Vacuum Priming System

All pumping systems, whether they are operating on a suction lift or have a flooded suction require a reliable system to ensure the pumps are primed and free of any entrained air prior to starting. Even if the system has positive inlet pressure, it still requires air valves throughout the system to ensure the pumps are primed. This is the easiest and most effective system of priming, however not all pump systems have the benefit of positive inlet pressure, therefore invariably require a priming system.

The most common priming method for pumps operating on a suction lift is to use a foot valve or check valve on the end of the suction pipe to hold the pumped media in the suction pipe and the pump. Although this method is relatively inexpensive, it is the most common cause of pump failure from running dry because the system is highly prone to failure due to leaking foot valves, blockages or failure of the valve mechanism.

In most cases it is difficult to replace the foot valve, particularly if the suction pipe is in a moving water course such as a river or a creek. Similarly foot valves in dams, especially poly lined dams are difficult, time consuming and costly to replace and pose a serious risk to the poly liner. Foot valves require continuous maintenance and the larger the valve, the less reliability they provide and the more difficult and expensive they are to repair.

Precision Pump Systems have spent decades developing and refining a range of vacuum priming systems for pump systems of all types and sizes to provide effective and reliable pump system priming. The vacuum priming systems vary from large scale fully automated PLC controlled systems for pump stations up to and beyond 5,000 L/Sec through to small stand-alone systems for single pump priming or multiple pumps operating in parallel at any scale.  

The biggest advantage with a vacuum priming system over the more rudimentary priming methods is that all equipment associated with the priming of the pumps is generally housed inside the pump station enclosure and can be accessed for maintenance at any time without the need for cranes, boats, or personnel having to get into the water to access the foot valve. Another advantage is that in the event of draining the rising main for maintenance, the vacuum priming system does not require water in the rising main to prime the pumps. Simply switch the priming system to auto and it will prime the pump system using vacuum from the vacuum pump. 

Our vacuum priming systems are fully customizable and are available with control systems for fully automated constant prime or manual priming for customers that prefer a simpler hands-on approach to their pump priming and starting procedures. All systems are available with the option of remote monitoring and remote access to the control system so that control issues can be resolved at any time no matter the location.