The agriculture sector is a major consumer of energy. Irrigation is a key aspect of this sector and requires a lot of energy to yield desired results.

However, it is not possible for all farmers to spend more than their budget on irrigation. Thus, it becomes important to ensure that the water pumps in the facility are working efficiently and consuming less energy.

Here are some amazing energy-saving tips for water pumps that will help you lower your energy consumption without interfering with effectiveness:

  1. Use the Right-Size Pump

Pump size matters a lot when it comes to energy conservation. Centrifugal pumps can consume almost 60% of the motor energy of a working facility if they’re too large in size. The size of the pumps increases when manufacturers add a lot of safety measures while designing.

While it is important to use pumps that have a safety factory, unnecessary measures will only add to your energy consumption. The maintenance costs will also increase in such a scenario. It is best to carefully examine the various safety measures in different pumps and figure out which ones you actually require for your facility. This will enable you to get a pump sized perfectly for your facility.

  1. Use Foot valves With Larger Openings

It is possible to save somewhere between 10% – 30% more fuels by using a foot valve that has a bigger opening. Purchasing foot marks with a larger area opening will be slightly costlier than getting narrow ones but makes up for it by saving a lot of energy costs.

A larger valve means that less energy is required when drawing water because of lesser friction. Whereas in case of a smaller valve, there is more friction and thus, a requirement of more energy.

Also, always get valves only from reputed places like https://cockyvalve.com.au/ to ensure proper quality and standard.

  1. Get the Pipeline Right

Just like with the foot-valves, a smaller diameter pipe will offer more friction and thus, consume more energy. It is best to use pipes of a larger diameter to save fuel. You should also use pipes that are made with rigid PVC rather than the commonly used galvanized iron as it offers much less friction.

Try to install the pipelines in a manner that has minimal bends and turns as they consume more energy. If bends are necessary, use L-joints and sharp bends as they save up to 70% more fuel than the standard bends.

  1. Check the Transmission

For transmission, it is best to change the belts after they’ve been in use a long time. Using worn-out belts can cause tears and snaps at any point in time which results in a loss of transmission and thus, an increase in energy consumption. It’ll also reduce the speed of the entire process.

Try to reduce the number of joints present in the belts as they consume more energy. You should closely monitor the belt tension and adjust it depending on the load. Another thing to keep in mind is the alignment of the pump and then the engine. A lot of the time, improper alignment can lead to malfunctions and excessive energy consumption.

  1. Ensure Proper Maintenance and Avoid Unnecessary Use

Effective maintenance of pumping systems is crucial to keep them running smoothly and efficiently. Problems like wear ring erosion can reduce efficiency up to 10% and thus, result in higher energy consumption.

Preventive maintenance will allow you to notice any fault in the pumps early on and correct them before they lose their efficiency and incur heavy costs for repairs.

Also, using the entire pumping system all the time can increase energy consumption. You should avoid unnecessary usage of the system and use pressure switches and shut down some pumps as the flow-rate requirements in your facility vary.

Regularly grease and oil the pumps as instructed by the manufacturer to avoid any energy loss due to excessive friction.

Over to you…

Following these tips carefully will enable you to make your water pumps more energy efficient without sacrificing their quality or the quantity of work done. Make sure that you begin implementing these tips in your facility and you’ll see the difference in your energy consumption in no time!