Written by Terry Smith
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UK’s best petrol water pumps – quality 4 stroke engines only
This article was last updated on April 23rd, 2022 at 5:36 am
Anyone with a large pond or body of water will tell you about the importance of having a petrol water pump to drain and clean (especially when hire prices are going stupid these days), but as we know some can draw water deeper than others, and then you’ve got flow rates, self priming, and so on – that’s what we are going to look at today. The main two types of water pumps; submersible pumps which can be placed under the water, and surface water pumps, which can’t. These pumps all have variations of power use and can run off the mains electric, battery, and petrol and that’s what we are concerned with here today – the best petrol water pumps:
Petrol water pumps are the most powerful you can buy, easily out performing electric models, so it’s not surprising that they are so popular. If you have a large swimming pool or you intend to pump water out of a waterlogged or flooded area, a petrol water pump or submersible pump is the way to go. If you have a nice little pond and want to drain it for cleaning then you’ll need a smaller submersible pump and a pond vacuum.
This page is a guide to the best petrol water pumps and if you need more information please check my petrol water pump buyers guide.
Best petrol water pumps – editor picks
Best petrol pump: 2 inch Petrol Water Pump – 5.5HP 4 Stroke Engine
Alternative pick: Briggs & Stratton Elite WP2-35
Most powerful: Evo-System Water Pump – has the most powerful flow rate so arguably a real bargain and worthy choice
Budget pick: Parker Brand 2 inch Petrol Water Pump – 5.5HP 4 Stroke Engine
Petrol water pump buyers guide
On the surface a water pump looks pretty simple – a small engine connected to a water pump that simply spins and pulls water. However if you’re new to this and don’t know exactly what you need it can be tricky – don’t worry though I’ll have you understanding what you need in no time with this short buyers guide: there are different size bores, engine powers, some can lift as little as 7m from the head while others 100ft! Then there’s vertical suction! Some need priming and some don’t. Let’s take a look at what all that means:
Max lift from head
Essentially this is how deep the water can be drawn from and then deposited. In the case of the Briggs & Stratton for example, their unit can lift vertically 8m and then deposit the water a further 25m above the height of the unit. Their diagram clears this up a little:
Vertical suction
Aptly the image above also shows you vertical lift. This is how deep the engine can pull from. In this case 8m which is going to be ideal for anyone with a large pond. This is the unit I’ve used to drain an 80m long and 20m wide body of water that was 4m deep. The walls were slanted so all in all it took at 6 days to drain that huge mass of water – realistically I should have picked bigger but proof in the pudding it was up to the challenge.
Self Priming
Some pumps are self priming. This means you drop in your pipe with a filter on the end and it’ll do the rest, others, are an added pain and need the pipe filling up with water first, so it will pull through. This is ok I guess, but for frequent use it can become tiresome. If you’re plan is daily work I would be looking for self priming, no question about that. I got soaked with my Briggs and Stratton.
Bore size
Petrol water pumps that can be lifted by hand generally range 1 to 3 inches. The bigger the bore doesn’t always mean the higher the flow rate, but it is overall a pretty good indication. The Evo-System Water Pump does 1k litres with a 3 inch bore, you can normally expect over 400litres a minute with a 2 inch bore like the ParkerBrand 2 inch Petrol Water Pump or the Briggs
So what is the best petrol water pump in the UK? Well, all things considered I would probably go with the Briggs & Stratton ELITE WP2-35 before but since Parker Brand have essentially made the same spec (2 inch Petrol Water Pump – 5.5HP 4 Stroke Engine) I would favour them and they are now my top pick. Of course, we understand that price can play a big part in what we deem the most suitable for ourselves, so we have included reviews of a couple of cheaper models for you to compare and make up your own mind.
2. 2 inch Petrol Water Pump - 5.5HP 4 Stroke Engine
It took Parker Brand a fair old while to get into the petrol water pump market. I have to say, they haven’t disappointed for the money on this one. It’s the same size and power as the Briggs smallest petrol water pump and works every bit as good. With the cost being considerably less it’s pretty sensible to be looking at this unit, especially if you don’t intend to use it all that often. They aren’t the best quality but far from the worst – somewhere in the middle. Some of their tools are really quite good.
