Sludge Pumps: What Are They, And Which is Right For Me?
First off, what is Sludge?
If you’ve pressure washed a driveway with poor irrigation and are left with a muddy mess at low lying spots, you are familiar with light sludge. Sludge is any semi solid slurry, often consisting of oils, sediment, silt, mud, or other debris.
Sludge can range from thinner silty messes like these puddles, to the thicker mucky debris that is left at the bottom of sump pits of car washes or oil barrels.
A sludge pump is a tool used to move these heavy liquids, through various motor and suction systems. Ranging from expensive units with high horsepower motors to lightweight models practical for a range of mobile applications, choosing the right pump for you will be dependent on your use case.
What are Sludge Pumps used for?
Sludge pumps are great at sucking up and pumping out puddles of mud that accumulate in low-lying areas during pressure washing jobs with poor irrigation, like low spots in parking lots or the ends of driveways. The standing mud created from water and loosened sediment can quickly make a job site look unprofessional.
While a water broom (or even a shop broom) may suffice to push water into a drain or ground to be absorbed, we often find a sludge pump is necessary when manual force won't cut it.
Sludge pumps are also great for operators who use pressure washers to dig post holes or trenches. Since the resulting cavity is obstructed by mud, a sludge pump is the easiest solution to remove the residual slurry.
Other applications may include the removal of sludge in the sump pits of car washes, settling tanks, troughs, and wastewater treatment basins.
Sludge pumps are not just limited to heavier sewage; they can also relocate thinner liquids in a hurry. This makes them a great option to remove all sorts of liquids from pools, hot tubs, tanks, sewage drains, and more. If you have standing liquids you need to move, a sludge pump is the best tool for the job.
What is the best Sludge Pump for me?
For operators needing reliable performance in a lightweight and cost-effective package, the A+ sludge pump kit is the best option on the market.
This tool attaches to your pressure washer via quick connect, creating a venturi vacuum effect that can move up to 30 gallons of waste per minute. The reinforced 15’ hose means you will have plenty of length to relocate the liquid away from the source, so it won't seep back into the problem area. The angled design on the vacuum bell allows you to scrape and dislodge material, making it fantastic for chunky debris at the bottom of barrels or sediment tanks.
Unlike expensive dedicated sludge pump systems, the A+ Sludge Pump Kit is lightweight and easily portable, making it easy to keep with you on the job site. It's no slouch: it can remove mud from trenches on one job site, and empty a pond at the next.
Watch Nate show the A+ Surface Cleaner in action:
The PressureWasherSupply Takeaway:
Removing large volumes of liquid slurry doesn't require investing in expensive machines—The A+ Kit turns your pressure washer into a sludge-relocating beast. Call your local dealer and show sludge who’s boss.
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