ourpump.com blog

The water pump is a simple devices, water pump is the heart of the cooling system and continuously keeps the antifreeze/water mixture flowing through the engine, radiator and heater core.

The water pump which is connected to the fan in your car is installed on the front of the engine. In any case, it runs off a drive belt connected to the crank pulley, so there is something wrong with water pump, check the following ones:

l        Identify the belt and check it for proper tension and cracks.

1) Tighten the belts by adjusting either the alternator or the idler pulley if it is too loose.  

2) Inspect the front of the water pump for leaks of coolant, which is green, or engine oil.

3) Grab the fan and wobble it. If there is play from front to back in the fan, the water pump bearing may be going out.

As is known to all, there is a shaft on which the fan mounts. It drives an impeller, which is inside the coolant passages of the engine. There is an oil passage to the bearing which lubricates it. When the bearing goes bad, the coolant will leak out through the worn out bearing and will drip down the front of the engine. In some cases the impeller will slip on the shaft and the water pump will no longer pump. When this happens the engine will overheat, overheating can be caused by many things but don’t rule out the water pump. In this case the fins may be too worn and not allowing enough circulation throughout the system to keep it cool or the water pump is just leaking past the seal and you have lost too much coolant.

Almost every failed water pump will be the result of a bad bearing. You can hear the bearing squeal when the engine is running, usually. If the belt is tight it is probably a bearing. Listen around to determine that it is not an alternator, power steering pump, or AC bearing that has gone bad. If you see anything leaking out of the water pump housing, it will have to be changed.

Water pumps don’t break as often as they used to, but keeping an eye on your coolant level and changing the antifreeze at the proper intervals will help you eliminate problems to the minimum. A broken water pump will quickly leave you stranded and may cause severe damage to the engine if you try to drive too far without the flow of coolant created by the pump. As always if you are worried about the water pump take it to a reputable garage where they can at least pressure test the coolant system and see if there is weakness in system anywhere.

Work on restoring an historic water pump near the remains of a canal in Cardiff is due to start within weeks.

Historic monuments body Cadw and Cardiff Council have agreed to fund the project involving Melingriffith water pump and wheel in Whitchurch.

The 200-year-old pump stands on what is left of a tinplate works and near the Glamorgan canal, which brought iron and coal from the valleys to Cardiff docks.

The pump supplied water to the canal but has been disused for 67 years.

The £100,000 restoration project has been delayed, after bats were found roosting at the site, off Ty Mawr Road.

A bat expert will be on site to make sure the pipistrelle bats, a protected species, have all moved to their winter roosts.

Excited

The pump was first restored in the 1980s in an award-winning £300,000 project by industrial archaeologists and the Inland Waterways Association, but it needs work again.

The Friends of Melingriffith Water Pump are supporting the latest restoration, which is expected to start in February with the dismantling of the pump.

Much of the work is to take place in workshops throughout the rest of winter and spring, including refurbishment of the timber and treatment of the metalwork.

After this, the restored pump will be reassembled in the summer.

Stephanie Wilkins, chair of Friends of Melingriffith Water Pump, said they were excited about the project starting.

The group hopes to hold an event at the site.

“The structure and site is of importance to local people and those with special engineering and historical interests,” she said.

“As a group we will be working hard to make this project an ongoing success and urge people to get involved in safeguarding this unique structure for future generations.”

The Glamorgan canal once ran 25 miles from Merthyr to Cardiff’s docklands. The tinplate works is thought to have originated from the middle of the 18th Century.

Councillor Nigel Howells, executive member for sport leisure and culture, said: “This pump is not only a landmark for the area but an important symbol and reminder of this region’s industrial past.”

Heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones, who has responsibility for Cadw, said: “I am pleased that this collaboration with the City and Council of Cardiff will be giving people the opportunity to see the pump as it was and to provide information about its purpose and role in the tin plate works and the area as a whole.”

