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10CommonSelfPrimingPumpIssues
byJimElsey(SummitPump,Inc.)
Mostexpertsagreethatthemajorityofcentrifugalpumpproblemsoccuronthesuctionsideofthepump.Basedsolelyonmyexperience,
Iwouldstatethepercentageisatleast80percent,andinthecaseofselfprimingpumpsIamsurethepercentageishigher.
Istartedalistofselfprimerpumpfieldissuesmanyyearsagoandnotedthatalmostallofthembreakdownto10fundamentalareas.

1.Evenaselfprimerpumphastobeprimedinitially.
Evenaselfprimingpumphastobeprimedpriortothefirstoperation.Nomatterthemanufacturer,thereisaprimingchamber(integralor
external)orsomeportionofthevolutethatwillrequirefillingpriortostartup.Pleasereadthemanualand/orcontactthemanufacturerfor
details.Thereareothermethodstoprimeapump,whichincludeancillarypumps,vacuum,vacuumejectorsand/oreductors.Thisarticle
onlyaddressesliquidselfprimingcentrifugalpumps.
Sometimesthepumpwillrequiremanualreprimingaftertheinitialprime.Therecanbeseveralreasonsforrepriming,oneofthemost
commonisevaporationofthefluid,andotherreasonsincludeleakage,pumpmovementandothermaintenancerelatedmatters.

2.Therequiredliftistoohigh.
Atsealevelinaperfectworld,youcantheoreticallylift65degreewater34feetwithaselfprimer.Inormallycautionuserstolimittheir
suctionlifttoamaximumof25feetduetofactorssuchasfluidtemperature(thinkvaporpressure),specificgravity,friction,system
leakage,pumpinefficienciesandelevationabovesealevel.

3.Thepumpistoofarfromtheliquidsource.
Placethepumpascloseaspossibletothesuctionsource.Usually25to30feetisthemaximumrecommendeddistance.Prudentsystem
designdictatesthatthesuctionpipelengthbeheldtoaminimumtopromotelongpumplife.Everysectionofsuctionpipingequatestoa
volumeofairthatmustberemovedwhenthepumpstarts.Bestpracticessaytoreduceprimingtimetoaminimum.
Somesystemdesignerswilladdfootvalvestomitigatetheprimetimeandstrainerstoprecludetheintroductionofsolidsintothepump.A
footvalveisinessenceacheckvalveplacedatthebeginning(bottom)ofthesuctionline.Myexperienceisthatfootvalvesadd
undesiredfrictionandwillleakorfailclosed(orpartiallyclosed)atsomepoint.Itypicallydonotrecommendfootvalvesforuseon
commercialandindustrialselfprimerapplications.ForsimilarreasonsIdonotrecommendsuctionstrainers.Ifthepumpcannothandle
solidsandastrainerisutilized,monitorthedifferentialpressureacrossthestrainer.Mostindustrialselfprimingpumpsareofrobust
designandcanhandlepassingsolids,butcheckwiththemanufacturer.Note:Afewapplicationsmayperformbetterwithafootvalve.

4.Thereisaleakinthesuctionline.
Ifrequentlyneedtopointouttoendusersthatthesuctionlineonaselfprimerpumpinoperationisatlessthanatmosphericpressure
andsotherewillnotbealeakoftheliquidoutofthesuctionline.Therecan,however,bealeakofairintotheline.Itispossibletohavea
suctionlineat20inchesofHg(vacuum)whenthepumpisoperating.Asatipforfieldproblemsolving,Ifrequentlyuseplasticwrap
aroundtheflangesorsuspectedareastotestforingressleaks.
Simplyasageneralguideline,ifyourpumptakesmorethanfourminutestoprimethanyoushouldshutthepumpdownandlookforand
correctthecauseoftheproblem.

5.Thereisnoairvent.
Theairinthesuctionsideofthesystembeingdisplacedbytheliquidhastohavesomewheretogo,otherwisethepumpwillairbind.
Centrifugalpumpsarenotcompressors.Waterisapproximately840timesdenserthanair.Asanexampleifapumpwasratedata
dischargepressureof210psigpumpingwater,thepumpcouldtheoreticallycompressairtoapproximatelyonequarterofapound(0.25
psig)(210psigdividedby840isequalto0.25).Ifthepumpdischargevalveand/orthedischargecheckvalveareshut,thegenerated
pressureof0.25psigwillnotbeabletoovercomethevalves.
WithintheconfinesofthearticleIwillsimplystatethattheairmustbeventedtoanareaoflowerpressureforthepumptoproperlyprime.
Therearemanyacceptablemethodstoaccomplishtheprocess,pleasecontactyourpumpmanufacturerortheauthor.

