Here on the farm we get our water from a spring located in a wooded ravine. It takes about 90-100 psi to force the water up out of this canyon to the existing 10,000 gallon cistern (reservoir) from which a pressure system takes over and distributes to the various farm buildings.
Over the years there have been a number of different types of pumps used to pump the water into the cistern, I can think of twin cylinder piston pumps, gear pumps and the latest, a style of centrifugal pump that Grainger wants to call a "turbine pump".
I was somewhat disappointed in the life I was getting from these "turbine pumps" so I called the factory to see if they had any sympathy for my plight.
Talked to a very nice and seemingly knowledgeable fellow who suggested the problem could be cavitation due to air in the suction piping.
Given the way the suction piping was laid out, I could see where bubbles of air could exist despite the scavenging effects of the relatively low flow (2-3 gpm) of water in a 1-1/4" galvanized suction pipe. These bubbles would not be in or at the pump but approximately 6"-24" away from the pump in the suction piping. I should also mention that the suction head or lift can vary from 2-6 feet.
My question is this; would the above mentioned bubbles tend to promote long term cavitation effects even though short term pumping performance seems unaffected?
Dave
Over the years there have been a number of different types of pumps used to pump the water into the cistern, I can think of twin cylinder piston pumps, gear pumps and the latest, a style of centrifugal pump that Grainger wants to call a "turbine pump".
I was somewhat disappointed in the life I was getting from these "turbine pumps" so I called the factory to see if they had any sympathy for my plight.

Talked to a very nice and seemingly knowledgeable fellow who suggested the problem could be cavitation due to air in the suction piping.
Given the way the suction piping was laid out, I could see where bubbles of air could exist despite the scavenging effects of the relatively low flow (2-3 gpm) of water in a 1-1/4" galvanized suction pipe. These bubbles would not be in or at the pump but approximately 6"-24" away from the pump in the suction piping. I should also mention that the suction head or lift can vary from 2-6 feet.
My question is this; would the above mentioned bubbles tend to promote long term cavitation effects even though short term pumping performance seems unaffected?
Dave
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