Watering the garden via water pipes can be expensive. Lucky you if you have a spare water resource in your garden , whether in the form of a cistern, well or underground tank. But water that does not come from the tap first has to be conveyed. Various pumps and pumping systems take on this task and various irrigation supplies and systems are needed.
Types and function
Pumps work with a negative pressure. The water is sucked in when there is negative pressure. There are several methods and therefore several types of pumps to generate the negative pressure. The interesting ones for garden irrigation are:
- Handle pump / piston pump
- Centrifugal pump
- Jet pump
Lever pumps, also called piston pumps, are equipped with a piston and a valve . If the piston pulls upwards, a negative pressure is created and the valve opens. The water flows in and is sucked in. When the piston lowers, the pressure rises and the valve closes.
The handle pump is activated manually. There is a lever on the outside that you have to operate. The lever activates the piston, which then moves up or down. There is an opening on the pump head. If you now operate the pump, a vacuum is created by means of the piston. The air flows out through the opening. If enough air has escaped, the water is sucked in. The lower the water level, the more air you have to suck out before the water can be sucked in.
So-called non-return valves, such as foot valves, are installed at the necessary points so that the water does not run back again. So there is always enough water in the pipe so that swirling is not too laborious and at some point completely in vain. Old water pumps on the streets, which were then used to supply water to entire streets, work, for example, with a piston. In one or the other garden, the handle pump still adorns the water resource next to it.
In the centrifugal pumps, small impellers ensure the pressure build-up. The rotations create a negative pressure, the water is attracted and transported further. Depending on how many wheels in the pump move the water, the more power it has to generate and the higher the maximum delivery head.
A sub-type of centrifugal pump is the jet pump . Centrifugal pumps require the suction medium for their operation. So they are activated when there is already water. If instead there is too much air in the body, the pump will only start with difficulty. Bleeding is therefore mandatory for a standard centrifugal pump. However, the jet pump ensures adequate ventilation before and after each pumping cycle. They are also called self-priming. High-quality jet pumps can even suck without being filled with medium.
