There’s a wide range of applications for water pumps, and an equally broad range of pump types to match those different uses. You’d need one type of pump to run a fountain in a water garden and a different type to clear murky water out of a construction site.
How you’ll use the pump is the first thing you need to know when shopping for an electric or gasoline-powered water pump. The planned use of the pump determines what type, or types, of pump will be a good fit for the job. Then, you can narrow down your choices from there based on the specifications for different pump models.
What Will You Use It For?
There are a wide range of tasks that you can do with a good water pump. These include:
- Pump water through an irrigation system
- Power a well
- Empty a swimming pool or water garden
- Power a decorative fountain
- Keep groundwater from filling in a construction site
- Dry a flooded basement
- Move water out of a boat
- Pump agricultural chemicals
- Keep a manhole dry
- Move dirty water with large particles and trash
Basically, water pumps move water from one location to another. If you have a task that requires you to move water, pumps are an effective and time-saving solution.
What Types of Pumps Are Available?
There are several ways to categorize water pumps. You can talk about pump types in relation to power source. Some use electric power, and you need to plug them into an electrical outlet. Others use battery power, and you’ll have to recharge them as needed. Others run on gasoline, making them portable and easy to refuel.
You can also group pumps by their design. Submersible pumps work when submerged in water. Centrifugal pumps are a common type of pump that use an impeller to push water. Diaphragm pumps can run dry as well as wet, so they work well in slow-seepage situations.
You might also see pumps grouped by their intended usage. De-watering pumps move water from one place to another. Honda divides their de-watering pumps into three categories: lightweight pumps (for home and recreational use), general purpose pumps (for heavy-duty situations and dirty water), and high-pressure pumps (when you need high water pressure, like sprinkler systems and fire suppression). Honda also sells construction and industrial pumps, including trash pumps for moving water with a high solid content and a diaphragm pump for slow-seepage situations. They also have one Multi-Purpose Chemical Pump that can safely pump industrial and agricultural chemicals.
How Do I Evaluate Individual Pumps?
Once you know what you need a pump to do, you can figure out what type of pump you need. For example, if you decide you need to move water through an irrigation system and you want to occasionally use the pump to empty a pool or livestock trough, then a de-watering pump will be a good choice. For another example, if you’ll be keeping a construction site clear of water then you’ll either need a diaphragm pump (if the site is sometimes wet and sometimes dry), a general-purpose pump (to move dirty water), or a trash pump if the water has a high solid content.
There’s more than one model of each type of pump, though. So how do you decide which pump will work in your specific situation? For that, you need to look at the pump specifications. Some manufacturers offer tools to make this process easier, like the Honda Pump Select application that you can download to a computer. You can also check the specifications for individual pumps yourself.
Flow Rate
The flow rate describes how much water a pump can move in a specific amount of time. It is usually described in gallons per minute (GPM) or gallons per hour (GPH). This tells you how quickly a pump can accomplish a task.
Water Pressure
Water pressure, measured in PSI, describes how far the pump can move water while maintaining pressure. Some things, like an irrigation system, will specify a needed PSI range that you can match up with a pump. For example, a drip or micro irrigation system requires about 10-30 PSI, while spray or rotary sprinkler heads require about 30-45 PSI.
Horsepower
Horsepower describes how powerful the pump’s engine or motor is. It is not the main thing to look at when selecting a pump, but it does play a role. In general, the higher the horsepower the more powerful the pump will be.
Maximum Head
The “head” measure refers to how far a pump can move water (click here for details on calculating this measure). The suction head describes how far a pump can pull water up from the water source. If you can place the pump close to the water source, it doesn’t need much suction power. However, if the pump is at an elevation from the water source, it will require more suctioning power. Total head lift describes the total distance the pump can move water from intake to outlet.
Inlet and Outlet Size
The intake and outlet sides of a pump will have specific sizes. In many cases, larger sizes mean higher flow rates. The most important thing to remember, though, is that you should connect these inlets and outlets to hoses that are the same size or larger (never smaller).
Water Composition
Finally, make sure that the pump you choose is rated to move the type of water that you need to move. Some pumps only work with clean water. Others can handle murky, silty, or dirty water. Powerful trash pumps can also move water with a high solid content. If you’re pumping a liquid other than water, you might need a specialty pump for that. Each pump you look at will specify what type of water/liquid it can safely and reliably move.
Where to Find a Good Pump
Here at Richardson Saw, we recommend and carry Honda pumps. When you’re shopping for a water pump, you want it to provide reliable performance for years to come. Honda pumps feature quality construction backed up by a 3-year warranty on most models. Even the smallest Honda pumps designed for recreational or homeowner use feature commercial-grade engines.
We carry a wide range of Honda pumps for general-purpose de-watering, waste removal, and construction work. Click here to check out our pump inventory online, or stop by and visit us to see them in person and chat with our Honda equipment experts.
