How do you orient your pump?

[don_bran321]

I just bought a beautiful blichman riptide pump.
The manual says that the head works 360 degrees but works best if the output is to the right or strait up.
I tested it with the output facing down because that would be the most convenient with my setup and it did not work at all.
What orientation have you noticed works best?

 

[RPh_Guy]

I haven't used mine yet but I put the output at the top to make priming easier.

 

[IslandLizard]

You have to make sure the pump chamber remains full. If it drains faster (e.g., through gravity) than it is being supplied, it won't pump, may even cause damage.

 

[Keith81]

Output pointed straight up or to the right or anywhere in between.

 

[Smellyglove]

Straight up or to the right, preferably straight up. Other orientations does not work. as you need the output to be higher than the input or else you can get air which can not escape, and the housing needs to be full.

 

[briancoxbrews]

Just hooked mine up with a top inlet and a right facing outlet. Bottom valve is an air bleed valve. Best setup for me as a tall guy. No more kneeling to adjust flow on the ground [emoji106][emoji106]

 

[day_trippr]

No such thing as a "top inlet", that's a "side inlet" and it is oriented in one of the two not-recommended positions...

Cheers!

 

[briancoxbrews]

No such thing as a "top inlet", that's a "side inlet" and it is oriented in one of the two not-recommended positions...

Cheers!

Duly noted [emoji106]. I've since found that a horizontal inlet/outlet orientation with outlet above inlet is one of the two recommended orientations. Will be adjusting my setup to reflect this. Current configuration worked just fine but I'd rather avoid air pockets and potential damage to my pump.

 

[oakbarn]

Prime is the key. I like the Outlet to be up so you can bleed the air. I also have a bleed on the outlet of my "feed" vessel so I can bleed any air from the supply hose. When filling a vessel, I normally run the water through the pump backwards (pump off). That primes it really well.

I like the center inlet pumps best.

 

[don_bran321]

Thanks for the feedback as always. I will have to find a way to mount my pump upside down so I can have the outlet facing upward. It won't fit with the mounting bracket and my 3 way valve.

 

[don_bran321]

Thanks for the feedback as always. I will have to find a way to mount my pump upside down so I can have the outlet facing upward. It won't fit with the mounting bracket and my 3 way valve.

I would add a photo but this app hates me andy photos

 

[Homergah]

Thanks for the feedback as always. I will have to find a way to mount my pump upside down so I can have the outlet facing upward. It won't fit with the mounting bracket and my 3 way valve.

You just need to rotate pump 90 degrees counterclockwise. That will insure discharge is above suction.

 

[day_trippr]

Thanks for the feedback as always. I will have to find a way to mount my pump upside down so I can have the outlet facing upward. It won't fit with the mounting bracket and my 3 way valve.

You don't even need to touch the bracket.Unscrew the pump head, rotate it 90 or 180 degrees, then screw it back on...

Cheers!

 

[don_bran321]

You don't even need to touch the bracket.Unscrew the pump head, rotate it 90 or 180 degrees, then screw it back on...

Cheers!

Hey! It let me post a picture. Too bad it's sideways. See my 3 way valve won't fit between the bracket and pump head which is why I have to mount it upside down that way the 3 way valve is not on the bracket end

 

[day_trippr]

With a properly oriented picture the pump head actually is in one of the two recommend orientations (intake down or intake at 9 o'clock). And with the tri-clamped head you can actually use any position in between and be legit.

That said, this isn't a recommended configuration in the pump world. Placing a valve (or an elbow or cross-fed tee) smack against the intake is begging for turbulence which can add to priming headaches. The recommendation is 5X the piping ID as a straight "lead in" to the pump intake. You could meet that with a coupling and a fairly short nipple.

But - even all that said - if it has been working without being fiddly wrt priming and holding prime at high temperatures there's no compelling reason to optimize it...

Cheers!