quick pump check up system

[wideopen231]

Spud.

Question and if rather not answer as it is part of livelihood I understand.
I Want to build a quick check system,setup or what ever want to call it. So I can check pump  for loss. I have 30 plus years reading water and air flows and butt load of meters,gauges and flow valves. Thinking If I set it up so I can run pump at given rpm every time and read either total head)suction and discharge) or read drop across a orifice with know drop I would know if any change in pump. Have design for both just not sure which would work best for checking pump. My thinking is checking head pressure and running calculations might be best. Thoughts.

[wideopen231]

would a jetted outlet pressure checked at exact rpm be sufficient  check.Say jetted to = system size nozzles and bypass.

[Spud Miller]

 Hi,

Yes, you could build something to check it but it would be fairly expensive to do right and take some time to do. Measuring flow is expensive...measuring pressure against a fixed orifice and noting the change is probably the quickest and cheapest. But even turning the pump at a precise RPM can be a challenge. If you're off 15 RPM for example, it'll result in a different number.

 I'd recommend just using your engine... if you have a data logger you could note your pressure with a particular pill that you typically run at a certain RPM that you always run through. It should be pretty much the same. If you see it running high you could have a nozzle partially blocked or a filter getting dirty (depends on where your sensor is). If you see it showing low consistently, then that is probably pump wear and reclearancing will fix it up.

 If you don't see your tuneup getting leaner over time and there's nothing leaking from your pump, I'd just run it. An annual (or every other year) flow test and (if needed) a shaft seal, some bearings and a good cleaning inside from your pump dude (me I hope! ) should be plenty good.

 Spud