A trash pump is the one that passes mud, leaves and small stones instead of choking on them, and it is hired by port diameter: 2, 3, 4 and 6 inch. A 2 inch portable runs about $60 to $110 a day, a 3 inch nearer $90 to $150, and a 6 inch diesel is a weekly hire with a delivery charge attached to it.
Port diameter sets flow and solids together
Pump size is quoted by the inlet and outlet diameter, and that single number fixes both the flow and the biggest solid that will pass. A 2 inch machine moves roughly 150 gallons a minute, a 3 inch around 300 and a 4 inch around 500. Undersize it and the water wins overnight; oversize it and the suction hose starves the pump.
Semi trash, full trash and diaphragm are three machines
A semi trash pump tolerates silt but not stones. A full trash pump swallows solids up to roughly an inch and clears itself. A diaphragm pump is the slow one that keeps working on a nearly dry sump without losing prime, which is what a trench bottom wants at the end of a shift. Tell the yard what the water is carrying.
Hose is a separate line and the suction side decides it
The pump seldom arrives with hose. Suction hose is rigid walled with a foot strainer and is charged by the length; discharge hose is cheap lay flat. Lift on the suction side is limited to somewhere near 25 feet in practice, so a pump parked high above the water will never prime, however long anyone pulls the cord.
Dewatering an open trench is a watched job
Water is not allowed to accumulate where people are working in an excavation, and the equipment holding it back is monitored by a competent person. In practice that means the pump runs the whole time the trench is open. Book fuel for the shift, a spare strainer, and a second machine where the ground feeds faster than one pump clears.
Questions people ask about trash pump rental
What size trash pump do I need for a flooded basement?
A 2 inch pump clears most domestic flooding, because the limit is usually the discharge route rather than the machine. Measure how far and how high the water has to travel, since every foot of lift costs flow. If the water is clean and shallow, a submersible is tidier and quieter.
Can a trash pump run dry?
No. A centrifugal pump uses the water it moves to cool and lubricate the seal, so a few minutes dry can end the seal and put the machine on the damage line of your ticket. Fit the strainer, keep it below the water and stop the engine when the sump empties.
Does the hire include the hoses and fittings?
Usually not. Suction hose, the strainer, camlock fittings and discharge lay flat are quoted per length and per item. Ask for the whole package price when you book, and confirm the fittings match, because a 3 inch pump with 2 inch hose is a slow afternoon.
Can I run one indoors?
Not a gas or diesel engine pump. The exhaust puts carbon monoxide into the space, and a basement is the worst place for it. Keep the engine outside with the suction hose running in, or hire an electric submersible instead.