How Do The Various Types of Drum Pumps Work?

Drum Pumps

What’s a Drum Pump?

A drum pump is a type of pump solely used in pumping fluids into or from a drum or container. These fluids could be water or any other liquid. Water weighs approximately 8.3 lb. a US gallon, but other liquids could have greater weight depending on the density. As such, emptying a drum by tipping can be difficult, unsafe, and almost impractical. An ideal drum pump is one that draws out (or draws in) liquids with almost no spillage risk using an automatic filling system.

Drum pumps are useful in various chemical factories, food processing plants, and even processing and manufacturing plants that source various liquids or pastes in drums or barrels. Such companies, therefore, need a feasible way to transfer small amounts of liquid out of the drum or barrel.

There exist various liquid types that require processing, transporting, transferring, and even handling. Drum pumps are therefore designed to work for all types of liquids. Below are common industries that use drum pumps:

  • Chemical factories
  • Food and Drug processing plants
  • Manufacturing plants
  • Auto shops
  • Other processing plants

Drum pumps are available in various kinds, including manually operated pumps, electrically operated pumps, and pneumatically operated pumps. These pumps can also be used interchangeably, but they are often permanently fixed into a barrel or drum. This equipment for liquid transfer is portable and can also be fixed permanently into a plant system. It is also available in metallic or plastic materials to reduce corrosion whenever there is interaction with corrosive liquids.

How Do Electrically Operated Drum Pumps Work?

Electrically operated models work by fitting into a drum’s top opening through its narrow tube that holds a vertical shaft. The drum pumps comprise a small motor unit coupled with the shaft, which runs on a DC or Ac electric motor. The drum pump is turned on by the motor through a switch. On actuating the pump, the pumping mechanism acts upwards from the base of the tube, which draws the liquid. The tube’s base depends on a rotor or small centrifugal pump impeller.

Electric operated drum pumps look like manually operated drum pumps, only that they use electrical power. They come in handy, especially where large volumes of liquid are to be transferred. These kinds of pumps are available as wired or battery-powered models. They come in different voltage ratings, where higher voltages models are normally heavier and thicker. These models also have different lever shapes and lengths. Electrically operated drum pumps are essential for use where large volumes of liquids are to be drained.

How Do Manually Operated Models Work?

Manually operated drum pumps are mostly started by hand using a crank or piston pump. They are great for remote pumping and also in cases of little or no power. Materials used to manufacture these pumps include stainless steel, metals like aluminium, plastics such as polyacetal, PVC, and polyphenylene sulphide.

Environments that are most appropriate for air operated or pneumatically operated drum pumps are those whose surroundings are mostly wet and humid. They can also be used in dirty and dusty environments, which could potentially damage the electrics of electrically operated drum pumps and lead to premature breakdown. An air-operated drum pump would be a great consideration for a short lifespan of an electrically powered drum pump.