For those of us living in the northern hemisphere winter is coming and this message will serve both as a reminder and a warning as to the inevitable arrival of temperatures below freezing.
For folks like us who reside in the higher latitudes, we know from experience that at some point in time (someday soon) the temperatures will fall below freezing. Before the freezing temperatures arrive we need to take action regarding those things that could be damaged in the freezing process. Simple things like the garden hose, the swimming pool, a boat or camper, and the forgotten items in the unheated garage/shed; like a pressure washer for example.
If you or your customers have a pump (and piping) that is not protected from freezing, you need to remove the water or the casing will crack and suffer expensive and permanent damage in the process. If you can’t remove the water then take steps to move the item to a protected area, add some type of anti-freeze, or add heat trace/tape.
If you live in a more moderate climate, at lower latitudes, where it doesn’t freeze very often you may not think about these things or take any precautions. And this is also the same geographical area where we sell a lot of replacement casings when it does freeze. For some reason self-primer pumps are overlooked more often than other types. I guess because folks forget about the water in the priming chamber.
Did you know that water is one of the only liquids that expands when it freezes? A few solid elements expand when they freeze, but water is the essentially the only liquid that expands due to its crystalline structure. When liquid water is cooled down from standard temperatures, it contracts as you would expect until around 37 degrees F, but then as the temperature lowers below 37 degrees the water expands slightly until it reaches the freezing point. When water freezes it expands by about 9%.
Winter is coming and the nights are long and cold. Will your pumps be ready?
-Jim Elsey