A real-world installation case study
If you're shopping for a water pump, there's a good chance you arrived here via Google, YouTube, social media, or even AI. Traditionally, pumps were bought through technical catalogues or trade counters, where “trade-quality” pumps were difficult to access or understand. You were handed a data sheet and a pump curve and expected to figure it out.
We wanted to change that.
At FloodandWaterPumps.co.uk, we were the first online pump retailer to provide hands-on product videos and real-world installation examples, making professional-grade pumps easier to understand and choose.
And unlike some online suppliers who may drop-ship boxes without ever touching a pump, we're part of the FPS Group® and Flood Protection Solutions Ltd, meaning we actually engineer, install, and operate systems in the real world. We don’t just sell pumps, we use them.
The property in question had a defended area behind a flood wall, constructed after flooding in 2007. When constructing a flood wall, it's essential to understand the drainage network beneath it. A CCTV drainage survey identified damage to the surface water system, so a new drainage layout was designed, discharging to a soakaway and, crucially, including a non-return valve to prevent river water entering during flood events.
However, when that non-return valve shuts during flooding, rainwater has nowhere to go. Any rain falling onto roofs or patios would instead collect inside the defended area, potentially leading to 'self-flooding'.
Non Return Valve:
To mitigate this, the consulting engineer designed a high-level overflow into a chamber fitted with a sump pump. When the drainage system closes during flood events, excess water automatically diverts into the chamber, where it is pumped from the ‘dry’ side of the flood wall, to the other ‘wet’ side.
For this, they selected the APP HD-15 Submersible Site Pump - High Flow Rate Water Pump, chosen for its high flow rate and dependable automatic operation. As the inflow rate is expected to be high during a flood situation, the pump used was capable of being a high flow rate. With less water expected, you should either use a less powerful pump, or larger chamber to avoid the pump turning off and on in quick succession, as this can lead to early failure.
In this situation, the chamber had been constructed prior to having a pump installed, or being utilised in the network as a high-level overflow, and thus the size was not altered.
APP HD-15: Key Features and Benefits
For applications requiring serious water-moving capability, the APP HD-15 is a standout solution:
This pump is built for reliability, longevity and serious performance, making it ideal for flood resilience schemes.
In this installation, the sump chamber and pump sit neatly underground, discreet, out of sight, and permanently ready.
For most domestic settings, a pump this powerful won’t always be required. However, this project serves as a benchmark example of what sump pump installation can look like in a flood-risk area.
Below is a video showing the sump pump chamber and how the high-level overflow works in practice.
Whether you're installing a simple cellar sump pump, designing a flood-resilient drainage system, or exploring options like the APP HD-15, we have a wide range of water pumps available, and hopefully the information had been presented in a way that allows easy online ordering.
Sewage pumps are used when gravity drainage is not viable. In most situations wastewater is designed and piped to flow downhill on its own, to the nearest manhole, which in turn flows downhill to the main sewer. However, if the...
Thanks to their effectiveness (and growing awareness), water pumps are becoming far more common in flood mitigation schemes.
For applications requiring serious water-moving capability, the APP HD-15 is a standout solution.
