Many Hands Make Light Work: A Construction Blog

Many problems arise when working on construction sites, and often these are unforeseeable events that you have to adapt to on the fly. However, most problems on construction sites can be prevented with a bit of planning beforehand. One of the most common issues on big or small construction sites is the issue of water. Whether that water is from the ground or a byproduct of heavy rains, it can cause chaos with your timetable, and you should try and do everything you can to fix it quickly. Enter the dewatering pumps. 

What Are Dewatering Pumps?

Dewatering pumps are a relatively simple invention. For hundreds of years, humans have used pumps to get rid of water in annoying places, from ships to dams. Even in the 21st century, people still haven't completely eliminated the problem of unwanted water especially on construction sites. Dewatering pumps have exceptional vacuum strength that can empty water out of your foundations in no time at all. This water can be stored in tanks for future use or simply disposed of nearby. Depending on how large your construction site is, you may need more than one dewatering pump but that is easy to calculate with a dewatering contractor.

What Fuel Do They Use?

Dewatering pumps can be powered by two main sources: diesel or electricity. If you are intending on powering a dewatering pump with electricity, then you will need to organise a generator or other source of electricity on site. Diesel dewatering pumps can be quite small and are useful in residential constructions where the water buildup is not as large. Both forms of pumps perform equally admirably, and there is not much difference in cost. Generally, it is up to what the nearest contractor to you offers, as the differences apart from fuel source are minimal.

Wellpoint Dewatering System

If where you want to build is quite close to the water table, then your foundations could be constantly flooding. This amount of water can easily overwhelm a single dewatering pump, which is why the wellpoint dewatering system was invented. This system employs the use of multiple wellpoints (points where the water is vacuumed up) around the construction site and can run continuously with no downtime. Eventually, this will stop the water table from flooding your foundations, and you will have a much smoother construction process. A wellpoint dewatering system requires quite a bit of expertise, and you will likely need to hire out experts along with the machine that you need to ensure it runs smoothly and is placed properly.