Hi Evans, I use the 'inlet hose over the side' trick and it works very well. The end of the hose needs to be weighted down a bit, and should have a strainer. For about $10 at Lowes I found a deep well pump inlet valve, sort of a cone shaped strainer. I removed the check valve mechanism and attached the strainer to the hose. Works great as both a strainer and a weight to hold the hose over the side.