10 tips for good piping practice
30th Jun 2022
Here at Crest we want to ensure that our pumps are always working at their most efficient level. To achieve this, we are often reliant on external factors, such as an effective piping design. Sometimes, there is a pressure to save money on piping, but experience shows us that this can often affect pump operation or, in some cases, result in a large repair bill.
So, to help your process run as smoothly as possible, here are our:
10 Tips for Good Piping Practice:
- When you select your suction pipework, keep the diameter to at least the pump suction size, or preferably larger, to maintain a suction velocity of a maximum 1-1.5m/sec.
- Turbulence can be caused by tight bends, so use long radius bends where possible, and full bore valves which will minimise turbulence.
- Use eccentric reducers, as opposed to concentric reducers, keep the level side at the top to prevent air being trapped within the pipework.
- Keep your suction pipework as short as possible, with a length of 5 to 10 times the pipe diameter after any valves or change of pipe direction.
- Support the pipework securely and ensure the squareness of it to your fitting, to prevent straining the casing and branches.
- Avoid high points in suction pipework if you can, but at the very least include a vent at the highest point. Air getting into a pump can shut down the pump immediately and sometimes wreck the pump. All suction pipework must be airtight.
- On priming chamber applications, ensure the suction pipework is the same diameter as the suction branch and as short as possible. Importantly, ensure that the pipework is continuously rising to prevent air forming an air lock, which could get into the pump (see point 6).
- Never throttle the suction side of the pump to reduce the flow, always use the discharge side. Throttling the suction side risks cavitation.
- Make sure you include pressure gauges on discharge pipework or at least the provision to check pump duty. Some of the issues we face in trying to trace a problem could be easily solved by a gauge that shows us exactly where that problem exists.
- Including vent points after the pump, but before non-return valves, enables a complete venting of the pump casing.
So there you have it. We might be telling you things your grandmother taught you, or we might be saving you a whole lot of grief in the future… Happy piping!