Mines, quarries and constructions sites deploy portable diesel powered trash pumps to handle excess dirty water. There two types; wet prime pumps, where water is added to the pump chamber to prime the unit, or dry prime units which use a vacuum pump to assist with priming.

The huge advantage wet prime trash pumps have over dry prime is their simplicity. They don’t require fancy priming apparatus in the form of complex compressors or vacuum pump systems.  Conventional dry prime pumps use an induction style system not designed for trash handling. 

Wet prime trash pumps are one of the easiest pumps to set up, use and maintain.  With fewer moving parts, they are also the most reliable!

To transfer typical mine site or quarry water, industry experts recommend pumps capable of handling silt and sand laden water without “choking”.  Wet prime trash pumps are designed to handle solids in suspension and that means big open “non-clog” styled impellers. 

The ability to handle solid laden liquids including flood water, slurry, and even effluent with solid concentrations up to 25% of the liquid volume, differentiates them from the rest!  They can deliver flows of up to 6,000 lpm and heads as high as 47 metres.

“A lot of dry prime pumps are used for site dewatering because operators don’t understand how simple the wet prime principle is”, said Aussie Pumps’ Product Manager, Brad Farrugia. 

Wet prime pumps require the pump cavity to be filled prior to starting for the first time. The pump will subsequently self-prime as long as there is water above the impeller.  The simplicity is also what makes these pumps so popular! 

“Trash pumps have a lower investment cost and lower maintenance costs compared to vacuumed primed pumps”, said Farrugia.  Wet prime pumps can last 20-30 years with regular maintenance!

Dirty water is extremely abrasive. Aussie’s range of trash pumps has hard-wearing internal components. They feature high grade SG cast iron impellers and volutes plus silicon carbide mechanical seals for abrasion resistance.

Australian Pump produce a “Aussie Pump Smart Guide” that not only provides full technical information, weights, dimensions, etc. on the full range of engine drive pumps, but also shows performance curves that enable the right pump for the job to be selected.