It is especially important that the makers and also the sellers of
pumps and pumping machinery should be informed regarding the proper
type, size, pattern and _proportion of parts_ for any peculiar service,
as well as to the plan of their connections and the kind of material to
be used in their construction.
This information regarding the conditions of the service under which
the pump is to be worked is quite pertinent to the foregoing pages
regarding the parts of pumps. The following questions are extracted
from the catalogue of an extensive manufacturer.
_First_—To what service is it to be applied?
_Second_—The quality of the liquid to be pumped, whether salt, fresh,
acid, clear or gritty, and whether cold or hot?
_Third_—To what _height_ is the water to be lifted by _suction_, and
what are the length and diameter of the suction and discharge pipes?
_Fourth_—Of what material is the suction pipe, and what is its general
arrangement as regards other pipes leading into it, etc.?
_Fifth_—Will the supply be taken from a driven well? If not, from what
source?
_Sixth_—To what height, or against what pressure, is the water to be
pumped?
_Seventh_—What is the greatest quantity of water to be delivered per
hour?
_Eighth_—What boiler pressure of steam is carried?
_Ninth_—Will the pump exhaust into the atmosphere, into a condenser, or
against a back pressure? If the latter, how much?