Water Pumps Key Terms

Pump your vocabulary full of water pump key terms
By L. Newton Water pumps are used in a variety of industries for a variety of different reasons. However, all water pumps mainly serve the same purpose - to pump water. Knowing the proper water pump key terms will enhance your conversation with your water pump specialist. Key terms describe the parts, the styles, and the features of water pumps. Head pressure, pump capacity, and pump clearance all discuss the functions and use of water pumps. The terms sump pump, centrifugal, and kinetic all refer to the design and style of water pump.

Head pressure

Head pressure is a term that is most often heard when discussing the power of a water pump. In a water pump manual, head pressure technically means the vertical discharge pressure head. This is the height at which a pump no longer has enough pressure to move water. Pumps with higher head pressure are more powerful than those with lower head pressure.
Try:  Aquarium Pros discuss more about head pressure and water pumps.

Pump capacity

The pump capacity is the measure of the water flow from the pump per hour. It also describes how high the pump raises water.
Try:  Find out more about pump capacity from Creating Pond Water Features.

Pump clearance

The pump clearance refers to the height of the pump about the bottom of the well. Pump clearance is important in order to keep dirt, mud, and other ground particulars form the pump and out of the water.
Try:  Read about pump clearance from Inspect NY. You'll need to scroll past the diagram.

Sump pump

A sump pump is a water pump that uses a motor to spin a blade. They are inserted with a sump bucket that sits in the floor of a basement. When the water level reaches a certain height, the motor turns on. The motor then pushes the water out of the building through a hose.
Try:  Find a discussion of the sump pump from Wise Geek.

Centrifugal

A water pump with a centrifugal design has a rotating impeller. The impeller pulls the water into the pump.
Try:  Pumps in Stock discusses the centrifugal water pump design; scroll down to the different designs of pumps.

Water ram pumps

These pumps make use of a running stream water force and hydraulics to move water. They do not use any type of electricity to push water. These pumps have a simple design and have been used for many years. These pumps are most often used for farming water needs to irrigate crops.
Try:  View how a water ram pump works from How Stuff Works.