The most necessary condition to the satisfactory working of the steam pump is a full and steady supply of water. The pipe connections should in no case be smaller than the openings in the pump. The suction lift and delivery pipes should be as straight and smooth on the inside as possible.
When the lift is high, or the suction long, a foot valve should be placed on the end of the suction pipe, and the area of the foot valve should exceed the area of the pipe.
The area of the steam and exhaust pipes should in all cases be fully as large as the nipples in the pump to which they are attached.
The distance that a pump will lift or draw water, as it is termed, is about 33 feet, because water of one inch area 33 feet weighs 14.7 pounds; but pumps must be in good order to lift 33 feet, and all pipes must be air-tight. Pumps will give better satisfaction lifting from 22 to 25 feet.
In cold weather open all the cocks and drain plugs to prevent freezing when the pump is not in use.
When purchasing a steam pump to supply a steam boiler, one should be selected capable of delivering one cubic foot of water per horse-power per hour.
No pump, however good, will lift hot water, because as soon as the air is expelled from the barrel of the pump the vapor occupies the space, destroys the vacuum, and interferes with the supply of water. As a result of all this the pump knocks. When it becomes necessary to pump hot water, the pump should be placed below the supply, so that the water may flow into the valve chamber.
The air vessel on the delivery pipe of the steam pump should never be less than five times the area of the water cylinder.
There are many things to be considered in locating steam pumps, such as the source from which water is obtained, the point of delivery, and the quantity required in a given time; whether the water is to be lifted or flows to the pump; whether it is to be forced directly into the boiler, or raised into a tank 25, 50 or 100 feet above the pump.