Vacuums and shop vacs · Which one do I need
Shop vacs for water cleanup: capacity, pump-out and drain
Picking up water is the easy part. How heavy is a full tank, how many will it take, and how does the water get out?
Quick picks who each one fits
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Shop-Vac Pump Vac 12 gal (5871205)
Built-in pump and tank drain, 12 gal*
- Gallons: 12.0 gal*
- Built-in water pump: Yes*
- Tank drain: Yes*
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DEWALT 12 gal wet/dry vac (DXV12P)
Tank drain and 20 ft* cord on a 12 gal* drum
- Gallons: 12.0 gal*
- Tank drain: Yes*
- Hose: 7.0 ft*
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Vacmaster Professional Beast 12 gal wet/dry vac (VJH1211PF 0205)
12 gal, drain to confirm
- Gallons: 12.0 gal
- Weight: 20.4 lb
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Shop-Vac Ultra Quiet 12 gal wet/dry vac (5430098)
Longest cord here: 25 ft*
- Gallons: 12.0 gal*
- Hose: 7.0 ft*
- Hose diameter: 2.50 in*
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DEWALT 6 gal wet/dry vac (DXV06P)
6 gal*: smallest tank here, for lift-and-pour
- Gallons: 6.0 gal*
- Hose: 7.0 ft*
- Hose diameter: 1-7/8*
Figures are as stated in each product's current Amazon listing; * from the maker's own spec page (see Sources). Yes or No: whether the listing or maker names the feature.
On this page
What we compared and why
- How the water leaves the tank. A built-in pump sends it through a garden hose, a drain lets it run out low down, and otherwise you lift the drum and pour. This is the question a tank-size comparison skips.
- Tank size in gallons. A larger tank means fewer stops and a much heavier drum. Water weighs about 8.34 lb per gallon, before the vac itself.
- How much water you actually have. A little depth over a big floor adds up to many tanks. Do the arithmetic below before picking a size.
- Hose and cord reach. A basement outlet may be some way from the wet area. Hose width matters too: wider hoses are common on the larger drums, and we show the figure where it is stated.
The models compared
| Model | Gallons | Built-in water pump | Tank drain | Hose | Hose diameter | Cord | Weight | Amazon link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shop-Vac Pump Vac 12 gal (5871205) | 12.0 gal* | Yes* | Yes* | 8.0 ft* | 2.50 in* | 12 ft* | 25.0 lb | See on Amazon |
| DEWALT 12 gal wet/dry vac (DXV12P) | 12.0 gal* | Not stated in listing | Yes* | 7.0 ft* | 1-7/8 or 2-1/2 (page gives both)* | 20 ft* | 23.1 lb | See on Amazon |
| Vacmaster Professional Beast 12 gal wet/dry vac (VJH1211PF 0205) | 12.0 gal | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | 20.4 lb | See on Amazon |
| Shop-Vac Ultra Quiet 12 gal wet/dry vac (5430098) | 12.0 gal* | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | 7.0 ft* | 2.50 in* | 25 ft* | 25.9 lb | See on Amazon |
| DEWALT 6 gal wet/dry vac (DXV06P) | 6.0 gal* | Not stated in listing | Not stated in listing | 7.0 ft* | 1-7/8* | 10 ft* | 14.8 lb | See on Amazon |
Read at this page's build and converted to one unit by us; sources as in the key above. "Not stated in listing": the listing does not give it. "Listing gives two values": it states two, so we show neither.
Shop-Vac Pump Vac 12 gal (5871205)
Who it fits: Large amounts of water where you cannot lift or easily pour the drum; Shop-Vac states a built-in water pump that sends liquid out through a standard garden hose (not included).
Skip it if: You need the pump's flow figure before you buy; Shop-Vac's page does not give one.
DEWALT 12 gal wet/dry vac (DXV12P)
Who it fits: Water you can let run out at floor level or into a floor drain; DEWALT states a large built-in tank drain and a 20 ft cord.
Skip it if: You need to send water up and out of a basement; a drain empties downward, and no pump is named.
Vacmaster Professional Beast 12 gal wet/dry vac (VJH1211PF 0205)
Who it fits: A 12-gallon drum if you confirm the drain on the box; its listing gives gallons and peak HP but no drain or pump statement.
Skip it if: You want the water-out method settled first; only a sibling model's page states a drain port, and we do not borrow that here.
Shop-Vac Ultra Quiet 12 gal wet/dry vac (5430098)
Who it fits: Mixed wet and dry work with the longest cord in this table, 25 ft per Shop-Vac, if you are prepared to lift and pour or find a drain on your unit.
Skip it if: Water is your main job and you cannot lift the full drum; Shop-Vac's page names no pump or drain for this model.
DEWALT 6 gal wet/dry vac (DXV06P)
Who it fits: Small leaks and spills where a drum you can pick up and pour into a sink is the whole plan; half the water per tank, about 50 lb of water when full.
Skip it if: You have standing water across a floor; at 6 gal it takes twice as many tanks as the others here.
