How To Buy A Pump

We understand that shopping for a pump can be a little bit intimidating, particularly when you have no experience of this type of product. 

In this section, we're going to help you to select the right pump by telling you what you’ll need to tell us. Buying the wrong pump, cheap or expensive, can be costly: pumping more than you need it to (wasting energy), failing prematurely and damaging property and/or needing to be replaced. Knowing a few key pieces of information before you begin will save you time and make sure you spend your money on the right pump for the job. Giving us the wrong information often leads to problems.

“I want to replace an existing pump”

 You’ll need to tell us about the pump you have:

Look for the specification plate

Make a note of the manufacturer’s name and model number. Write down the voltage and as much other information that you can see.

Do you know how long it has been working?

A few months or a few years? If it is only a few months it might not be the right pump for the job so we’ll need to know more about what you want it to do. A few years old should mean it has worked satisfactorily.

Has it been trouble free during its life?

Have you ever had to attend to it? What was the problem?

Can't find a specification plate?

Take a picture of the pump and email it to us at sales@obartpumps.co.uk

Once you have all the facts

Get in contact with our sales department on 01622 355 000 or email sales@obartpumps.co.uk

 

“I don’t have a pump to replace” 

 You’ll need to describe to us the work the pump will be doing: 

How much liquid you need to pump?

You’ll need to estimate this (e.g. 1000 litres is the volume of liquid in an area of 1m high x 1m long x 1m wide).

How quickly do you need to pump the liquid out.

We measure flow rate in litres per minute. 

How high do you need to pump the liquid?

(from the liquid level to the end of the pipe) and then how far along the ground does the water need to be pumped? We measure distance in metres.

Pipe Diameter

Do you need a recommended a pipe diameter? We’ll select the correct pipe for the job and offer you an alternative depending on your budget.

If you are you using existing pipe, what material and diameter is it? (Some pipe material can slow pumping rates dramatically) We measure in millimetres.

Fittings

Are there any elbows, T-pieces and valves in the pipe/required? Count them up.

Liquid

a)  Is it water or like treacle or something in between? (more viscous liquids require more powerful and sometimes different kinds of pumps)

b)  What is the chemical make up? Are there hydrocarbons present (Acidic or corrosive liquids and fuels/oils can damage certain pump materials).

c)  What is the temperature of the liquid?

d)  Does it contain solids? What size are the solids? Are those solids soft and fragile? Are they hard and abrasive? Do the solids need to be chopped up? Some pumps include a chopper mechanism. 

Powering the pump

a)   Do you want to use electricity? If it is domestic use, you’ll require 230v. We also supply pumps in 110v & 400v for industrial use, as well as 12v & 24v DC for use with a battery.

b)  Do you want to use liquid fuel? Petrol and diesel are available but these pumps must be used outdoors.

c)  Do you want to pump by hand? Rotary, lift and force and diaphragm pumps are available but performance is limited and can be hard work if you’ve got a lot to pump or pumping up high. Good exercise though!

 

“I’ve got all the information…what do I do now?”

When you have all this go to our shop, input your information and view the results! Alternatively, call or email our sales department on 01622 355000 or sales@obartpumps.co.uk