You’ll be able to drain flooded basements, large ponds, even semi commercial duck ponds with this unit. The flow rate isn’t specified but I would say it’s around 400 litres a minute at full tilt.
It’s got a 7m vertical draw and 30m head lift so really not that far off the Briggs – they do have a 3 inch version of this too if you’re looking for more powerful. That delivers over 1k litres a minute so right up there with the Evo-System.
A nice bonus on this unit is the connections are all included – just get yourself a rigid two inch flexible hose and you’re good to go. By rigid I mean the type I used with metal spiral encased to hold the tube open.
The only improvement I’d ask for is a little bit more checking on QC – a few duds over hundreds of sales but always looked after with the customer services so not too much of a problem.
1. Briggs & Stratton ELITE WP2-35 Petrol Water Pump
As we just mentioned, this was our choice for best petrol powered water pump but I feel for lesser use the cheaper Parker is better. Don’t get me wrong, I have this unit personally 0 I just wouldn’t recommend it unless you are a frequent user. What I will say is that when it comes to water pressure and water flow rate, the two main features you should be concerned with when it comes water pumps, the Briggs & Stratton ELITE WP2-35 Petrol Water Pump delivers.
Briggs & Stratton ELITE WP2-35 Petrol Water Pump: Huge petrol pump power, great quality, anti-vibration, and runs quieter than competitors
The 435 litres per minute flow rate is produced by the surprisingly quiet engine thanks to Briggs & Stratton’s ‘Lo-tone’ technology. As you can see, it’s in a different league to the submersible pumps that can only produce a fraction of that.
The durability of the Elite WP2-35 is also a thing to be proud of literally, and the iron sleeved 127cc OHV engine will keep ticking well into the future if properly maintained. I used mine for 6 days continuously to drain a large body of water and the thing never missed a beat. The only bore was keep filling it up with petrol.
Even if you forget to top up the oil, you will still find it hard to accidentally damage this petrol water pump, as the automatic shutdown feature will kick-in when oil levels become too low. A very nice feature, so easy to forget sometimes or turn it on its side and allow the oil to drain by accident and not something that comes standard with all water pumps. Talking of which, you’ll need to buy 600ml of SAE30 4-stroke oil as this unit does not come with that.
All in all, the Briggs & Stratton is probably the best petrol water pump out there unless you want to part ways with a fair bit more cash on a top level Honda pump but for less work you could get by with the Parker.
Briggs & Stratton ELITE WP2-35 Petrol Water Pump Review |
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Best Briggs & Stratton ELITE WP2-35 Petrol Water Pump Features |
What needs work on the Briggs & Stratton ELITE WP2-35 Petrol Water Pump |
| 435 litres per minute water flow rate | Would be better if it was a little lighter |
| Automatic low oil shutdown feature prevents damage | |
| Runs quieter than a lot of its competitors | |
| Double bearings, steel frame, and iron sleeved engine make this a durable machine | |
| 8 metre vertical suction lift | |
| Anti-vibration | |
| One year guarantee | |
Could they improve the Briggs & Stratton ELITE WP2-35 Petrol Water Pump?
What this petrol water pump gives in performance and quietness, it takes back a bit in weight. I’d instantly recommend this pump if you are either strong enough to get it lifted and moved or have a hand – it isn’t self priming though – worth considering. I suppose it’s a small price to pay for quality and really there are no considerable faults with this petrol water pump, it’s just a case of do you want more flow rate then go with the Evo petrol water pump.
3. WASPPER PC107 Petrol Water Pump
The Waspper PC107 is a little cheaper than the Briggs & Stratton Elite WP2-35 and might be a viable alternative for people who are looking for something that is easy to move around.
WASPPER PC107 Petrol Water Pump: super light weight petrol water pump, high revving for extra power, four stroke, with anti rush and corrosion features.
