Fixing Your Factory

Starting a commercial farm requires plenty of upfront investments, and you'll quickly use up your startup capital if you buy equipment before considering what's best for your needs. Unless you're in a very wet climate that provides as much rainfall as your crops need each season, you'll need irrigation equipment to water your fields. Find out why a submersible pump is the best way to move water from a well or surface source to your plants.

Easy to Install

Since submersible pumps stay underwater at all times, there's no need for a complex set of siphons and pipes to connect the pump to your water source. You can install the pump horizontally or vertically to take advantage of the available space in your pond or stream. This allows you to quickly add a new pump with minimal work when demand for irrigation increases unexpectedly. Simple installation costs less when you're hiring irrigation specialists to set up your system as well.

No Need to Prime

With most agricultural pumps, it's possible for the equipment to empty the well or water source and lose the suction that allows them to transport water. This is known as losing the prime, and most pumps are damaged by running dry. It makes sense to choose an irrigation pump that won't give up during a heat wave and leave your plants drying out in the sun.

Submersible pumps are mounted underwater and won't run dry, so there's no need to prime the pump to keep it flowing smoothly. Eliminating the common irrigation chore of routinely priming a pump can save you dozens of work hours over the course of a year.

Improved Efficiency

There are a few different design advantages of the submersible pump that increase efficiency to reduce the long term costs of operating the pump. Some of these features include

• The sealed centrifugal impeller the pump is based around, which isn't exposed to moisture or in need of regular maintenance like oiling
• The pushing effect used in place of the suction created by most irrigation pumps, which means a submersible model uses about half the horsepower of a jet pump to move the same amount of water
• The self-cooling effect created by surrounding the sealed motor with a constant flow of cool water, which prevents overheating.

Reduced Wear and Tear

The same basic features that increase efficiency also help the submersible irrigation pump last longer with less maintenance and fewer repairs. Impellers spin smoothly to move water for years on end with less wear and tear on the internal components of the pump. With increased protection against overheating and reduced power demands to move the water you need for your crops, you get more use out of each pump to maximize the return on your investment. Since submersible pumps last longer, they're worth spending more on, especially when you consider the cost of lost work time spent dealing with less reliable pumps.

Wider Range of Power Options

Finally, don't forget that reduced horsepower requirements translate into lower electrical requirements. This allows you to connect your pump to a wired connection from your farm's electrical line or to rely on a small and field-mounted solar panel. If you're committed to using solar to reduce utility costs but need a very large pump to move a lot of water each day, you can set up a battery station and transformer to make sure your pump always has enough power to refill your water tanks or push moisture out to a large drip system. Many other irrigation pumps, such as jet pumps, require a hard-wired power line at the site due to the amount of power required to move water with suction.