What Is a Test Pump?
A test pump is a device used to measure the durability of water piping to determine if it has any leaks or can withstand a certain amount of pressure.
Since a test pump is a pump, it pumps water, and there are manual test pump that pump water manually and electric test pump that pump water electrically. The volume of piping that can be tested is determined by the pump’s pumping capacity, and the water pressure that can be applied to the piping is also determined.
A small, portable test pump is sufficient for the scale of an ordinary household, but a larger test pump is required for large-scale water piping tests.
Uses of Test Pumps
After installing water piping, it is necessary to test it for leaks and other defects to determine if the installation is acceptable for use.
Cracks or poor joints in the piping will cause water leakage. Continued use of leaking pipes will corrode surrounding building materials and lead to mold growth and other problems. Also, you may have to pay an unintended water bill, so test pumps are used to perform this type of testing.
Test pumps are also used to test water pressure after replacing a valve on a water line or after creating a branch in a water line and installing a faucet in a different location.
Principle of Test Pumps
After connecting the piping connected to the test pumps to the piping to be tested, the test pumps water into the piping while removing air to fill the inside of the piping with water.
At this time, water pressure is applied to the water filling the pipes. The water pressure in the pipes is monitored by a pressure gauge, and if there are cracks in the pipes and water leaks, the water in the pipes will gradually drain out and the pressure gauge value will gradually decrease. The reason for applying water pressure is that without water pressure, there is no pressure change even if water is leaking, so it is impossible to tell if water is leaking.
In addition, since water piping can be subjected to impacts such as water hammer, we also check that the piping is not damaged by applying a certain amount of pressure.
The manual type increases water pressure by operating a lever, which enables fine adjustment of water pressure and does not require a power source. A small manual test pumps are easy to use for testing small-scale water piping.
On the other hand, the electric type requires a power supply, but the pump operates electrically, so the water is automatically pumped. Electric test pumps are better suited for testing large volume plumbing lines.