by James Williams
A water pump is a necessity for every household. The job of a water pump is to move water from point A to point B in a compact system.
Whether to fill in your swimming pool, or to water your farm, garden, or even to pull clean water for household chores - it all comes down to a water pump.
But when deciding to buy a new water pump, a lot of people get confused as to what things they should consider. If that is the case for you, you are in the right place. This piece of writing will help you understand the basics of water pumps and give you the right notion of what to take into account.
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You cannot just go to a store and buy a random pump. What water pump you are going to pick depends on what you intend to use it for. Now there are varieties in the types of pumps available, and each of the types caters to a certain need.
The question is, what your need is? Do you need a pump for household supplies, or your garden, or even your big farm? The answer will decide on your choice. Let's take a look at the most popular kinds of water pumps used all around.
As the name suggests, these pumps are meant to be submerged in water and do its job of pumping the water out. Only the power supply cable and discharge pipe will be visible on the ground.
Most of the models of such pumps are able to lift greywater. These pumps are mostly used to drain out water from a flooded basement, septic tank, deep wells, and borewells, etc. The motors of submersible pumps are concealed inside, so they don't get affected by the water.
If you are looking for a pump to lift water from a place more than seven meters deep, then the submersible pump is your fit.
But before buying, check the maximum depth of the pump and ensure if it's able to reach your intended depth. One of the advantages of submersible pumps is that they don't need priming as they are placed underwater. Some models are designed narrowly in diameters so you can dig it even into deep boreholes.
If you are looking for a pump to lift water from a not-so-deep area, you should opt for a surface pump. Generally, these pumps are designed to pump water from up to seven-meter depth. And as the name implies, the pumps are placed over the surface. They generate on the solid ground and pull the water using a suction hose.
With these pumps, you can pump water from rainwater collection tanks, or even a river. The pumped water can be used for various purposes such as toilets, household necessities, or to water your garden.
This type of pumps is used to advance the pressure of the water flow. So, if you are facing an issue of low water pressure, you need to buy a pressure booster pump right away.
In most cases, low water pressure is caused by an inefficient distribution of water. For a solution, you will need to install this pump where the water pressure occurs low. A pressure tank will be connected to the unit to boost pressure over all the pipes and increase efficiency.
These pumps are compatible with the residential complexes. If you are using a surface or submersible pump already, you can install a booster system on them to augment their pressure.
Are you in need of a solution for rainwater or wastewater collection because you reside away from the drainage system? Worry not because there is another type of pump to address such problems.
You can purchase a lifting station to work that out. Most people use these stations because their homes are away or below the sewage network level. Lifting stations can be installed underground, and they comprise a storage tank and multiple dirty water pumps.
If you are looking for suitable pumps to draw a lot of water for an extended period, you better go for an engine-driven pump. An engine-driven pump has a combustion engine, which is stronger than that of other types of pumps. It operates either on diesel or petrol.
The motors are designed to be used for long. They can take heavy loads, so if you have a lot of water, to cover, you can definitely buy such a pump. Engine-driven pumps are widely used by large farms.
Well, there are more things to consider before buying a water pump. The different characteristics or features of different pumps will work along to serve your needs. It's your job to know if those features will meet your requirements. Read along to learn about these important factors -
The discharge rate of a water pump indicates the amount of water it can pump or draw per hour or minute. This is an important factor to consider on the ground of what you want to accomplish with the pump. And this rate gives you an idea of the pump's power requirement.
For instance, if you are using the pump to draw water out of a rain barrel, maybe somewhere between 200-500 gallons of power level per hour will suffice. A machine of such a power level will easily complete the job within a short period.
But say, you are in need to pump out a flooded basement. Will the same machine be enough? The answer is, no, it will take days. For a heavy task like that, you will require a high-power pump that has a discharge rate of around 1000 to 2000 gallons per hour.
Suction depth refers to the water level that a pump is able to operate in. When a pump sucks out the water from a container, the water level lowers down. When the water reaches a certain level that's below the suction system, it doesn't cover the entrance anymore.
As a result, air from around the area starts to flow in and disrupt the operation of the pump.
So, you need to know the suction depth of a pump before buying it. If you want to empty a container to its fullest, you have to buy a pump with the best reach ability. The more suction depth, the better the efficiency.
After you pump out water from somewhere, it needs to be flowed from your pump to your desired place by a hose. You can use different types and sizes of hoses for different applications.
Many pumps have multiple options for hose connections. However, you cannot guarantee that the hose you want to use will be connectable to any pump.
So, if you already have a hose that you intend to use, make sure the pump you buy can fit that to itself. Because, how far and how fast you'll be able to draw the water will depend on the hose size as well.
The discharge head level decides how higher your pump can deliver the water. For instance, if you are pumping water from a rain barrel to another container at the same level, the needed discharge head will be minimal.
On the other hand, if you're looking to pull water from a deep well, you have to ensure that the discharge head matches its length. So, if your intention is to use your pump to cover lengthy heights, you should choose a pump with a high discharge head.
What type of water are you willing to pump? This is an important issue to be addressed. Because each kind of water pump is made to handle specific types of water. If you use the pump for a wrong type of water, you will risk it to be damaged.
Water quality can be judged in three types based on the size and quantity of particles it contains. Water with particles smaller than 5mm is considered to be clean water, whereas grey and black water contain particles that size up to 20mm and 25 mm.
The design of a water pump and the materials it is made of play a vital role in deciding which pump to buy. If your pump is to be used outdoor, it has to sustain against bad weather, temperature, and other elements. You can check about the pump housing, engine casing, shaft, impeller, and their fittings.
Also, some pumps have a self-priming function. You can consider that before buying, according to your needs.
The bigger the size of the inlet of your pump, the better and faster it will be able to do its job. And the size of the inlet will influence the speed and amount of water flow. Most pumps have inlet sized within 1 to 6 inches, but it can be even more.
When you have a lot of options in hand, you often ponder over which one to pick. But the choice becomes easy when you know the right factors that you should pay attention to.
And when you know what your requirements are and how much the pumps can deliver to meet those, you don't need to think a lot to decide. After learning about all the things about pumps, you are now good to buy your one. So, what are you waiting for?
About James Williams
Hi, This is James from HomerDIY. I have great experience in writing about everything related to Pump and DIY tools. For the last few years, I am researching the different types of tools and sharing my opinion on this blog.
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