Are you considering buying a cheaper brand rainwater tank pump to a quality brand..???

With so many brands and models on the market today, selecting the right pump can be difficult, and having the right model is crucial, as you want the right pump to do the job.

Which is the right pump for me..?and why shouldnt i buy a cheaper import pump is a question we get asked a lot by our customers, as unforetunetly a lot of people have been caught out with buying cheap imports that don’t do the job, as half the time they don’t do what they have been advertised to do.

Some important factors between cheaper import pumps compared to your quality brand pumps on the market are :-

Horsepower or Watts: Many companies selling cheap pumps think that horsepower or watts determines how powerful the flow and pressure will be. This is far from the truth. The power rating is only an indication of how much electricity a pump uses when turned on. It has no direct relationship with flows or pressures.

Many cheap pumps are 1500 watts or larger where quality brand pumps are only 750 watts and will do a lot more pressure and flow. Many companies selling cheaper pumps try to sell a pump by promoting that it is a larger horsepower persuading the consumer that this means more flow or pressure or even that they don’t work as hard therefore lasting longer. This is not true..

Pumps are purposly designed with impellors, diffusers, jets and venturis for a important reason, as this changes the flows and pressures greatly and the horsepower or watts has nothing to do with it. You will find the cheaper pumps need to use a motor with a lot more watts like 1500 watts rather than 750 watts to achieve the same flow and pressure.

Consumers buy a pump that has more horsepower or watts thinking they are getting a more powerful pump but in reality they are merely using more electricity (and much more cost in your power bill over the time then the amount you saved on the purchase) and often have less flow and pressure then other less powerful quality motors. Over time you using the pump, you are using double the power hence costing you twice as much in electricity. It does not take long to far outweigh the cost of a pump with electricity bills. If you are using a pump that is 1500 watts as opposed to one that is say 750 watts then that is a big difference. So each time you use the pump, you are effectively using almost 2 times the power.

Pressure and Flow : To buy a pump that will suit your application and give you the pressure and flow you need, you will need to know some basic information.

The term head is used often in pumps in a few ways.
Depending upon what you are looking at, there are a few ways to look at what head means but without getting too technical, it means basically:

When looking at pump head solely it means:
1. The maximum pressure a pump will do.
Every pump has a flow chart and depending on the head (or backpressure) you have, the flow will change. When looking at flow charts they normally have head on one side and flow on the bottom of the chart:

2. Head may be simply defined as any resistance to the flow of a pump.
The amount of head you have is basically the back pressure put on the pump by friction loss in pipes on the outlet of the pump. For example, the longer the pipe the more head (or backpressure) you have. The smaller the diameter the pipe, the more head (or backpressure) you have.

Head is also increased if you need to pump up a hill or go up two stories. The higher you must pump the water, the higher the head and therefore the less flow.

If you need to run a garden hose that is 19mm for example for 30 metres then you will have more head then say a 25mm pipe of 20 metres. This results in less flow.

Many pumps have a big maximum flow or head but when you look at the flow charts, a pump that has a maximum flow of 50 litres per minute can often pump much more water and pressure then one that advertises 70 litres per minute once you hook a hose onto it.

Many cheaper pumps also have charts that are a highly exaggerated so consumers must be careful. Always remember you always get what you pay for. If the pump is being sold at a cheap price , then one must consider how they can one sell it so cheap and what is the quality of the item. Quality manufacturers always have the correct graph showing flow rate and head pressure, as they need to meet a industry standard , and would be sued if there information was incorrect.

Automatic or manual pumps? There are a few types of pumps available.
1. Manual pump only. This means you turn the pump on and off at the wall when you need water. You cannot stop the flow while the pump is running. For example, if the phone rings, you cannot shut the hose nozzle off while pump is running or it will burn out. This is the cheapest way to buy a pump but not always convenient.

2a. Automatic pump with pressure tank/vessel. These are the system used for many years. They are automatic meaning they will turn on and off with the tap opened or closed but they will not turn off in the event of your water tank running out of water unless fitted with a loss of prime switch (not a standard pressure switch) meaning you need to watch that the pump does not run out of water while on otherwise it will burn out. Also with these systems, the water pressure can fluctuate rather then be a constant pressure.

2b. Automatic Pump with a press control or torrium controller. These are the great fail safe pumps that are automatic and also have constant pressure which is great for showers and irrigation. They also turn off if the water tank runs out of water so you don’t need to watch out when water is low. Just leave it on for example on the garden and you can go out or answer the phone or just leave the garden sprinkler on knowing that the pump is safe and will protect itself. This pump is the most common needed and most cost effective while remaining convenient and fail safe.

2c. Automatic pump with Onga waterswitch or Davey rainbank. These pumps are the same as above however rather then just turning off when the water runs out, they actually switch back over to mains water for uninterrupted supply. This is often what is needed for rebates from the government. Also this is great for showers and toilets knowing water will always be available when you flush or shower. The pump automatically switches from mains to tank and back. When the tank is full, the pump uses the tank water. When empty, it automatically switches over to the mains water. Once tank is full again, it will use the tank water. These pumps are expensive but very convenient.

Materials :-

Stainless Shafts: Another factor in choosing a pump is the corrosion resistance they have. Many pump shafts are falsely called stainless steel when in fact they are anti corrosion, anti rust or 45 steel. These are not stainless steel and should be avoided if you want a pump that will last. Quality manufacturers of pumps normally have a high grade stainless shaft.

Stainless steel pumps: There are many myths about stainless pumps. Admittedly, Stainless looks great rather then cast iron but they actually have some disadvantages. Stainless pumps are noisier then cast iron due to the steel being a lot thinner then cast iron. If noise is a major concern then cast iron is often better. If looks is your main priority then a stainless pump looks great.