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Self Priming Pumps Issues
Self Priming Pumps Issues
Selection of the suction line size is also important. It needs to be
large enough to support the desired flow, and small enough to keep
priming times to a minimum. It is best to avoid long suction lines,
but if there is no choice, keeping part of it full during priming cycles
will help
Reversed Impeller Rotation:
Clogged Suction:
Excessive Clearances:
Vortexing: This is more common with pumps in suction lift
conditions, like a self-priming pump, or a vertical turbine. Make
sure you’re meeting minimum submergence requirements to
prevent vortexing.
Even a self priming pump has to be primed initially
2. The required lift is too high.
At sea level in a perfect world, you can theoretically lift 65-degree water 34 feet
with a self-primer. I normally caution users to limit their suction lift to a
maximum of 25 feet due to factors such as fluid temperature (think vapor
pressure), specific gravity, friction, system leakage, pump inefficiencies and
elevation above sea level.
Some system designers will add foot valves to mitigate the prime time and
strainers to preclude the introduction of solids into the pump. A foot valve is in
essence a check valve placed at the beginning (bottom) of the suction line. My
experience is that foot valves add undesired friction and will leak or fail closed
(or partially closed) at some point. I typically do not recommend foot valves for
use on commercial and industrial self-primer applications. For similar reasons I
do not recommend suction strainers. If the pump cannot handle solids and a
strainer is utilized, monitor the differential pressure across the strainer. Most
industrial self-priming pumps are of robust design and can handle passing
solids, but check with the manufacturer. Note: A few applications may perform
better with a foot valve.
4. There is a leak in the suction line.
I frequently need to point out to end users that the suction line on a self-primer
pump in operation is at less than atmospheric pressure and so there will not be a
leak of the liquid out of the suction line. There can, however, be a leak of air
into the line. It is possible to have a suction line at 20 inches of Hg (vacuum)
when the pump is operating. As a tip for field problem solving, I frequently use
plastic wrap around the flanges or suspected areas to test for ingress leaks.
Simply as a general guideline, if your pump takes more than four minutes to
prime than you should shut the pump down and look for and correct the cause of
the problem.
The added friction loss from using the same size pipe is just another reason to
eliminate the foot valve and suction strainer mentioned earlier.
The suction pipe should rise continuously to the pump and not higher. In the
field, I frequently see suction pipes with high points before the pump suction
usually due to obstructions. These high points become a place for the air and
other non-condensable gases to collect and will bind the pump suction line.
Never install piping that is smaller than the pump suction in any pump.