang yesterday...a lot!

Like John said, a trash pump is an awesome tool to have (esp with flooded basements!) Even if only used occasionally. They can usually sucks up crap up to 1 inch so a med-large mesh filter pad works for sand and leaves etc.
If used with a barrier and a "floor drying" fan you can direct the waste water to the inlet easily.

When I do Patio's and Pavers I go behind the guy that's rinsing with a Blower and move the water and muck off the surface. Job always comes out mint!

Thanks for the input! I like the blower idea,..but sometimes like Maverick said,.it's alot of water.  I always have a blower on board for blowing driveways out and such,..finishes the jobs up nice,..and the customer kind of gets something for free. And is a nice gesture.

@Maverick,..isn't that pump your showing a roof pump? If anyone was around many years ago you may remember that I used a Homelite 2-Cycle pump like this as a roof pump,Ha,Ha.... I put the suction into the CH and attached a garden hose to the outlet and used a regular garden hose trigger to apply. That is also when I was using CH rather than SH,..So,.talk about being behind the 8 ball.

Come on now,.I didn't have the internet and these boards until around 2005,..and I started in 1996 and I went through alot of trial and ERROR back then,..but also learned many things on my own..and guys like me who weren't really into roof cleaning were just looking for a way to get them done, Ha,Ha,..

*I remember Mike Sullivan from the old RCIA days telling us about just pouring the SH down the roof after his pump sprayer broke,..was so funny to me because that is exactly what had happened to me,Ha,Ha,... THAT was the day I learned about the power of applying in VOLUME. When I poured it down the roof,.it worked just about instantly. I think I went to the 2-Cycle trash pump,...and then the roller came after that,..which many jumped on board with at that time. Now they are VERY obsolete.

One of the main 12V pumps back then was a 1.8 GPM Shurflo. Guys also had mobile cart units with 35 gallon tanks they lugged around. Chris Tucker used to use a roller and a long handle to apply SH,..Sheesh,..that shnit running down your arm,..man-o-geez,..Ha,Ha,..

*Dave Westerman introduced the All-Flo and Kuri-Tec hose from the old RCIA days. Dave wasn't liked by several people as I understand it,..but he knew more about roof cleaning and equipment that was far beyond what anyone else was doing. He definitely had it together,..like him or not. I try to give him mention once in a while,..simply due to what I learned from him back then.


Jeff

For patios and nothing as big as what John is talking about we just use a commercial squeegee to push it out of the way. One guy cleaning, one guy pushing. If it's not to big it moves along well. Thanks for the leaf blower idea Art!

SprayWash wrote:

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I have one of these, used it yesterday when we were cleaning a garage and found out the drains on 1/4 of it were clogged.

www.youtube.com/watch

www.youtube.com/watch

You can get one from Paul at PWS.
First 10 foot or so need to be rigid 1 1/2 hose, then you can connect to flat hose.
It really does work!

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 Thanks Ray! That's an easy way to solve some problems.

Liberty SoftWash wrote:

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We run the IPC eagle for reclaim.

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 Me too

Eric Schnaible wrote:

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Liberty SoftWash wrote:

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We run the IPC eagle for reclaim.

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 Me too

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 Love mine.

I did a Paver job today with the blower technique, Instant results