The aluminium pump that Waspper have given the PC107 makes it much lighter than the Elite WP2-35. In fact, it is less than a third of the weight of its rival, and has a large handle that makes it very portable.
A 4 stroke, 9000 rpm, OHV engine provides the power needed to produce a maximum water flow of 7500 litres per hour and an 8.5 metre vertical water suction.
Like a lot of petrol water pumps these days, this model has been fitted with rubber feet to reduce vibration when it’s on the go. I just wish that the makers of this model had thought about reducing the decibels a little too as it does run louder than the Briggs & Statton WP2-35.
WASPPER PC107 Petrol Water Pump Review |
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Best WASPPER PC107 Petrol Water Pump Features |
What needs work on the WASPPER PC107 Petrol Water Pump |
| Lightweight and portable | Could do with being a little quieter |
| Aluminium construction | |
| Rust and corrosion resistant | |
| 4 stroke 9000 rpm motor | |
| Anti-vibration rubber feet | |
| 1 inch inlet and outlet | |
| One year guarantee | |
Could they improve the WASPPER PC107 Petrol Water Pump?
The only common complaint I get with the WASPPER PC107 Petrol Water Pump is the noise. There’s not really a lot that can be done about this though. You want light weight so that means making a smaller, higher revving engine to get the power output. Invariably there are sacrifices to be made. As an overall package though, and certainly for someone looking for serious power to weight ratio, this is a great pick.
4. Evolution Power Tools Evo-System Water Pump
This is one of the cheapest, therefore most popular petrol water pumps available in the UK, but that only tells one part of the story as you still need to buy the engine. It is in direct competition with the largest Briggs and I have to say it’s impressive.
However you have to bear in mind that this is sold as the pump only and if you factor the price of the engine into it, it actually works out as one of the more pricey petrol water pumps.
For the extra cash though, you get a high water flow rate of 1000 litres per minute, a vertical suction lift that matches both of our other reviewed products, and a design that makes it expandable with other components from the same manufacturer – one little draw back is it’s not self priming so a little work to do filling your hose up.
Like the Waspper PC107, it has been given an aluminium engine casing to reduce the overall weight to around 10kg, and also to prevent corrosion and rusting.
The inlet and outlet ports are 75mm in diameter and the Evo-system water pump comes with an inlet filter to keep debris from entering it. If you purchase this model in the UK, you get a 2 year guarantee.
Best Evolution Power Tools Evo-System Water Pump Review |
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Best Evolution Power Tools Evo-System Water Pump Features |
What needs work on the Evolution Power Tools Evo-System Water Pump |
| High water flow rate of 1000 litres per minute | Engine must be bought separately, increasing the price |
| Lightweight | Known failures but promptly looked after by customer services |
| Rust and corrosion resistant | |
| Comes with inlet feature | |
| Good vertical suction lift | |
| Extendable system | |
| One year guarantee | |
Petrol Water Pumps for Sale
There’s a good selection of petrol water pumps for sale in the UK, each with their own pros and cons, so it’s a good idea to do your research on petrol water pumps in order to be able to make the most informed decision. We have a detailed and informative page dedicated to all types of water pumps that you can visit and broaden your knowledge on this subject.
Petrol Water Pumps UK
The UK market is awash with water pumps of all types and sizes. There are electric water pumps, solar powered water pumps, and of course petrol powered water pumps. These come with various design features, such as being lightweight, rust resistant, and having high powered engines.
There are petrol water pumps to suit most people’s budgets, from cheap water pumps, to high end, pricier models. With all these options it can be hard to know what’s best for you. We have tried to offer some assistance with this on this site with our articles on all kinds of water pumps.
Petrol Driven Water Pumps
As we have already mentioned, petrol powered water pumps are the most powerful, but are they the right type for you? If you only require a less powered pump, say for a small garden pond, then an electric water pump will probably do the trick and will almost certainly be cheaper than a petrol driven water pump.
However, for bigger ponds, larger water features, or for things like flood relief, the performance that a petrol model gives you can’t be beat.
