Looking For A Decent 1hp Pump

[Smithson]

Any recommendations on a good 1hp pump? I was told to avoid the Thai, Taiwanese and "Red" Chinese models. Apparently these are no good and it should be Italian. However I'm wondering if things haven't changed over the last few years and the quality from these countries improved?

[Artisi]

Any recommendations on a good 1hp pump? I was told to avoid the Thai, Taiwanese and "Red" Chinese models. Apparently these are no good and it should be Italian. However I'm wondering if things haven't changed over the last few years and the quality from these countries improved?

If you are talking about a motor/pump arrangement I would stick with the Italian or (Japanese if available) - especially if it is for high usage. If you are taking about a compact pressure system the Hitachi or similar Japanese would be the way to go.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Artisi

[Smithson]

I think it's motor pump arrangement - it sits above the water and needs to be primed before use, not the type you drop in the pond.

The usage won't be that high. We are not always on the property, so I'm a little worried about attracting thieves by having good stuff. I just don't want to buy crap that dies after a week.

[Foreverford]

I think it's motor pump arrangement - it sits above the water and needs to be primed before use, not the type you drop in the pond.

The usage won't be that high. We are not always on the property, so I'm a little worried about attracting thieves by having good stuff. I just don't want to buy crap that dies after a week.

Do not leave anything of value out in Thailand!!!!! Fish ponds need to be crisscrossed in underwater barb wire to prevent netting thieves and anything metallic will go away just like nuts on huge high Voltage power line towers. Good fences always make ggood neighbors and if you put a cement slab and a locked metal enclosure around your pump you might as well also invest some more bucks and erect a sign showing people where to come to steal it. When people are loosing up to 5 rai of rice to thieves night don't think that any asnd everything that has some kind of value will be taken. Like my farm in Mexico its not what you grow it's what you can grow that you can keep in the field until harvest to sell. A rai of onions will be gone in a night if you don't sleep in the middle of them. these are the unfortunate reality of it but it is endemic and don't turn a blind eye or be forewarned as you will have to make considerations for it.

So now for some good news similar to the crisscrossed barb wire in fish pionds to deter the pesky sorts. Bouganvilla is an excellent fence and make a wonderful human enclosure is drought resistant and when it is starving for water will produce the most beautiful flowers. Plant around the perimeter of the future fenced area and putup maybe a single strandt of wire to train the plants to go lateral. After less than a year you can start cutting excess growth and palnting it directly into the wet earth or put in a bottleo f water to and plant after roots start to show. With you lateral branches take some of the shoots and bury themj back into the gound when they are about half the diameter of your baby finger (do not cut them off) this will assure you of multiple root stock to assist in taking in water and is a saf4gaurd to any problems with your original rootstock. they will continu to grow vigorously as long as they are watered and you can start to tremove any posts and wires that you have used to keep it growing laterally. the branches have lovely sharp thorns throughout and no human can pass through it and it is a "friendly" fence to use with bad neighbors. The neighbors at the family home have constantly been throwing their garbage on our property so enough is enough and in went the plants about a week ago. my neighbors in Mexico were doing the same and stealing from my truck garden so I just used cuttings and planted at each post in the barb wire fence. Many years ago as the main original plantings are much bigger than you thigh and it stands close to 20 feet high. Alos VERY important constantly cut away any growth that encroaches on your property and onlyu encourage growth laterally if something comes out at you try to weave it back and plant it into the growund again. Of course my neighbors are lazy asnd never cut it on their sid e so it is also about 20 feet hanging into their property but a like Thais they are a bit innovative and ended up using a alrge section of it for a shaded carport where they hacked waway the undergrowht. No more garbage from that side of my property and if they want to steal my stuff they have to come in from the roadside but such it is and was. Chole Dee and pump away but don't let your pump gget lonely or someone else with fall in love with it. And you must know god wouldn't have made farmers if he wasn't going to make Ford tractors.