Propeller pumps are used for low lift, high flow rate conditions. They come in two types, axial flow and mixed flow. The difference between the two is the type of impeller. The axial flow pump uses an impeller that looks like a common boat motor screw and is essentially a very low head pump. A single-stage propeller pump typically will lift water no more than 20 feet. By adding another stage, heads from 30 to 40 feet are obtainable. The mixed-flow pump uses either semi-open or closed impellers similar to turbine pumps.

In permanent installations, propeller pumps are mounted vertically as shown in Figure 9. For portable pumping platforms, they are mounted on trailers or they are mounted on pontoons for use as floating intakes. Portable propeller pumps are commonly mounted in almost horizontal positions (low angles) to allow them to pump into pipelines easily as well as to be backed into a water source. Portable propeller pumps are commonly powered by the power-take-off (PTO) on tractors. On many farms, propeller pumps are used to pump out waste storage lagoons.

Power requirements of the propeller pump increase directly with the TDH so adequate power must be provided to drive the pump at maximum lift. Propeller pumps are not suitable under conditions where it is necessary to throttle the discharge to reduce the flow rate. It is important to accurately determine the maximum TDH against which this type of pump will operate.

Propeller pumps are not suitable for suction lift. The impeller must be submerged and the pump operated at the proper submergence depth. The depth of submergence will vary according to various manufacturers recommendations, but generally, the greater the diameter of pump, the deeper the submergence. Following recommended submergence depths will ensure that the flow rate is not reduced due to vortices. Also, failure to observe required submergence depth may cause severe mechanical vibrations and rapid deterioration of the propeller blades.

With most of the things guides aiming for a “Do-It-Yourself” style, a lot of people prefer building things themselves, which can be used whenever required. One such example is the water wheel pump. Water wheel pumps can be used for several purposes such as grinding grain, saw wood and most importantly, pumping water.

Nowadays, it is possible to build one’s own water wheel pump with the help of some common materials such as:

* Corrugated sheet
* Flat pins
* Wooden skewer
* Scissors/box cutters
* Ruler, compass and string
* Small-sized bucket

After all of these materials have been procured, one can start with the process of building their own water wheel pump. This water wheel pump can also act as a pond filter and aerator, if desired. A water wheel pump makes use of the current of a river by pumping the water to greater heights than the height of the pump itself. The only requirement for the water wheel pump to function is to have a steady surface flow of water. However, they can do without any steep descents and waterfalls. Enough number of precautions must be taken while installing the water pump so that it can adjust its functioning to the changing current of the river.

To make the paddles of the water wheel pump, one can use the corrugated sheet, which is generally cut into 1.5-inch segments. With the help of a protractor, one can easily make two circles on the cardboard. By marking the center of the circle, one can get the position of the axle that will connect the two half-circles of the water wheel. The two halves of the water wheel can be used to make paddles of the wheel. These paddles need to be equidistant from each other at an approximate interval of 40 degrees apart. Enough precautions should be taken so that the paddle of the wheel should lie centrally on the wheel.

By making use of pins or any other gluing substance, these paddles can be attached to the water wheel pump. To test the efficiency of this water wheel pump, one can place the water wheel pump in the kitchen sink. As soon as water runs from the tap onto the wheel, it will make the wheel of the
pump spin. This is a simple step, which can help to determine whether the water wheel pump is working efficiently or not. After testing the efficiency of the water wheel pump, it can be put to use by attaching it to a small bucket with the axle.

Punching holes into an egg carton from the top, so that the string can be encircled through it, can function as a handle for the water wheel pump. The larger piece of the string can be attached to the axle, which will help us to determine the actual strength of the bucket, which can be used to
lift water using the water wheel pump. So, go ahead and experience the pleasure of using a water wheel pump that you’ve made yourself!

Wastage of water is a curse in rural India. Much of the scarcity has

been because of wrong usage, although drought and unseasonal rainfalls too have a major impact.
Now, technology may be coming to tackle this manmade crisis. Micro Technologies (India), an IT-based security solutions developer based in Navi Mumbai, has come up with a solution that claims to help farmers reduce water wastage significantly.

