Plumber Sean Huxford and his wife Linda own and run Mapua Plumbing, a business they started in 1999. For the two decades they’ve been serving customers across the South Island, they’ve been purchasing pumps from Allflow. Sean says he relies on Allflow for the success of his own business because they give him accurate information and this means he can do the job he needs to do right the first time.
“Allflow is run by honest businessmen. They are specialists in their field and are good people to work with and they provide my team and me with good support. Any time I ring them, no matter who I deal with I get excellent customer service.”
Mapua Plumbing works as far south as Waikaia, as far west as Hokitika, and covers all of north Canterbury right up to Nelson and Tasman. No matter where their job is located, they prefer the products, service, and honest dealings they get with the team at Allflow.
“Some time ago now, Allflow recommended the DAB line of pumps to me. I tried them out and have never stopped using them. They are reasonably priced, which is important, but crucially, they never break down. I know it’s a solid brand made with high quality parts and materials that I can rely on and that my customers can rely on.
“It’s not smart business for me to have to revisit a customer because a pump I installed is failing too soon or has a fault. I never have this with the DAB pumps that Allflow sells me.”
The Allflow team is made up of specialists, Sean says. Clayton and Jacob have a depth of knowledge that he has come to rely on.
“Every time one of the team tells me something, it’s correct. If they don’t know the answer, they’ll find it. I’ve been to other places that sell pumps and you can tell that their staff don’t know anything about the pump. The team at Allflow is different, they know their equipment and they know their business and I get good information from them every time.”
Sean says working with Allflow gives him the confidence that he’s installing the correct equipment for each job. He says his customers are always happy with the results.
“I once worked on a very tricky job in North Canterbury for a customer who was a pilot living off the grid. He needed to pump water to his out-buildings. Rainwater collected in tanks on the roof of his hangar. He wanted to pump it to tanks situated about 500 metres away and up a hill. Then, the water had to be fed down to the house.”
Sean says he gave Allflow all the measurements and water requirements. They ran the calculations and identified a pump that would do the job.
“Not only did they do all the maths for me, they set up the pump so I could install it straight away, including with the right flow switches.
Sean says his business is mostly growing through word of mouth.
“I believe Mapua Plumbing has a solid reputation for doing solid work. We do it once, and we do it right. It’s really helpful to have a partner like Allflow supplying me the right advice and equipment that allows me to achieve this.”
Description
Designed for pumping from tanks, rivers and dams, these pumps are very reliable in the toughest of environments, including farm and commercial water supply use.
Features and benefits:
Cast iron heavy duty self priming jet pump. Particularly suitable for pressure boosting, irrigation, wash down application and agriculture installations.
DAB pumps are known all over the world for their high technology, efficiency, quality and reliability.- Maximum Flow 90 litres/min
- Maximum PSI 88 psi (610 kpa)
- Power 1.1kw
- 240 volt
Mapua Plumbing relies on the honest, experienced Allflow team
Choosing a firefighting pump
When it comes to buying a firefighting pump, we recommend you consider the following options when choosing a pump for this very important task.
Also, keep in mind that you don't have to invest in this significant item just in case of fire. You can use the pump any time you need pressurised water, such as for water transfer, irrigation, equipment washdown, and spraying. You can also pump clean, non-aggressive liquids without solids or fibres in suspension.
Pressure
We recommend you look at pumps that offer 100Psi or higher. For reference, a normal garden hose moves water at between 30 and 40 Psi. The Max head number multiplied by 1.42 gives you the Psi.
Flow rate
For most firefighting domestic use you'll want between 200 lpm and 1,000 lpm.
Max head
Max head refers to the maximum height the pump can pump to. You'll want to consider the difference in height between the pump and the location you are pumping water to. That means if you're pumping water up a hill or fighting a fire up a hill, the incline will matter. It's worth noting that moving the water considerable distances will compromise the pressure you get upon discharge from your pump. As a rule of thumb for firefighting, a Max head of 60m will give you what you need to cover most normal situations.
Most importantly, if you need to pump water to a significant height, or if you want any help with identifying the right option, we are here to help you, just ask!
Inlet/outlet size
The larger the pump outlet size, the faster the job will get done. Firefighting pumps have inlet/outlet sizes typically ranging from 1″ to 4″. That means a 3″ pump will finish a job three times faster than a 1″ pump.
Transfer pumps can move large volumes of water usually have lower Psi capacity and higher flow rates. High pressure pumps, including firefighting pumps, will have a higher Psi and move less water more quickly.
Self-priming capability
While not a requirement, it would be useful to have a self-priming pump to avoid the problem of air blockages that cause delays in the flow of water.
Metal bodies
Most firefighting pumps are made from metal rather than plastic because they need to be robust. Make sure the componentry is metal too. Plastic elements may cause issues under higher demands.
Quality engine
We highly recommend the best quality engines, and you'll find these on our pumps. Petrol pumps are usually Honda pumps and the diesel pumps will be Yanmar. Mains-powered electric pumps are not recommended for firefighting unless you have a dependable generator or back up supply.
Diesel engines are more fuel efficient, will usually perform for longer and are considered a safer option than Petrol. However, petrol options are cheaper and there is often a greater range of petrol models to choose from. Get in touch with us if you're interested in a diesel pump.
Starting
Easy starting is an absolute must. Firefighting pumps come with a choice of starter options like recoil, electric starter, or both. When you opt for a quality brand using quality engines you generally can rely on the product starting up when you need it and for a long time.
Other needs
You will need to have accessories with your pump, such as suction hose, firefighting hose, and nozzles.
