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Surface Water Pumps

Surface water is rainwater that collects on the ground because it cannot drain or soak away fast enough. In heavy or sudden downpours it causes flash flooding: water pooling on lawns, yards, driveways, car parks and around the base of bu...

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From £47.40£39.50 (Exc VAT)
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18 products
Simaco★ 5.0

EGO 500 SE LS Automatic Puddle Pump | Adjustable Electronic Sensors

  • The fully automatic EGO 500, draws water down to 1mm without manual intervention
  • Adjustable electronic sensors replace the mechanical float
  • Set start level anywhere from 125mm down to 15mm
  • Set stop level down to 3-5mm with run-on for 1mm pumping
  • Supplied with non-return valve
£309.00 £257.50 (Exc VAT)
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EVAK★ 4.88

EVAK Residox 400 Manual Puddle Pump | 213 L/min

  • Ultra-low-level manual puddle pump, removes water to approximately 1 mm
  • 250 l/min flow, 11 m head, suited to domestic and light commercial flooding
  • Stainless steel build, cast iron housing, Hytrel impeller
  • Surface-safe rubberised base for finished floors
  • 110V or 230V, no priming required
£459.00 £382.50 (Exc VAT)
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Simaco★ 5.0

EGO 500 GI Puddle Pump | 9mm Solids, Manual & Automatic

  • The original EGO 500 with 9mm solids handling for debris-laden water
  • Dual manual or automatic operation via float switch
  • Auto mode starts at 130mm, stops at 70mm
  • Manual mode pumps down to 10mm
  • 230v 3 Pin Domestic Plug
£215.00 £179.17 (Exc VAT)
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Simaco

EGO 500 GI LS Puddle Pump | Low-Level to 1mm, Manual & Auto

  • Pumps down to just 1mm in manual mode for clean-water low-level-suction applications
  • Dual manual or automatic operation via mechanical float switch
  • Auto mode starts at 130mm, stops at 70mm
  • Flat-base low-suction body restricts inlet to 1mm (clean water only)
  • More affordable than the SE LS where electronic sensors aren't needed
£235.00 £195.83 (Exc VAT)
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EVAK

EVAK Residox 750 Manual Puddle Pump | 330 L/min

  • Highest Flow Rate of Puddle Pump Range
  • 330 l/min flow, 16 m head, built for larger floods and uphill discharge
  • Stainless steel build, cast iron housing, Hytrel impeller
  • 2 mm free passage and surface-safe base
  • 110V or 230V, no priming required
£579.00 £482.50 (Exc VAT)
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EVAK

EVAK Residox 750 Automatic Puddle Pump | 330 L/min

  • High-flow automatic puddle pump with integrated automatic sensor
  • Detects water at 3 mm (±1 mm) above the floor
  • Adjustable delays prevent rapid on/off cycling, protecting the motor
  • Plugs straight into 230V mains, no control panel required
  • Larger areas, deeper sumps, longer runs, uphill discharge
£699.00 £582.50 (Exc VAT)
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EVAK

EVAK Residox 400 Automatic Puddle Pump | 213 L/min

  • Automatic puddle pump with integrated floor-level sensor
  • Detects water at 3 mm (±1 mm) above the floor
  • Adjustable delays prevent rapid on/off cycling, protecting the motor
  • Plugs straight into 230V mains, no control panel required
  • Full Residox 400 build, 250 l/min, 11 m head
£599.00 £499.17 (Exc VAT)
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Flooding and flash floods

Clear standing rainwater, fast.

Surface water, not surface mounted

"Surface water" here means rainwater flooding, the water that sits on the surface of the ground after heavy rain. It does not mean a surface mounted pump. Surface pumps are installed out of the water, with pipes running to and from them, the opposite of submersible pumps, which sit in the water they are moving. If you are looking for a dry-mounted transfer, booster or jet pump, see surface pumps. If you need to clear rainwater or flash flooding, you are in the right place.

Because surface water flooding arrives fast, the right tool is usually a submersible pump that sits in the water and moves large volumes. To clear the last shallow water down to floor level, use a puddle pump. For larger volumes or a permanent installation, see our submersible pumps. To combine pumping with barriers and property flood protection, see flood control.

Surface water is often muddy rather than clean. If you are pumping visibly dirty, silty or debris laden water, see our dirty water pumps.

What counts as surface water?

