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  1. #1
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    Default Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Hanna's in my basement. Dang this hundred year old foundation anyhow. It's going to be a long afternoon and evening.

    OREP Insurance

  2. #2
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    Mar 2007
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Not to worry, John, if you had a vac down in your basement, it would already be a "wet" vac.

    Hope you don't get too much water, Hanna is a fast moving storm so she is not dumping that much water in one place. That's a "good thing"

    Heck, her forward speed (25 mph last I heard) was almost half her wind speed (50 mph at that same time).

    Of course, if you add (and they are "additive") 50 mph wind speed swirling in your direction to a 25 mph direction speed, your resulting wind speed is 75 mph!

    The people on the other side of the storm, though have the reverse - 50 mph - 25 mph - 25 mph net wind speed.

    Jerry Peck
    Construction/Litigation/Code Consultant - Retired
    www.AskCodeMan.com

  3. #3
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    Mar 2007
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Borrowed my neighbor's wet vac. Much better than mop and towels.
    Anyone care to recommend a particular wet vac? It's about time I bought one.


  4. #4
    Ted Menelly's Avatar
    Ted Menelly Guest

    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Ah yes

    Basements.

    You dig a big hole in the ground and line the entire hole with concrete and then spend the next 3 or 4 generations trying to keep the water out.

    I just never did get the whole good idea thing about that.


  5. #5
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Menelly View Post
    Ah yes

    Basements.

    You dig a big hole in the ground and line the entire hole with concrete and then spend the next 3 or 4 generations trying to keep the water out.

    I just never did get the whole good idea thing about that.
    Concrete?! Try rocks.


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Spring City/Surrounding Philadelphia area
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Shop-Vac works for me John. And get a bigger size one. When you're sucking water off the floor and it just keeps coming, the canister fills up faster than you realize.

    Now that you've mentioned it, I should probably go check my 110 year old basement.


  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    New Mexico
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    I picked up a Rigid vac this summer. It works great so far. I haven't tried to pick up water with it. Not many basements here, and even less water.

    Jim Robinson
    New Mexico, USA

  8. #8
    Ted Menelly's Avatar
    Ted Menelly Guest

    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Robinson View Post
    I picked up a Rigid vac this summer. It works great so far. I haven't tried to pick up water with it. Not many basements here, and even less water.
    There ain't no water in New Mexico. Maybe thats why you haven't used it for water yet


  9. #9
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Quote Originally Posted by Nick Ostrowski View Post
    Shop-Vac works for me John. And get a bigger size one. When you're sucking water off the floor and it just keeps coming, the canister fills up faster than you realize.

    I have a Shop Vac and it is designed such that I can attach a hose to its discharge and use it as a pump, I think that between the head height it could pull and push it was plenty more than adequate to use to pump out a basement.

    Jerry Peck
    Construction/Litigation/Code Consultant - Retired
    www.AskCodeMan.com

  10. #10
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    Mar 2007
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    Fletcher, NC
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    John,

    This one ( 16-Gallon 5.75-Peak HP Pump Wet/Dry Vac ) states:

    "16 gallon pump vac can be used as a wet dry vac but also as a pump to remove water from flooded basements, swimming pools, or back yard ponds with 5-year warranty"

    Some stated 'will pump to a height of 50 feet'

    Jerry Peck
    Construction/Litigation/Code Consultant - Retired
    www.AskCodeMan.com

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Memphis TN.
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Or the " Green " Water Removal Models.
    .

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  12. #12
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    Mar 2007
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    Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Heh..heh..heh...
    Hanna came ashore at my front door and I'm dry...
    I miss my house in Pike county that was built in 1870 with laid up blue slate foundation. (NOT)

    I commiserate... been there .... done that... lots of wet tee shirts.

    two words...... sump pump.

    Critical Home Inspection Services
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  13. #13
    Kirk Hersee's Avatar
    Kirk Hersee Guest

    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Peck View Post
    John,

    This one ( 16-Gallon 5.75-Peak HP Pump Wet/Dry Vac ) states:

    "16 gallon pump vac can be used as a wet dry vac but also as a pump to remove water from flooded basements, swimming pools, or back yard ponds with 5-year warranty"

    Some stated 'will pump to a height of 50 feet'
    Just what I was looking for! Thanks Jerry. We get water in our basement here in Mass. It has to rain fairly heavily, though (at least a couple days of straight rain). Then it slowly comes in from the southwest side (ledge) and moves acrosss the length of the basement, never more than 1/4" or so deep and maybe 8' wide. When it gets really bad, It can come up in the center of my basement in front of my fireplace and behind the chimney and furnace. I was thinking about sinking a sump pump though so I wouldn't have to man the vac. I have been on water suck & dump a couple times for 10 hours.

    Question: This is the house my wife grew up in. Some years ago, before I moved here, the town put a neighborhood behind the house and cut through the side yard (the side my house leaks from) to lay drainage (I believe) or some sort of underground pipe. Could this have upset the area around my house enough to cause leaking? Would the town be liable/responsible in any way? The area that was dug up next to my house is about 8 - 10' away. Thanks, Kirk


  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Texas
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    745

    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kirk Hersee View Post
    Question: This is the house my wife grew up in. Some years ago, before I moved here, the town put a neighborhood behind the house and cut through the side yard (the side my house leaks from) to lay drainage (I believe) or some sort of underground pipe. Could this have upset the area around my house enough to cause leaking? Would the town be liable/responsible in any way? The area that was dug up next to my house is about 8 - 10' away. Thanks, Kirk
    It may have. Some installations of "pipe" call for encasement in gravel (strom drains) water or sewer will be sand. If it was storm drain it may be acting like a french dran and collecting the ground water and allowing it to seep into your basement.

    However most AHJ's are exempt from being held liable. Now the contactor or engineer is a different story. It is a civil matter and would be up to you to prove them in the wrong. Lot's of money (attorney, engineers etc) and still might lose!

    Hope everything works out for you!


  15. #15
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    Fletcher, NC
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    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kirk Hersee View Post
    Question: This is the house my wife grew up in. Some years ago, before I moved here, the town put a neighborhood behind the house and cut through the side yard (the side my house leaks from) to lay drainage (I believe) or some sort of underground pipe. Could this have upset the area around my house enough to cause leaking?
    Yep, could be.

    Would the town be liable/responsible in any way?
    The town? Possibly, but fighting them is usually a waste of your money, and, being a taxpayer, the taxpayers money (i.e., you pay twice).

    As Wayne said, the engineering firm and/or contractor who did the work, an easier target than the town, plus, they did the work, probably did the design too. Which would pretty much take the town off the hook.

    Would it be cheap to fight? Probably not.

    First thing you could do, and do it yourself, is to go to the town engineering department and ask to look over those drawings, those drawings are "public record", so you should have no problem getting to see them, you should have no problem even getting a copy of them (although expect to pay a dollar per page for the copies).

    Take the drawings home with you (if you decide to get copies) and look them over. Where does your property, is there an easement there, where does the project start? Did they work on your property? what soil did they remove (there should be soil samples stating what type of soil was found at what depth) and what type of soil did they replace it with? did the drainage grading originally drain away from your house and does it now drain toward your house?

    Many, many questions. No answers.

    Jerry Peck
    Construction/Litigation/Code Consultant - Retired
    www.AskCodeMan.com

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Chicago IL
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    2,048

    Default Re: Why don't I have a wet vac?

    Fein Turbo II
    or even better for draining, large size Festool vac
    Great vacs that take a beating

    www.aic-chicago.com
    773/844-4AIC
    "The Code is not a ceiling to reach but a floor to work up from"

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