How to Choose the Right Drum Pump

Even though most industrial plants have liquid management, this isn’t a simple task. Just holding a significant amount of a liquid (mostly anything exceeding 23 kg) can be cumbersome for barrels and drums. While the containers are sturdy and voluminous enough to hold large amounts of fluids, it is quite difficult to use or extract fluids from the barrels. Consider this: a small 44-gallon drum can weigh over 200 kg. An object this heavy can’t just be tipped easily to pour out the liquid. This is where a drum pump comes in.

What is a Drum Pump?

A drum pump, such as a Reko pump, is an instrument that is fitted on the upper opening of a barrel or a drum. Its main purpose is to extract and transfer the liquid inside. With a drum pump, one doesn’t have to pivot or tip a heavy barrel to pour the liquid. Drum pumps are classified into two main types, and their subtypes come in different materials, models, and tube lengths.

How Does a Drum Pump Operate?

A drum pump is usually fitted into the upper drum opening through its narrow tube, which has a shaft vertically position. The drum pump also has a small motor fixed to the shaft, which is driven by an AC or DC electric motor. The drum pump is turned on by the motor through a switch. Once the drum pump is switched on, the content is extracted through a pumping mechanism originating from the base of the tube. The pumping mechanism from the base of the tube is reliant on a rotor or a small centrifugal pump impeller.

There are drum pumps that can be turned on using a crank. A piston pump can be used for manual turning. Although some drum pumps are more hard-wired into a barrel or drum, they can be used interchangeably.

Industries that Utilise Drum Pumps

As various kinds of fluids require to be processed, transferred, conveyed and handled, drum pumps are not only used by hydro-based industries. Considering that oils, chemicals, and other types of liquids are denser and weigh more than water, the demand for drum pumps is even higher for these industries.

For example, because of drum pumps, the pharmaceutical industry has seen an increase of £590 billion in domestic value. The following are some other industries and areas that make use of drum pumps:

• Cleaning services;
• Automotive shops;
• Processing industries;
• Food processing industries;
• Manufacturing plants;
• Chemical plants.

Types of Drum Pumps

Drum pumps are of two main types: electric-operated drum pumps and hand-operated drum pumps. The two kinds vary in terms of their models, use, and makeup.

Electric-Operated Drum Pumps

These types of drum pumps rely on electricity to pump. They are similar in appearance to the hand-operated pumps with the difference being the source of power. These pumps are suitable for jobs that need high volume transfer. The following are some of the characteristics of electric drum pumps:

• Ideal for tasks that involve large-quantity drum drainage;
• Come in different lever shapes and lengths;
• They are thicker and heavier in general;
• Have different voltages;
• There are battery and electric-powered models.

Hand-Operated Drum Pumps

As you’d have guessed from the name, rather than using a motor, these types of pumps are powered by hand. Hand-operated drum pumps are suitable for remote pumping applications and in situations where the available power is not sufficient. The following are some of the features of this instrument:

• Come in varying lever shapes and lengths;
• Provide simple, leak and spark-free pumping;
• Inlet comes in different sizes ranging between 1.5 cm- 4 cm;
• Available in different materials including plastic, stainless steel, polyacetal;
• polyphenylene sulfide, PVC, and more.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Drum Pump

• First, determine the purpose of the pump and then pick the right main pump type, accessories, motor type, and pump series;
• Find out if your application is compatible with the head and flow of the pump, fluid, chemical type, viscosity, size and motor of the pump;
• Ensure that the outer tube material is resistant to the chemicals of the fluid in your drum.