[Smithson]

Theft in our area doesn't seem to be a problem, it's only 3.5 rai and the neighbors can see what's going on. At the moment we have a brand new fridge and house pump which could be easily stolen, they've been there for 6 months. We have a 1.5m deer fence and locked gate. We're in a dead end soi, the guy who looks after the place is also in the soi and claims nobody rob out of respect for him. Anyway, things aren't that poor, most families have cars.

Back to the pump, any suggestions on makes/models?

[Lickey]

You might want to consider a 1hp Franklin borehole pump, it can be used in a pond/lake, cost between 10k 15k bht, in the dry season it runs 3 hours a day and 4 hours at night, the electric bill is 230bht for 1 month, as the pump is near the road, i have "camoflaged" painted the delivery pipe, 2years now and no problems, Its on a timer switch for nighttime watering, it powers 3 10mtr radius sprinklers upto 530mts from pump,

No doubt Honda powered pumps are the best petrol powered pumps around, and a good 1 will be about 6kbht, Im not sure what fuel quantity it would use in 7 hours, but if used 7 hours in 24 a month, i think it would come to more than 230bht, plus oil, maintainance ect a month.

Cheers, Lickey.

[Maizefarmer]

Why 1hp?

Some info about proposed usage, volume required (per day or week, or however often), distance to pump over, or height/head (if applicable), avalible power source (AC is approx 1/3rd cheaper than diesel when used to power pumps in Thailand) ect ect......

That would be a far preferable way to tackle the decision as you can get 1hp pumps that could provide say 1000litres an hour at 1 bar, and 1hp pumps that could provide say 100 litres an hour at 10bar - 2 very different pumps for very different applications.

As far as Thai versus Chinese (quality) goes, my personal opinion is that like for like the chances are Thai made pumps have one up over ther Chinese made pumps. Thai foundaries are actually quite good (i.e. the castings are not at all bad and the materials by and large are quite good). In the long run (if reliability is an issue) things like seals are where the problems tend to manifest themselves. I do quite a bit of pump repair work (farm type pumps - not domestic water supply pumps), and 80% plus of that repair work is enevatibly seal associated - usualy poor seal design/setup, and poor choice of seal material e.g. poor quality graphite rope, poor quality ceramic friction rings, poor quailty maching/alingment of sealing parts and faces........ and crap (absolute crap) bearing arrangements.

Domestic water supply pumps? - much of a sameness really when it comes to small 1hp ac domestic water pumps, though there are vast differeances in performance/quality amongst those with pressure/vacum accumulator tanks - you get top quality (and very expensive ones) from companies like Grindfoss, and cheap- cheerful types from a 1001 Chinese and Thai manufacturers.

At the end of the day, you get what you pay for...

[Smithson]

The pump will be used for the waterfall on our pond and also to water lime trees. The present arrangement of watering using the house pump is way to slow. The guy looking after our place recommended a 1.5hp, but said 1hp would do the job. He said besides being not that good, it's impossible to get parts for the Asian made pumps. I'm happy to go with a cheaper one that doesn't last forever, but don't want to get something that only works for a week.

[Maizefarmer]

Smithson - I think you could choose from anyone of about a dozen different types from a decent ag/garden supply store. Yes, the average domestic accumulator type may be a bit of a let down, between 1 - 1,5hp there are lots to choose from and personally I think they are much of a sameness - other than for having to factor in the supply source pressure.

If its a pond then its pretty much constant, but if you're tapping off the exisiting domestic supply - well, if thats low pressure then the pump may not work well at all. Honestly, I dont think theres much in it quite frankly a 1 - 1.5hp single phase centrifugal pump from the hardware store will do fine - they are usualy painted green. For what its worth, look for fins on the motor pump body (to dissapate heat) and look for "IP57" or "IP 59" stamped on the alloy tag that is riveted to the pump or motor body - that stipulates the envromental sealing catorgory and both 57 and 59 are safe for round the clock outside usage in rain, snow or sunshine.

[Smithson]

Thanks Maize. Just to clarify, when being used in our pond, the pump won't run full time, probably 15 mins and hour. We will also use it to water trees, taking water from the pond, so it would be hopeful if it has a decent pump rate.

