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Concrete slurry and wet cutting vacuums
Four machines, all with a return pump, so nobody on your crew is lifting a full tank of slurry. Pick by what you are following.
The wet line
| Machine | Airflow | Tank | Discharge | Filtration | Where it fits | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLURRYPRO | 200 CFM | 32 gal | Return pump | Cartridge | Wet polishing and saw slurry, all day | $7,445 |
| SLURRYPROEDGE | 112 CFM | 20 gal | Return pump | Cartridge | Tight work and edges, same pump | $6,787 |
| SUMPVAC30 | 112 CFM | 30 gal | Return pump | Filter Bag | Standing water, pits and washdown | $5,832 |
| SUMPVAC20 | 112 CFM | 20 gal | Return pump | Filter Bag | Smaller footprint, same job | $5,471 |
Every one of these discharges under its own power. You run a line to a drum, a tote or wherever the site says slurry goes, and the machine empties itself while you keep going.
Water is the method, slurry is the leftover
For handheld power saws on concrete, Table 1 names water rather than a dust collector:
So on a saw the dust question is answered at the blade. The one dust collection option among the handheld saw entries is for cutting fiber-cement board outdoors with a blade of 8 inches or less. On concrete, it is water.
What Table 1 does not solve is the several gallons of alkaline concrete slurry now sitting on the floor, tracking onto finished work and heading for a drain it is not allowed to enter.
That is the job these machines do, and it is why a wet vacuum on a cutting crew is not a nicety. Walk-behind saws and wet polishers are the same story at larger volume.
Why a dry machine does not survive this
- Slurry climbs. It does not politely stay in the tank. A dry machine’s filter is directly in its path and it goes first.
- It is abrasive. Fine concrete solids in suspension are a cutting compound. They take hoses, seals and impellers with them.
- It sets. Left in a tank overnight, slurry starts doing the one thing concrete is good at. A machine designed to be pumped out and rinsed does not give it the chance.
- It is heavy. Thirty gallons of slurry is not a two-man lift, it is a spill waiting for a reason.
What you need besides the machine
- 2 in. wet package, 10 ft hose, $1,161, or the 2 in. wet package, 25 ft hose at $1,361. Wet tooling is not the same as dry tooling and the squeegee head is most of the reason.
- Stainless hose connector, 2 in., $44, worth having spare. Connectors are what fail first on a wet crew.
Before you order, check where the slurry goes
Concrete slurry is alkaline and most jurisdictions will not let it into a storm drain. A machine with a return pump makes it easy to put the slurry exactly where the site plan says, which only helps if somebody has asked that question first. On most jobs the general contractor already has an answer and nobody has passed it along.
Who this is not for
Dry grinding
Different machine entirely. If you are grinding or polishing dry, you want the dry line and the wheel size table.
A crew that does both and wants one machine
We would rather tell you now: it does not work on concrete. The tank, the filtration and the discharge are built around one job or the other. Crews doing both carry both.
Combustible or reactive material in the water
Wet collection on reactive metal is its own subject with its own rules, and these are not those machines. Talk to us before you assume either way.
Clean water recovery
If you are just moving clean water, this is more machine than you need and a pump from a rental yard will do it for the weekend.
Questions we get
What is the difference between the Slurry Pro and the Sump Vac?
The Slurry Pro line is built to follow a wet process, so it is sized for the airflow a saw or a wet polisher throws at it. The Sump Vac line is built to move standing water out of a pit or off a floor. Both carry a return pump, so neither one asks you to lift a full tank.
Can I use a dry vacuum on slurry if I pull the filter?
No. Slurry is abrasive and it does not stay in the tank, it climbs. A dry machine loses the filter first and then the motor, and neither is covered by treating it that way.
Does OSHA Table 1 cover wet cutting?
Yes. For handheld power saws on concrete, water is the method Table 1 names, a saw equipped with an integrated water delivery system that continuously feeds water to the blade. The only dust collection option among the handheld saw entries is for cutting fiber-cement board outdoors with a blade of 8 inches or less. That handles the dust. The slurry it leaves behind is a separate problem and that is what these machines are for.
Why does the return pump matter?
Because a 32 gallon tank of concrete slurry weighs more than anyone should be lifting, and tipping it is how slurry ends up where it should not be. The pump discharges to a drum, a tote or a legal drain while you keep working.
Where can I discharge the slurry?
That is a local question and it is worth asking before the job, not after. Concrete slurry is alkaline and most jurisdictions do not allow it into a storm drain. Your site plan or the general contractor should say where it goes.
How much airflow do I need for wet polishing?
More than people expect, because a wet polisher still throws a mist and fine solids. The Slurry Pro runs 200 CFM for that reason. The Edge and the Sump Vac units run 112 CFM, which is sized for water recovery rather than for following a tool all day.
Can one machine do both wet and dry?
Not well, and not on concrete. The filters, the tank and the discharge are built around different jobs. Crews that do both carry one of each, and that is the honest answer even though it is the more expensive one.
How long does delivery take?
Usually one to two weeks. These ship by freight and freight is calculated at checkout.
Tell us what you are cutting
Send us the saw or polisher you run, how much water it throws and where the slurry has to end up. We will tell you which machine keeps up and which one is more than you need.
Tell us what is on your floor