Sihi pump wont take in cooling water???????

[whitetail farms]

I have a sihi 3404 liquid ring pump and the cooling water tank sits beside it, im trying to take the water from the middle of the tank by sucking it up 6 inches then into the pump,but every time I try to run the pump its make a kind of screeching noise and doesn't exhaust any water. ive only left the pump on like this for a couple minutes at the most, could the problem be I just haven't let it run long enough to start taking in water?
Thanks Nick

[PATheron]

Nick not sure how you have it plumbed but any ring pump Ive had you have to run some water in the pump head first before you start it up to make the seal so it will start sucking water and air. Some pumps you have to be carefull to only fill half full or some level. I just fired up a 5 horse sihi about an hour ago and it was full of antifreeze so I just put the output line into a bucket and turned it on and it took a minute and started sucking water up from like a 3/8 line that was plumbed on the side of it and blew out the antifreeze in a bucket and went right to working perfect. Once the green was out of it I put the output back in the coolant tank and it worked like a charm. Hope this helps. Theron

[whitetail farms]

what will happen if to much water is put in it?and what chamber should the water be put in to start it?, thanks for your help

[PATheron]

I don't know on a sihi if its only supposed to be half full to start it or not. Some pumps are supposed to be full to a certain line to start them. Im not sure what can happen if you don't do it that way. Ive had two sihi pumps and I just made sure they had some water in them, I didn't worry about how full they were, and fired them up and they worked. You could wait and find out for sure before you start them and ask somebody that knows. The sihi that I just got going is a 5hp one and it only has one port for the air to come in and one port for it go out. Theyre both on the top. Then as you face the motor on mine there is a smaller port on the left hand side with I think 3/8 hose on it. I just plumbed it up with a checkvalve on the input so if it shuts down it wont suck water back in the suction line to the releaser and freeze and then expelled out the other one back in the tank. Then I stuck the 3/8 hose down in the water and started it up and in a minute it went right to working. On the top ports there is an arrow pointing down on the furthest port from the motor and that is the suckion and on the other one there is an arrow pointing up and that's the output. Mine was mostly full of liquid and I just went for it. I really don't know on the sihi pumps what they recommend. Just talk to a sihi dealer Monday and they will be able to tell you. Theron

[whitetail farms]

okay thanks for all your help PATheron, I filled it half way and I got some water moving through but it kind of just dribbles out the exhaust side does that sound normal to you?

[Greenwich Maple Man]

okay thanks for all your help PATheron, I filled it half way and I got some water moving through but it kind of just dribbles out the exhaust side does that sound normal to you?

I have a Sihi60 cfm pump. If I remember right that was how mine started last year. Dribbled a little bit and then it started to really spray and gush out.

[madmapler]

How do you have the pump hooked up to the motor and how many RPMS is the motor?

[whitetail farms]

how long did it run before it started to spray ?

[Greenwich Maple Man]

A min maybe two at the most . Brand new at the time .

[Homestead Maple]

I have a Travaini liquid ring pump and the liquid level of the feed line has to be just above the entrance to the pump. The pump shouldn't be flooded with fluid. My pump starts pulling the cooling/liquid ring fluid rather slow at first but after a little bit it is rather fast. My feed line is 1/2 inch in size.

[sugarstone]

We have 7.5 horse sihi and we get our cooling water from a creek.

A 1" gravity line on the ground steals water from the creek and keeps a barrel on its side full. Barrel is slighty below pump.

On the inlet flange on a sihi there are 1/4 plugs that can be replaced with barb style fittings or an old 7/16s spile jammed in and threaded. I have 20" of sap line on the fitting that goes to the side opening of the barrel. I read on here somewhere that the cooling water should not be more than 18" below pump shaft as you will loose prime.

You won't get enough vac from the bottom side ports.

Water exhausts out onto the ground via a 1.5" pipe.

I have the pump plumbed to switch over to a 2nd barrel that has antifreeze for over night storage when it is expected to go below freezing.

Antifreeze is sucked into the pump via the plugs on the bottom and sides. Antifreeze barrel mid point is mounted even with shaft of pump to ensure enough antifreeze sits inside overnight.

Only time I have a squeal is when my cooling liquid runs dry for whatever reason..mostly from human error...filter on the gravity lines plugs and freezes for example.
I never have to prime it and from I've heard, there is no problem of having too much cooling liquid. Sometimes a little hard to start, but other then that..
If you want photos, PM me @ sugarstone.maplesyrup@gmail.com as I'am not on here much these days...
Andy

[ToadHill]

Sorry to disagree, but I've owned 5 liquid ring Sihi pumps and the instructions all say to never fill the pump and start it or you will damage the pump. I just installed a new 7.5 hp and it has a label to that effect right on it. I don't know what damage it will do, but the instructions are very clear. The instructions say to fill the pump to half way on the shaft and then start it. The liquid level in the cooling water tank should be at 1/2 the shaft level. I just don't want to see anyone damage an expensive pump.

[mrb215]

I just bought a used sihi lphr 40517 single stage liquid ring pump and I'm looking to pull water from a brook 20' away and about an 8' rise. Should I use the 2 1/2" seal water ports or the 2 3/8" ports just below the inlet flange?? I ran a 1" line from the Brook to the pump with a globe valve and then teed it to 2 1/2" lines to the seal ports but it won't pull the water up hill with out filling the line with water and turning on the pump.

[Sweet Maple Trees]

Most of the manufactures will tell you not to start the motor on a LR pump with the head full of liquid/especially a 2 stage due to the torque created on the fins at start up on the rotor(s). this may break off fins creating serious issues.

[pipeline]

try to dead head your pump or close to it down almost tight . system or woods has to be fairly tight for pump to circulate coolant and yes coolant level is around half full or up to shaft. there is a level or drain plug and should not be over this level when starting.we also put a circulating pump on inlet side and push coolant to pump when first starting and when flow is good shut pump of and vac pump will keep moving coolant.