The short answer
For a spill, any wet/dry vac works, and a small drum you can pour into a sink is fine. For water across a floor, choose by how you will empty the tank before you choose by size. A full 12-gallon tank holds about 100 lb of water, so "lift it and pour it" stops being a plan. This page is research-based, from makers' pages and current listings; we have not used these vacs. For choosing a size for general use, see what size shop vac do you need and shop vacs for home use.
How heavy is a full tank?
Water weighs about 8.34 lb per US gallon (USGS). The table counts the water at the full rating; add the vac itself, which the listings put in the mid-teens to mid-twenties of pounds on these models.
| Tank rating | Water if filled to the rating (our sum) |
|---|---|
| 6 gal | About 50 lb |
| 12 gal | About 100 lb |
Treat the rating as a ceiling. Many wet/dry vacs stop picking up before the tank is brim-full, so what you carry each trip can be less than the label. Check your own model's manual for how it stops.
How many tanks will a wet floor take?
One inch of water over 100 square feet is 8.33 cubic feet, and a cubic foot is about 7.48 US gallons, so that is about 62 gallons. Scale it to your floor: double the area or depth and you double the gallons.
| Water on the floor | Gallons (our sum) | 6 gal tanks | 12 gal tanks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 in. over 100 sq ft | About 16 | 3 | 2 |
| 1 in. over 100 sq ft | About 62 | 11 | 6 |
| 1 in. over 400 sq ft | About 249 | 42 | 21 |
Tanks are rounded up. At the bottom of this table a vac is a slow way through the job: 21 emptyings, even at 100 lb a time. If the numbers look like that, a vac may be the tool for the last of the water, after whatever a pump or a professional service removes first. We do not advise on which you need.
Pump, drain or lift
| Water-out method | What it needs | Which row here states it |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in pump | A garden hose run to where the water can go. Shop-Vac says the hose is not included | Shop-Vac 5871205 |
| Tank drain | Somewhere lower than the drum: a floor drain, a sloped floor, or a bucket | Shop-Vac 5871205, DEWALT DXV12P |
| Add-on pump | A tank with a drain, plus an accessory | See below |
| Lift and pour | Being able to lift the full drum. A 6-gallon tank is about 50 lb of water | Any of them |
A drain only runs downward. A drain on a basement floor helps only if there is a floor drain or a lower place nearby. To send water up and out through a window, you need a pump.
The pump flow is not published. Shop-Vac's page for the 5871205 gives no gallons-per-minute figure. For a comparison point, Vacmaster sells a separate water pump accessory, the PE401, stating 10 gallons per minute or up to 40 feet high, for "most shop vacuum tanks with a drain". At that rate, 12 gallons would take a little over a minute. We have not confirmed that it fits every model here; check the drain against the accessory page.
One page gives two values, and a sibling
DEWALT's page for the DXV12P lists the hose as 2-1/2 in. in its features and 1-7/8 in. in its includes list. The table shows both. If a nozzle or a hose accessory depends on the size, measure it or check the box.
The Vacmaster row is listing-only on purpose. Vacmaster's page for the VJH1211PF 1101 states a large drain port, a 7 ft by 2-1/2 in. hose and a 20 ft cord, but the listing here is the 0205 version. It is likely similar, but we would rather leave the cell blank than borrow a figure. Confirm it before you rely on it.
Choosing
- Small leaks, a few gallons at a time: the DEWALT DXV06P, poured into a sink.
- Water on a floor, with a floor drain nearby: the DEWALT DXV12P or the Shop-Vac 5871205, both stating a tank drain.
- Water that has to go up or out, or a drum you cannot lift: the Shop-Vac 5871205, the one model here stating a built-in pump.
- Mostly dry and occasional water: consider shop vacs for home use instead; this page puts the water-out question first.
Before you plug anything in near water
Wet pickup instructions differ by model, including which filter to fit and how the machine is connected to power. Read the maker's manual for your vac first, and follow it. If water has reached outlets, wiring or appliances, or may include sewage, that is a question for an electrician or a restoration service before it is a question about a vac. This page does not advise on electrical hazards in a wet area, or on when a space can be entered.
Reading the table
Figures with a mark come from the maker's page for that model, linked under Sources. Other cells come from the current listing, and "Not stated in listing" means the listing does not name it; a pump or drain may still exist, so check the box. Sums and the tank counts are ours.
What this page does not tell you
We have not used these vacs, and we do not rank them. We do not measure suction, pump speed or how long a job takes.
Sources
- Shop-Vac 12 Gallon 5.0 PHP Pump Vac 5871205 product page (shopvac.com)
- Shop-Vac Ultra Quiet 12 Gallon 5430098 product page (shopvac.com)
- DEWALT 12 gal wet/dry vacuum DXV12P product page (dewalt.com)
- DEWALT 6 gal wet/dry vacuum DXV06P product page (dewalt.com)
- Vacmaster 12 gal VJH1211PF 1101 product page, a sibling model (us.cleva.com)
- Vacmaster PE401 water pump accessory page (us.cleva.com)
- USGS Water Science School: 8.34 lb per gallon (usgs.gov)
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B: volume conversion factors (nist.gov)