On 12 May 2005 06:48:12 -0700, "nortyler" wrote:

In the archive there seems to be varying opinion about the
effectiveness of the wet-vacs that also have a pump. The opinions go
from pure joy to so-so. I have a wet vac but was thinking about
upgrading or adapting my wet-vac to use while the pond is full. I
would like to use it to clean bi-monthly or perhaps more as I am not
using a skimmer. I also have another pond with no filtration that mucks
up quite a bit. I have just been doing annual drain and clean, but a
wet-vac solution sounds intriguing.

Do the pumps work any faster than gravity ?

How long can one of the pumping units work while pumping before
filling?

Any conversions of a
typical wet-vac to pond cleaner?

It would be nice to fertilize different parts of the garden with the
attached hose. Anyone got this system working well?

I have the ShopVac 16 gallong pumping vacuum from Lowes - $100. It
does fill faster than it can pump but the delay is not long. I can
attach a smaller diameter hose from another vacuum which slows the
vacuuming and allows for cleaning the bottom without worrying about
the fish getting sucked in. (When using the larger hose, I attach a
plastic mesh to the nozzle to save the fish).

The tank can be emptied without pumping by opening a plug - still
much easier than lifting the full tank to dump.

I would buy this again fwtw.