Confused in Choosing the Right Trash Pump?

There are many different kinds of pumps for different applications, making the process of selecting the right trash pump confusing and overwhelming. The right pump should help ensure an easy and efficient job, while the wrong pump could mean a waste of resources and a lot of downtime. To save you from the trouble of choosing the wrong trash pump, take a look at the following factors to make sure that you can buy the right product that fits your needs:

• Repriming and priming capabilities – A trash pump may lose its prime due to several factors, like when water level drops in and causes the strainer and suction hose to be exposed to let air enter. This can cause the pump to stop pumping. Improper installation, tears, and holes may cause loss of prime, too, and if the trash pump cannot regain prime, the application can become unsafe and cause harm to you and to the equipment. Hence, consider a wet-priming or self-priming pump that has a unique pump casing, which will automatically prime and reprime, even without an auxiliary primer. 

• Explore the range of trash pumps - Wet prime trash pumps can handle around 29cfm of air. Some manufacturers design their equipment to be compatible with a compressor or vacuum pump to make it capable of handling additional air for quick priming and repriming.

• End-suction centrifugal pumps cannot handle air alone, so they rely on auxiliary priming equipment like a compressor or vacuum pump, or a hand-held device to maintain and achieve prime. Dry-pumping pumps use a web prime and a self-priming centrifugal trash pump, and they do not require water in the pump casing, making them ideal for use in applications where temperatures could cause water to freeze and make the volute break.

• Check the operating range – An excavation’s flow rate may vary, but the right trash pump should be able to handle maximum pumping capacity to reduce groundwater table and be able to operate well at reduced flow rates. That way, groundwater table is maintained at a reasonable sub-grade.

• Capability to handle trash – Different kinds of debris may mix into the water, including sticks, sand, and rocks. Hence, make sure the pump can let them pass without binding or causing damage. Moreover, make sure the pump has a high suction lift capacity.