Garden stream sump to clean out - yuk!

greatgimpo

Does anybody have any experience of cleaning out a circulating ornamental garden stream sump? The stream is situated underneath trees so it’s full of years of leaf mould, slime, acorns and beech masts and no doubt a few pebbles have found their way down too. The sump with the circulating pump is about 6 feet deep, 2 feet wide. If I buy a Clarke style pump, can I just poke a hose down and suck the lot up (into what?) and then flush with clean water? I suppose I will need to separate the slime from the water somehow. Any recommendations without busting my credit card? Thanks in anticipation.

MisterP123

Siphon as much water out as possible and then shovel the rest out?

Possibly even use the existing pump and divert the outlet hose to drain it?

There's far more disgusting things I'd rather not be trying to empty tbh.

greatgimpo

There's no way I can manoeuvre a shovel in a 6ft hole only 2ft across to get very wet slime out, but thank you anyway!

getmore4less

There may be wild life in there as well.

unless you have a lower point you won't be siphoning anything.

probably the easiest way to lift out the "stuff" is with a post hole digger.
(designed to lift muck from small holes)

once the bulk is out and any big stuff like stones that could damage a pump then flushing and pumping to clean the rest.

the existing pump may do enough if you connect a different hose to it so it does not have such a big head to work.

.............
once clean cover with a mesh to stop stuff getting into the hole and clean fairly regularly.

or line with a removable bag.



The stuff that comes out I would put in/on the compost.