Black & Decker Drill Pump

Why I reached for a drill-powered pump

I keep a small collection of utility pumps for odd jobs—moving water out of a kiddie pool, draining a stubborn water heater, clearing a shallow puddle in the basement. But sometimes I don’t want to drag out a corded submersible, or I’m working where there’s no outlet. That’s where a drill-powered pump sounds appealing: compact, light, and quick to deploy. With that in mind, I put this drill pump through a handful of real-world tasks to see where it shines and where it falls short.

Setup and first impressions

Out of the box, the pump is featherweight and very compact. It uses 3/4 in. garden-hose threads on both intake and discharge, so hooking up hoses is straightforward. I strongly recommend using fresh rubber washers and a couple wraps of PTFE tape on the hose barbs/adapters—air leaks at the threads are the fast track to frustration with any self-priming pump.

There’s no mounting foot or bracket, so I clamped the body to a scrap of plywood to keep it steady and protect the hoses from twisting as the drill torques up. A two-speed 20V drill (max ~2000 rpm) provided the muscle. The pump is rated for drill speeds up to 2800 rpm; in practice, best results came at moderate speed with the drill on its high gear—fast enough to move water, slow enough to avoid cavitation.

Two important notes before you start:
- Direction matters. Follow the flow arrow on the housing.
- Fill the pump body and the intake hose with water before asking it to self-prime. It’s “self-priming up to 8 ft,” but a dry start is a great way to waste time and battery.

Performance, measured

I ran three basic scenarios, timing and estimating flow with common garden hoses.

1) Bucket-to-bucket transfer (near-level, short hoses)
- Setup: 6 ft of 5/8 in. hose on both sides, level transfer from a 20-gallon bin.
- Results: I saw between 2.2 and 2.6 gallons per minute (132–156 GPH) depending on drill speed. That’s noticeably under the 225 GPH spec, but perfectly usable for small jobs. Priming took about 15 seconds after initially flooding the pump.

2) Lifting water ~6 ft from a shallow sump to the lawn
- Setup: ~10 ft suction hose, 25 ft discharge hose with ~6 ft vertical rise.
- Results: After priming the intake, the pump settled around 1.1–1.4 GPM (66–84 GPH). It would catch a bubble every so often and sputter briefly; adding a foot valve to the intake kept the line flooded and improved consistency. Trying a full 8 ft of suction lift was hit or miss—possible, but very fussy and slow.

3) Draining a hot tub
- Setup: 25 ft discharge hose, ~3 ft lift, clean water.
- Results: Average throughput around 2 GPM. Draining a few hundred gallons took a couple of hours and two battery swaps. The drill worked notably harder after 20–30 minutes; I paused to let it cool periodically.

Across all tests, keeping the hoses as short and straight as possible paid off. Garden hose is convenient but restrictive; friction losses chew up flow quickly.

How it behaves in the real world

• Priming: “Self-priming up to 8 ft” is optimistic in practical use. At 5–6 ft of lift, it can work with patience, a flooded intake, and tight connections. Above that, plan on a foot valve and extra time.
• Flow vs. speed: Spinning the drill at maximum speed doesn’t always help. I got steadier flow with slightly slower RPMs, which reduced cavitation and kept the pump from chattering.
• Drill load: The pump will run your drill, not the other way around. Expect noticeable torque on startup and steady load when pushing head pressure. Cordless drills handle it, but this isn’t a job for a tired battery. Brushless motors fare better.
• Liquids: It’s for clean, non-corrosive fluids. I tried slightly silty water and immediately heard the impeller complain; flow dropped and the pump got louder. If your water has grit, use a pre-filter on the intake.

Build quality and durability

The thermoplastic body keeps weight down and cost in check. Threads are clean and the impeller is well-centered on my sample. That said, plastic garden-hose threads won’t tolerate over-tightening; hand-tight plus a good washer is all you get. If you frequently connect and disconnect hoses, consider quick-connects to save the threads.

There’s no provision to mount it permanently or protect the intake from debris. I’d like to see even a simple strap slot or rubber feet. After several sessions—about four hours total runtime—the housing showed minor scuffing but no leaks. Long-term durability will depend as much on the drill as the pump; run it too fast, let it cavitate, or suck in grit and you’ll shorten its life quickly. The 90‑day warranty is on the short side for something that’s inherently fussy to use.

What I liked

• Compact and genuinely lightweight. It lives in a drawer until duty calls.
• Standard garden-hose compatibility makes setup easy with stuff most people already have.
• Respectable performance for short transfers and low lifts, especially with a decent drill.
• It can get you out of a pinch where power is unavailable or cords are impractical.

What frustrated me

• Finicky priming beyond a few feet of suction lift. It can do it, but it demands airtight connections, a flooded intake, and patience.
• Flow falls quickly with common real-world constraints (long hoses, small diameter, vertical lift).
• No mounting features; you have to improvise a stable base every time.
• Plastic hose threads are easy to cross-thread or over-tighten.
• The drill does the heavy lifting. This isn’t a “set and forget” pump—you’re babysitting speed, hose kinks, and battery life.

Tips for better results

• Keep hoses short, straight, and as large in diameter as possible. Avoid narrow or kinked lines.
• Flood the pump and intake hose before you start. Use a foot valve or a simple inline check valve to hold prime.
• Start the drill at moderate speed and ramp up. If you hear chattering, slow down to reduce cavitation.
• Clamp the pump to a board to prevent twisting and to keep the hoses from loosening.
• Use clean water. If there’s any chance of debris, add a mesh pre-filter on the intake.
• Don’t exceed the rated drill speed, and give both pump and drill cooldown breaks on longer jobs.

Where it makes sense—and where it doesn’t

If you need to move 5–50 gallons occasionally—emptying a dehumidifier barrel, transferring water from a rain barrel, cycling out part of an aquarium, or nudging a hot tub toward empty before the last bit is bailed—this drill pump is serviceable. It’s especially appealing for quick, one-off tasks when running an extension cord is a pain.

If you’re facing frequent heavy transfers, long lifts, or dirty water, a small submersible utility pump is the better tool every time. You’ll get more flow with less fuss, and you won’t tie up your drill or burn through batteries.

The bottom line

As a compact, drill-driven option, this pump does what it’s designed to do—light, occasional water transfers with minimal setup—provided you treat the specs as best-case and give it the support it needs (tight connections, short hoses, a decent drill, and patience). It’s not a powerhouse, and it’s not a great match for high lifts or marginal conditions. The convenience is real; so are the limitations.

Recommendation: I wouldn’t recommend this pump as a general-purpose solution for most homeowners. The finicky priming, modest real-world flow, and hands-on operation make it a compromise. If you already own a capable drill and only need to move small amounts of clean water occasionally, it can be a handy stopgap. Otherwise, put the money toward a dedicated utility pump—you’ll get faster, more reliable results with less hassle.