The company has launched a device Micro Jai-Kisan that will help farmers remotely manage the motor pumps by using a phone. Developed on the basis of GSM technology, the farmer can turn the pump on or off and also know the status of the pump by a phone call from a GSM, STD phone, or even by sending an SMS, says P Sekhar, chairman and managing director of Micro Technologies.

Farmers usually have to make multiple trips to their farms to check if there is adequate electricity to turn on the pump to water their crops. According to estimates, about 87 per cent of utilisable water is used for agriculture in India compared to the world average of 69 per cent. The flood or flow irrigation method in the country results in more than 50 per cent of water wastage. Moreover, an estimated 213 billion cubic metre out of 690 billion cubic metre of surface water is wasted each month in India.

Water leakage, pilferage and wastage amounts to half of the total flow. Industry estimates value of water and wastewater market in India at Rs 4,700 crore. Nearly 20 per cent of the farmers are dependent on electric pumps for irrigation.

Around 25 per cent of total Gram Panchayats of any state of India have pump-based drinking or irrigation water supply facilities. This device will help them in reducing water leakage, pilferage and wastage, Sekhar explains.

The manufacturers have used a very simple technology to develop the system. “When we started developing the solution, we kept in mind that the end user is a farmer who might be illiterate. So if we are developing a solution for him, it should be simple and easy to use,” says chief information officer of the company, Nisha Menon.

The company has developed two models — one functions on the basis of SMS and the other on the basis of both SMS and phone call. At present, the products are undergoing pilot tests in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar.

A water pump is an important part of the engine cooling system. It provides circulation of the engine coolant (antifreeze) through the cooling system (see the top picture).
A water pump pushes the coolant through the passages (water jackets) in the engine cylinder block and cylinder head and then out into the radiator. This helps to keep the engine from overheating; the hot coolant passes through the radiator where it cools down and then returns back to the engine.

A water pump is usually driven by the engine through the drive belt. Sometimes it’s driven by a timing belt. A water pump consists of the housing with the shaft rotating on the bearing pressed inside.
At the outer side there is a pulley mounted on the shaft. At the inner side there is a seal to keep the coolant from leaking out and the impeller that acts like a centrifugal pump (see the lower picture).

Water pump problems
Typical water pump problems include coolant leaks, noisy or defective bearing, damaged or corroded impeller.
Faulty water pump might cause the engine to overheat, which can result in serious engine damage. If defective, a water pump is replaced as a unit.

Is it worth to replace a water pump when a timing belt is being replaced?
Sometimes you might be suggested to replace the water pump at the same time the timing belt is being replaced. In cases when a water pump is driven by a timing belt it’s worth to do because it involves very little extra labor, plus, a water pump is subject to wear anyway. As long as the original parts are being used, I’d recommend to go for it.

Better for Farmer and Saves Lots of Water
Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL), a telecom company in India, has launched a new service that allows farmers to operate their irrigation pumps remotely using a SMS-capable cellphone. This is extremely useful because the alternative often is for the farmers to walk many miles to the pumps, often at night because the electricity supply is a bit more reliable then (and sometimes after walking for hours, they arrive to find out that the electricity is out).

The Business Standard writes:

Under the service, farmers will have to buy a Tata Indicom mobile connection and a mobile modem that will be attached to the starter of the pump set. After registration, the subscriber (farmer) will be provided with a unique code number. Using the mobile handset, the farmer can remotely switch on and switch off the pump set with the assigned code number. The farmer can also check the on/off status as well as the availability of power by a particular tone. “This service is exceptionally functional in order to save lot of time and energy in the regions that have erratic power supply,” Bhasin said.

