How to: Choose the Right Pump for Your Needs

Why do you need a pump?

In irrigation and water applications, different water pumps are used for different applications.

We're going to talk about most common types of pumps used just to get you started.

• pressure pumps
• transfer pumps
• firefighting pumps
• submersible pumps

Pressure pump systems are used for household water through toilets, showers, taps and appliances and also for basic irrigation design applications. It has low flow and high pressure.

Transfer pumps are not used as commonly as the other types. A transfer pump is only used when moving water from one place to another; for instance, from a water tank to a garden pond. It has high flow and low pressure.

Firefighting pumps are used mostly in rural areas with farms and large open bush land. They are either petrol or diesel motors, depending on the application. Firefighters are high flow and high pressure, good for transferring a lot of water quickly without using any power.

Submersible pumps are quite commonly used in tank water run households and also used commonly as drainage pumps from pits or wells. They are designed with an automatic float switch to turn the pump on and off. It has high flow and low pressure.