Surface water is water sitting on the ground that has nowhere to go. It is different from ground water, which rises up from below, and from foul water, which comes from drains and toilets. Typical surface water situations include:

  • Rain pooling on lawns, patios, yards and driveways
  • Flash flooding across car parks, paths and low-lying ground
  • Water building up against the outside of a house or outbuilding
  • Standing water on sites, fields and access roads after heavy rain
  • Run-off collecting in a low spot that will not drain away

Flash flooding, and why it keeps happening

Flash floods happen when rain falls faster than the ground or drains can take it away. The water rises in minutes, not hours, so the value of a surface water pump is how quickly it can move a large volume and how little it leaves behind. A submersible pump that sits directly in the water and needs no priming is the fastest to deploy.

Surface water is now the fastest-growing flood risk in the country. The Environment Agency's 2024 National Flood Risk Assessment put 4.6 million properties at risk of flooding, a 43% rise, with three times as many properties at high risk from surface water as from rivers and the sea combined. Our founder, a civil engineer, appeared as the flood risk expert on BBC Rip Off Britain explaining surface water flooding and why people should understand their risk. For a recent example and a practical preparation guide, see flash flooding in London and Richmond.

From a quick response to permanent drainage

Surface water pumps work at different levels, from a fast portable fix to a permanent installed system. The right one depends on how much control, capacity and unattended protection you need.

Quick response: a manual puddle pump. The fastest answer is a manual puddle pump: drop it in and it clears shallow standing water straight away, down close to floor level. The trade-off is that a manual pump has to be watched, because it keeps running and can overheat once the water has gone.

Unattended: an automatic pump. An automatic version does the same job without anyone present, which matters for overnight or repeat flooding, but you give up some control. A float switch decides when it runs, and because the float needs a useful depth of water to lift, it usually cannot pump as low as a manual pump. The EVAK Residox Automatic (400 and 750, 230V) closes that gap with a floor-level sensor that switches on by itself and clears far closer to the floor than a float can reach, see how to pump water away automatically at floor level.

Installed: a submersible pump in a sump or chamber. For larger volumes or a fixed setup, you may have, or install, a sump or chamber and sit a submersible pump in it permanently at the low point. For the biggest volumes over large areas, see our high flow pumps. Surface water is often muddy, so if it carries silt or grit, choose a dirty water pump.

Permanent: a pumped drainage system. At the top end, a surface water pump can be part of a full pumped surface water drainage system, a packaged pump station that collects surface water and pumps it away automatically. More on that below.

Pumped surface water drainage

Pumped surface water drainage is the permanent end of that scale. Where a low spot floods again and again, a sealed chamber can collect surface water and pump it away automatically to a drain, ditch or soakaway. This is the route to take where the ground is lower than the sewer or discharge point, so gravity drainage cannot work.

For permanent installations this collection includes the FPS Iguazu Sump 635, an automatic packaged pump station. For the full range and larger chambers, see our packaged pump stations. Two real examples show how this works in practice: installing a sump pump for surface water flooding and a riverside property in Shropshire.

We supply the pump and the packaged station. The design of a pumped drainage scheme, including discharge consents and flow calculations, is a separate engineering job; for that, see our Engineering Review service.

Further reading

Common questions

Frequently asked questions.

What is a surface water pump?

A pump used to remove rainwater that has collected on the ground and cannot drain away, the cause of surface water flooding and flash floods. It is usually a submersible pump that sits in the water and moves it to a drain, soakaway or lower ground.

What is the difference between surface water and ground water?

Surface water sits on top of the ground after rain. Ground water rises up from below through the soil. Surface water flooding is sudden and weather-driven; ground water is slower and seasonal. Both can be cleared with a submersible pump, but surface water flooding usually needs faster deployment and higher flow.

What pump do I need for surface water flooding?

For shallow standing water, a puddle pump clears down close to floor level. For larger volumes or fast-rising water, a high flow submersible pump moves more, faster. For repeat flooding, an automatic pump starts itself as the water rises.

Is surface water clean or dirty?

Surface water is usually muddy, as it washes silt and grit off the ground. If the water is visibly dirty or carries debris, choose a dirty water pump built to pass solids.

Can I leave a surface water pump running unattended?

Only an automatic pump should be left unattended. It uses a float switch or sensor to start and stop with the water level. For flooding at floor level, the EVAK Residox Automatic uses a floor-level sensor that activates without anyone present and clears water lower than a float switch can reach. Manual pumps must be supervised.

How quickly can a pump clear surface water?

It depends on the pump's flow rate and the volume of water. A high flow pump can move several hundred litres a minute. Use the flow rate on each product, or the Pump Finder, to match a pump to your area.

Can surface water be pumped away permanently?

Yes. Where surface water cannot drain by gravity, because the ground is lower than the sewer or discharge point, it can be collected in a chamber and pumped away automatically. This is pumped surface water drainage, and it uses a packaged pump station such as the FPS Iguazu Sump 635. See our packaged pump stations.