Standards Guide
ANSI/ASME B73.1 Explained
B73.1 is a dimensional standard, not a performance standard. Knowing the difference is what makes a replacement pump drop straight onto an existing baseplate.
Read more
Knowledge Centre
Thirteen Guides to Getting a Water Pump Right
Standards, materials, impellers, seals, curves, cavitation, installation, commissioning and maintenance — written for the engineer, not the buyer.
Standards Guide
Standards Guides
Standards Guide
ISO 2858 vs ISO 5199
One standard says where the holes go. The other says how long the pump should last. Specifications usually need both.
Read more
Standards Guide
EN733 and DIN24255 Explained
Two names, one set of dimensions. Why both still appear on specifications and what they fix on an end-suction pump.
Read moreDesign Guide
Design Guides
Design Guide
Back Pull-Out Design
The single construction feature that decides whether a seal change takes two hours or two days.
Read more
Design Guide
Open vs Closed Impellers
Efficiency on one side, solids passage and adjustability on the other. The choice is decided by the water, not the pump.
Read moreMaterial Guide
Material Guides
Material Guide
Pump Materials Guide
Grey iron through to UHMW-PE. What each wetted material is for, and the failure it is chosen to prevent.
Read moreComparison Guide
Comparison Guides
Comparison Guide
Mechanical Seal vs Gland Packing
One needs no attention and cannot be adjusted. The other needs attention and can be. The installation decides which is right.
Read moreTroubleshooting Guide
Troubleshooting Guides
Troubleshooting Guide
NPSH and Cavitation
Cavitation is not a pump defect. It is a suction system defect that destroys the pump, and it is almost always designed in rather than developed.
Read moreBuying Guide
Buying Guides
Buying Guide
How to Read a Pump Curve
A published envelope such as 2 to 1100 m3/h is a range of sizes, not the capability of any one pump. Here is how to get from it to a selection.
Read moreInstallation Guide
Installation Guides
Installation Guide
Centrifugal Pump Installation
Most premature pump failures are installation failures. Foundation, pipework and alignment decide more about pump life than the pump does.
Read more
Installation Guide
Pump Commissioning Checklist
Commissioning is where the numbers that matter for the next ten years get recorded. Skip it and every later diagnosis starts from guesswork.
Read more
Installation Guide
Vertical Sump Pump Installation
A wet-installed pump removes the suction problem and replaces it with a set of geometry problems. All of them are solved before the pump is ordered.
Read moreMaintenance Guide
Maintenance Guides
Maintenance Guide
Operation and Maintenance Tips
A short list of the things that actually decide how long a water pump lasts, drawn from how these pumps are built rather than from general advice.
Read moreQuestions
About These Guides
Who are these guides written for?
The person who has to specify, install, commission or maintain a water centrifugal pump. They assume engineering knowledge and skip the marketing.
Are the guides specific to Flowsteer pumps?
They cover general centrifugal pump engineering and reference the Flowsteer series where a published specification illustrates the point. The standards content applies to any manufacturer building to the same standards.
Which guide should I read first?
If you are selecting a pump, start with how to read a pump curve. If you are replacing one, start with the standards guide that matches your existing pump. If a pump keeps failing, start with NPSH and cavitation.
Can I get these as a document?
Tell us which guides you need and for which series, and we will send the series-specific version by email.
A Question These Guides Do Not Answer
Send it with the pump details and the duty. Technical questions reach an engineer, not a mailbox.