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If you’ve ever had to deal with a flooded basement, you’ll understand the utility of a water pump. You stick the handheld device into a pool of water, start it up (or start pumping), and its suction tube sucks up water, and moves shoots it out through a second one.
Think of it like a vacuum, but instead of holding dirt and dust in a bag, you’ll put the second hose on your lawn, or in a large container like a garbage can. Also, don’t worry, the electric pumps are designed to be waterproof, so you can use them in a room that’s already full of water. While primarily used to prevent water damage from floods, a water pump can also be used to remove water from an overfull pool, overflowing toilet, or stalled washing machine.
It’s a piece of equipment you hope you never have to use, but is indispensable when you need it. If you’re looking for your first — and most likelyonly — water pump, we’ve collected four portable options that suit every type of situation.
What You Need to Know Before Buying a Water Pump
There are many factors to think about when choosing the right water pump for you; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list.
Power Source:Water pumps can be powered by physically pushing and pulling on the top of a pump, automatically via a battery, or plugging it into an outlet. The last two make water pumping a lot faster and easier, but you have to make sure you’ve recently changed the pump’s batteries, or are near a wall socket.
Size and Portability:All of the water pumps on this list are handheld, and easy to take from one place to another. The pumps powered by hand or battery resemble the ones you’d use to fill air in a bike’s tires; the pumps that need to be plugged in look short and stout, like a motor you’d use to fill an air mattress.
