There are various categories of Pail, Drum and Bottle Pumps. There are Safety Pumps, Manual Pumps and Power Pumps. If you are going to be purchasing a pump, there are several things you’ll need to know. You’ll need to be familiar with the type of chemicals that are being pumped, as well as their thickness. You’ll need to know what the chemical compatibility of liquids you’re pumping is and you’ll have to determine whether or not you need to use a food grade pump. You’ll have to consider several other things as well, like the fitting of the pump.
If you’re trying to select the right pump and cannot decide between drum, pail or IBC pumps, here are six things you should keep in mind:
Chemical Compatibility
As mentioned above, you need to ensure that any parts that are going to be coming into contact with the liquid you are compatible with those chemicals. If you want to determine whether or not chemical compatibility is going to be an issue for you, you should read over the MDSS or Material Data Safety Sheet, that came with your product. It should provide the names of the chemicals that are in the product you’re going to be pumping.
Centipoise
The term for the thickness of the liquid you are going to be pumping is centipoise. It is a type of measurement that is specifically used to measure the thickness or viscosity of a liquid.
The Dispensing Requirements
Before you purchase a pump, you should try to figure out how fast you need your pump to be. How much liquid are you expecting to dispense per stroke per minute? Power pumps typically have a gallons per minute rate that they are able to pump. While hand pumps have amounts they can pump per stroke, the amount they can pump in a minute or an hour all come down to the user. With that said, the pump specifications should provide an “Up To” rate. These numbers will give you a clearer idea of what a pump is capable of.
Container Sizes
What is the container size you’re going to be pumping out of? You need to figure out whether or not you’re going to be pumping from the same container size all the time, or if you’re going to be transferring liquid from one container to another. If you’re going to be using a number of containers, you’ll need to find a pump that is adaptable.
Food Grade Pumps
If you’re going to be working with food or some other sort of regulated substance, you’re going to have to make sure the pumps meet the restrictions you’ll be working with. You can find sanitary pumps under Power and Manual Pumps.
Power or Manual
As the name suggests, Manual Pumps are user powered. If you want to use a Power Pump, you’ll be able to choose between an air pump or an electric pump. The best choice will largely be dependent on the kind of power you have in your facility. If your facility doesn’t have power right now, you’ll want to think about the type of power you will be installing in the future.
If the drum you’re pumping from will be holding hazardous materials, you need to make sure it meets the UN/DOT 49 CFR 173.3 requirements. Thankfully, you’ll find pumps that meet those requirements in a number of sizes. You’ll also find a variety of linings, cover types, fittings, and even colors. If you need additional assistance, just get in touch with one of your Customer Service Experts. They’ll be able to walk you through each step of the decision-making process.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.