Booster Pumps Key Terms

Understand booster pump terminology to make smarter business choices

The most common use of booster pumps is to increase water pressure at your home or business. It can also increase pressure for solar water heaters, circulate water for industrial equipment and increase the level of oxygen in rearing ponds and fish tanks. Depending on the purpose, booster pumps can transfer different types of media like acidic, abrasive, caustic or hazardous materials.

If you want to establish yourself as a booster pump supplier or buy a booster pump, you will need to know some common terms associated with it. This guide covers some of the common terminology.

Centrifugal pump

A centrifugal pump is a pumping device that works on the simple principle of centrifugal force. Centrifugal pumps are very popular in the industry by virtue of their wide range of applications. A booster pump is an example of a centrifugal pump.

Pressure head

The booster pump vessel contains atmospheric pressure inside it. Pressure head is the pump head that this atmospheric pressure generates.

GPM (Gallons Per Minute)

GPM is the measuring unit of the discharge flow of a booster pump. It is one of the most important criteria for choosing the right booster pump.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers detailed information on GPM.

RPM (Revolutions Per Minute)

RPM is a typical term related to electric and electronic rotating devices. RPM is a measure of rotational speed of a motor. It measures the revolutions that the spindle of a motor makes in one minute. The more revolutions per minute, the higher the power of the booster pump.
You can read through the definition of RPM at Convertworld.com.

Horsepower

The horsepower is a widely adopted measurement for the output of a booster pump. Originally, the unit of horsepower was lbs.ft./minute. However, most countries now use the SI unit watt for measurement of power. One horsepower equals 33,000 lbs.ft./minute or 745.699872 watts.
WebCars! offers detailed information on the concept of horsepower.

A.N.S.I. standards

A.N.S.I. (American National Standards Institute) sets standard specifications for services, processes and products including booster pumps. Industries throughout the USA recognize these standards.
You can read about A.N.S.I. and its standards for booster pumps at the American National Standards Institute.