The subscriber will be charged Rs 2,700 for the device and an additional amount for the handset that offers lifetime validity. The service comprises two handsets that will be provided with the bundled offer - one installed with the device while the other remains with the farmer. All the calls made to the pump by the Tata Indicom mobile will be free whereas the other calls will be charged as per the tariff plan given to the subscriber.

(2,700 Indian Rupees is about $60 US)

This is excellent for social and economic reasons, obvious (spending less time turning pumps on and off means there’s more time for more productive activities), but from an environmental point of view, this is also very important because this means that water can be used more efficiently, which means that India’s agricultural sector can become more drought resistant over time, and that more water from rivers will be left as drinking water for India’s massive population.

Screw pumps are a unique type of rotary positive displacement pump in which the flow through the pumping elements is truly axial. The liquid is carried between the screw threads on one or more rotors. The liquid is then displaced axially as the screws rotate and mesh. In other types of rotary pumps, the liquid is forced to travel circumferentially, however the screw pump has an axial flow pattern and low internal velocities.

It provides a number of advantages in many applications where liquid agitation or churning is objectionable. Screw pumps are classified as two different types: the single rotor and the multiple rotor. The multiple rotor is further divided into timed and untimed categories. Timed rotors rely on outside means for phasing the mesh of the threads and for supporting the forces acting on the rotors. Untimed rotors rely on precision and accuracy of the screw forms for proper mesh and transmission of rotation.

Advantages

1. Wide range of flows and pressures
2. Wide range of liquids and viscosities
3. Built-in variable capacity
4. High speed capability allowing freedom of driver selection
5. Low internal velocities
6. Self-priming with good suction characteristics
7. High tolerance for entrained air and other gases
8. Minimum churning or foaming
9. Low mechanical vibration, pulsation-free flow, and quiet operation
10. Rugged, compact design — easy to install and maintain
11. High tolerance to contamination in comparison with other rotary pumps

Disadvantages

1. Relatively high cost because of close tolerances and running clearances
2. Performance characteristics sensitive to viscosity change
3. High pressure capability requires long pumping elements

There are three basic types of screw pumps:

Single Screw

The single screw pump is more commonly known as the Archimedean screw. It is quite large; typical dimensions include a diameter of 12 inches or greater, and a length up to about 50 feet. It is normally used as a water-raising pump with the screw arranged at an angle of 30 degrees. It can also be used for handling liquids containing solids in suspension with either vertical lift or horizontal transport. The design of single screw pumps allows very little fracturing of particles and little abrasion damage to the pump. One disadvantage is the considerable bulk necessary to achieve high capacities since rotational speeds are of the order of 30-60 rpm (Warring, 1984).

Intermeshing Screw Pump

The intermeshing screw pump is commonly called a rigid-screw pump. This type of pump is suitable for a wide range of sizes, and can be run at high speeds. The larger screw pumps are used for bulk handling of oils and similar fluids. The basic type is suitable for handling most clean fluids with low flow velocities and at low heads (Warring, 1984).

Eccentric screw pump

The eccentric screw pump is versatile. It is capable of handling a variety of liquids and products with high efficiency. It comprises of a rigid screw form rotor rolling in a resilient internal helical stator of hard or soft rubber with a moderately eccentric motion. It can handle viscous liquids, slurries, pastes, solids in suspension, and delicate products. This is because of the low flow velocities through the pump (Warring, 1984).

The screw pump is the oldest type of pump. The first applications, dating back to the third century B.C., included irrigation and land drainage. The screw pump is thought to have been first used in Egypt (Ewbank, 1972). After several other types of pumps were invented, the screw pump was not used as much because these other pumps could handle higher head capacities. However, later it was found that these pumps could not handle wastewater like the screw pump could. Because of this, the screw pump became widely used for such an application. The Dutch were the first to design a spiral lift screw in 1955. After this, double screw units were put into operation for flood control in the Netherlands and in municipal sewage installations in Europe. Based on excellent results from the pumps used in Europe, the trend extended to Canada and United States and are currently used today.