[Maizefarmer]

Understood - but just how many trees are there and how are you applying the water?

If it's and orchad full of trees and you have someone to walk around to each of them with a hose pipe in hand or have a pipe network and drippers then fine, but if youre using sprinklers, 1 - 1,5hp wont do the job.

If its only 10 or so trees in th egarden, then fine, 1 - 1,5hp will be okay.

Its all down to how many trees there are, the method of watering and how quickly you want to water them.

[Lickey]

Right, i think im getting there now, A 1hp petrol powered pump is something you can attach to a strimmer engine, 25cc, 1 inch in, 1nch outlet, about 32 GPM, 1 hour on a tankfull and dam noisy!

The 1hp Franklin borehole pump i was on about does the job i want, 230mtr uphill, 100 across and 320 downhill, does the sprinklers no prob, 40 rai fruit farm.

The Italian Electric pump you want is a 2hp 230v 2in inlet, 2in outlet with a primer tower, avalable from almost any Agri shops for 2.800bht, where you buy depends on the lenght of guarantee, and make sure the trip switches work, if the brainy thai labour deadhead it, it will burn out, as will any make or product.

Rgds Lickey.

[Smithson]

Its all down to how many trees there are, the method of watering and how quickly you want to water them.

It's about 12 lime trees, plus some other fruit trees, altogether at least 20 trees. They will be watered by hand twice weekly, apparently the lime trees like a deep watering.

The Italian Electric pump you want is a 2hp 230v 2in inlet, 2in outlet with a primer tower, avalable from almost any Agri shops for 2.800bht, where you buy depends on the lenght of guarantee, and make sure the trip switches work, if the brainy thai labour deadhead it, it will burn out, as will any make or product.

Rgds Lickey.

This one sounds good, do you have a brand name? It needs to be electric. Thanks everyone for your help.

[dotcom]

If you are tossing the suction into a pond try & source a "foot valve" which is a non return valve with a strainer on the end. It attaches to the pond end of the suction hose. That way the pump will always be primed.

[Maizefarmer]

I second both comments above: footvalve and strainer danm good addition, and 2hp pump - just fine for amount of trees you mention.

[mellow1]

There's a good 1 HP pump on here, low KW, and up to 800 LPM depending on head. Uses 2 1/2 inch pipe in and out and could hook it up to a hose and take it with you when you go if you don't bolt it down. Probably around 6 or 8 thousand baht, its got a phone number there.

http://www.yonghong.co.th/productdetail.ph...roduct=8&id

[Lickey]

Hi Smithson,

There are so many italian made/built pumps here, best way is to check the plate riveted onto the motor or pump,again not 100% guaranteed its not a clone.

Yes, good point by Dotcom, the name for this valve in thai is Magaluf, fitted at the end of a non-colapsible pipe into your pond.

You will of course fit an on/off tap for the garden watering, if not, if the pump is higher than tree ground level, the hose will syphon of the water in the pick-up side of the pump,

Bit off topic but BIL made us a swinging chair for the farm, its in the bamboo plantation and i fitted up some hose with a watering can rose, when its really hot, its so enjoyable to sit under the cool borehole water for 30 mins or so, there you go, food for thought for your orchard ect.

Cheers, Lickey..

[Smithson]

Thanks for the advice, the 2HP pump sounds good, maybe a bit too good and too much of a temptation. I saw a second hand Italian one for 2,500, but it didn't look in great condition. The main purpose is for the pond, with the tree watering being a 'bonus'.

Bit off topic but BIL made us a swinging chair for the farm, its in the bamboo plantation

Cheers, Lickey..

Interesting, what type of bamboo are you growing?

[Lickey]

The bamboo name as far as i can make out and write in english is No Mai Ruek, theres some pics in a bamboo thread a few months back,

From what i understand it was planted when land titles were granted, ie forestry, its not sold, [would if we could mind you!!] just use it for anything that requires a stick of some sort, implement handles, sheltered salad garden beds, banana props and eat the shoots in the wet season.

Cheers, Lickey..