6.Considerthepipesizeandpumpgeometry.

Mostexperiencedpumpusersknowthatasageneralruleyoushouldalwaysdesignthesuctionlinetobeonesizelargerthanthepump
suction.Selfprimingpumpsareanexception,andthesuctionpipingshouldbethesamesizeasthepumpsuction.Theinfractionofthe
rulesisencouragedbecauseoftheaddedairvolumethatbiggersuctionlinesrequire.Moreairmeansmoreprimingtime.
Theaddedfrictionlossfromusingthesamesizepipeisjustanotherreasontoeliminatethefootvalveandsuctionstrainermentioned
earlier.
Thesuctionpipeshouldrisecontinuouslytothepumpandnothigher.Inthefield,Ifrequentlyseesuctionpipeswithhighpointsbefore
thepumpsuctionusuallyduetoobstructions.Thesehighpointsbecomeaplacefortheairandothernoncondensablegasestocollect
andwillbindthepumpsuctionline.Neverinstallpipingthatissmallerthanthepumpsuctioninanypump.

7.WatchthesubmergenceandNPSHA.
Icoverednetpositivesuctionheadavailable(NPSHA)inlastmonth'sarticle.IstronglyrecommendcalculatingtheNPSHAforself
primers,asitisagreatmethodtoidentifypotentialproblemareas.Forexample,ifthefluidis160degreesF,thevaporpressureofthe
fluidalonewilllikelyprecludeyoufromthisapplication.Forexample,waterat160Fhasavaporpressurethatequatestoanegative11
feet.
Thesumpyouaredrawingfromwilllikelyhaveoperatinglevelsthatareconstantlychanging.Atsomevalueofminimumsubmergenceit
willbepossibleforthesystemtocreateavortexandairbindthepump.Icoveredsubmergenceinthelastarticle,butsimplydefined,itis
theminimumdistancefromthetopofthefluidtothecenterofthesuctionlinethatwillpreventavortexfrominitiation.Evenifyoudonot
completelyairbind,thepumpperformancecanbeaffected.

8.Avoidfreezedamage.
Thisproblemoccursmoreofteninareasthathaveinfrequentfreezingweather,butcanhappenanywherethetemperaturewilldropbelow
freezingforanhourormore.Thefluidintheprimingchamberofthepump,usuallywater,willsolidifyiftheambienttemperaturedrops
belowfreezingforasufficientperiodoftime.Whenwaterfreezesitexpandsandthecasingwillcrack.Thecasingwillrequire
replacementatahighcost.Eitherdrainthefluidoutofthepumporsupplyaheatsourcewhentheambienttemperatureispredictedtobe
belowfreezing.

9.Avoidreverserotation.
UnlikeanANSIpump,theimpellerwillstayinplaceonmostselfprimersforaperiodoftime(unlessitisanANSIselfprimer.Eventually
theimpellermaycomelooseanddamagethepump.Thebackwardrunningimpellergenerallywillcreateabout50percentoftherated
flowand,dependingontheimpellerspecificspeed(NS),willgenerateabout50percentoftheratedhead.Reducedefficiencyofthe
wrongrotationwilllikelypreventitfromprimingoroperatingcorrectlybutinthesimplestofsuctionliftcases.

10.Flexpipenormallyhasareducedinternaldiameter(ID).
Noncollapsibleflexpipingiscommonlyusedonportableunits.NormallytheIDofflexpipeandadaptorsaresmallerthanstandardpipe.
Thinkofthedimensionsastubingratherthanpipe.DeterminationofthepipefrictionfortheNPSHacalculationswillbeincorrectifthe
reducedIDisneglected.
AvoidolderorincorrectlyappliedflexpipesbecausesometimesthepipeIDlinerwillcollapseundersuction(vacuum)andblocktheline.

Conclusion
Thepumpperformancemustbederatedforhigherelevationchanges(lessabsolutepressurelessNPSHa).Ifthepumpisenginedriven
inlieuofanelectricmotor,theresultingintermittenttorqueintroduceslimitationstotheshaftdesigncapabilities.
AbouttheAuthor
JimElseyisamechanicalengineerwhohasfocusedonrotatingequipmentdesignandapplicationsforthemilitaryandseverallarge
originalequipmentmanufacturersfor43yearsinmostindustrialmarketsaroundtheworld.HeisthegeneralmanagerforSummitPump,
Inc.,andtheprincipalofMaDDogPumpConsultantsLLC.Elseymaybereachedatjim@summitpump.com.

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