Water pumps are a type of impulse turbine that works using a spinning wheel to convert potential energy from pressure into kinetic energy. The water is pumped from a lower elevation to a storage area, where it is collected until it's needed.

A water pump can drain water from a basement or shallow flooded areas, drain and fill a swimming pool or dam. It can also be utilised in the irrigation needed for agriculture. Water pumps are employed for getting rid of excess water to reduce the downtime from large rain events.

When the water hits the rotating impeller, energy of the impeller is transferred to the water, forcing the water out (centrifugal force). The water is displaced outward, and more water can now enter the suction side of the pump to replace the displaced water.

The basic operating principle of a pump is that it uses energy to move fluids from one point to another. All pumps contain a moving component. The moving component (impeller, vane, piston) displaces air, decreasing the pressure and creating a partial vacuum. Air or fluid then moves into this area of low pressure.

A pump is an electrical device that is used for drawing out water to a high level. Basically, a pump works on electromagnetic force. It consists of a motor having a shaft, which rotates at a very high speed.

Key characteristics of water pumps

• Flow rate. The flow rate tells you how much water can be pumped over a given period of time.
• Pressure.
• Discharge head.
• Suction head.
• Total Dynamic Head (TDH)
• Water quality.

Pumps can be classified into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps. The function of a pump is not to generate pressure, it produces liquid movement or flow. Pumps produce the flow necessary for the creation of pressure, a function of resistance to fluid flow within a system.

Depending on the type of pump, common applications may include:

• Water movement.
• Chemical processing.
• Large-volume fluid management.
• Pressurizing water/fluid.

Specifications. Pumps are commonly rated by horsepower, volumetric flow rate, outlet pressure in metres (or feet) of head, inlet suction in suction feet (or metres) of head. The head can be simplified as the number of feet or metres the pump can raise or lower a column of water at atmospheric pressure.

Induction motors are also commonly used in water pumps and ventilation equipment in commercial buildings. A water pump is a type of pump that moves water from one place to another. This type of motor relies on a rotating magnetic field to power the pump. The pump contains a rotor that rotates inside a magnetic field.

Each pump creates a vacuum into which fluids flow under atmospheric pressure. Pumps create low pressure or suction in a variety of ways and define the type of pump. Pumps that rotate use centrifugal force to accelerate the fluid, creating low pressure in the centre of the impeller.

Positive displacement pumps use a mechanical means to vary the size of (or move) the fluid chamber to cause the fluid to flow. On the other hand, centrifugal pumps impart momentum to the fluid by rotating impellers that are immersed in the fluid. The momentum produces an increase in pressure or flow at the pump outlet.

A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy.

Pump characteristics - such as flow, pressure, efficiency and brake horsepower - are shown graphically on a pump curve.