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Waterra (UK) Limited
 Unit 4
r/o 179-189 Stratford Road
Shirley, Solihull
West Midlands
B90 3AU
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)121 733 7743
Fax: +44 (0)121 733 7746
Sales@WaterraUK.com





Company Registration Information

INERTIAL PUMPS
How it works
Inertial pumps operate by successively lowering and raising a small diameter tube fitted with a bottom foot valve. The foot valve opens during the down-stroke and closes on the up-stroke enabling water to successively rise in the tube to discharge at surface. Using Waterra tubing and valves, water can be pumped from up to 85m depth in 50mm diameter boreholes.

Inertial pumps can be operated manually at shallow depths. For sustained periods of pumping or for operation at greater depths, the use of a mechanical actuator such as the PowerPack PP1 is recommended.


Simple, reliable and inexpensive - the foot valve is the key to the effectiveness of the Waterra Inertial pump


Download PDF Datasheet for Waterra Inertial Pumps (329KB)


Download PDF Instruction Leaflet for using
Waterra Inertial Pumps (181KB)

TECHNICAL
 How it works
New VS Foot Valves
Choosing the Correct Size
Main Components
Installation Tools
Tubing Accessories
Sampling Accessories
PRODUCTS
 Tubing and Foot Valves
PowerPack PP1
The VS Range of Inertial Pump Foot Valves
 The VS series of stainless steel inertial pump foot valves have been designed to provide the highest quality pumping performance in monitoring boreholes and piezometer tubes.
  • Manufactured in 316 grade stainless steel
  • Available in 5 sizes - 6, 10, 13, 16, and 25mm (OD's)
  • Rounded low-profile head for smoother pumping action
  • Tapered double screw thread for secure and rapid connection to tubing
  • Suitable for pumping from boreholes up to 90m deep (depending on tubing selection)
  • Surge Blocks for borehole development or sediment clearing in 50 mm diameter monitoring boreholes

The Waterra Range of Inertial Pump Foot Valves and Tubing
NEW VS Foot Valve
Surge Blocks attached to HF and STD Tubing with Valves
CHOOSING THE CORRECT SIZE OF WATERRA TUBING AND FOOT VALVES
Waterra inertial pumps are designed for purging and sampling small diameter boreholes (typically from 10mm to 200mm in diameter). They are not generally suitable for sampling directly from boreholes any greater than 200mm unless used inside a narrow diameter access tube.

For optimum performance, the Waterra inertial pump should be a few millimeters smaller than the internal diameter of the borehole. If Waterra inertial pumps are dedicated to individual boreholes (which is recommended to avoid cross-contamination and to speed up routine sampling surveys), sufficient annular space should be provided between the borehole lining and the Waterra inertial pump tubing to allow a water level dipper or other monitoring instrument to be used in the borehole.

There are currently six tubing and seven foot valve sizes in Waterra Inertial Pumps. The most commonly used for monitoring boreholes is the Standard System. Tables 1 and 2 can be used to select the most appropriate tubing and valve combination to match required flow rates and to fit within different borehole diameters.

Table 1: Selection of tubing sizes related to maximum flow rates.
Inertial Pump System Tubing OD(mm) Tubing ID(mm) Max Flow
Rate (l/min)
High Flow 25 21 15
Standard Flow 16 13 8
Standard X Flow 16 10 1.5
Low Flow 13 10 1.5
Micro Flow 10 6 0.5
Super Micro Flow 5 4 0.3

NB: Flow rates will vary depending primarily on the submergence depth of the valve. Flows will also be effected by depth to water and sediment content. For best pumping results, use the PowerPack PP1.

Table 2: Selection of valves for use in different borehole diameters
Inertial Pump System Valves Valve OD(mm) Typical Borehole
Diameters (mm)
High Flow VS5
D-32 		25
32 		35 to 150
50 to 200
Standard Flow VS4
D-25 		16
25 		20 to 50
30 to 100
Standard X Flow VS3 16 20 to 50
Low Flow VS3 13 16 to 19
Micro Flow VS2 10 13 to 16
Super Micro Flow VS1 6 9 to 12
D–Delrin. All "D" foot valves are external fitting.
SS–Stainless Steel. All "VS" foot valves are internal fitting.

APPLICATIONS
Waterra Inertial pumps are used for purging and sampling groundwater and contaminated water (e.g. leachate) from monitoring boreholes. They can also be used for cleaning and development of boreholes to remove sediment.

Table 3 can be used to select a suitable tubing and valve combination for some common piezometer and monitoring borehole sizes. Manual and mechanical pumping options are indicated.

Table 3: Tubing and Valve Combinations
Borehole ID (mm) 10 13 17 25 50 100 150 200
Tubing Option SMF MF LF STD STD HF STD HF HF HF
"VS" valve option VS1 VS2 VS3 VS4 VS4 VS5 VS4 VS5 VS5 VS5
"D" valve option - - - - D25 D32 D25 D32 D32 D32
Recommended Manual Pumping Depth (m) 30 30 30 13 13 5 13 5 13 5
Maximum Pumping Depth with PowerPack PP1 (m) 60* - - 60** 60** 40 60** 40 40 40
Suction Pump Option Where water level is less than suction depth (approx 8m) use a SP1 suction pump with STD or HF tubing. (Tubing connector required).
* Tubing clamp adaptor needed
** For deeper pumping to 90m use STD-X tubing with VS3 valve and PowerPack PP1.

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MAIN COMPONENTS

Tubing
 Waterra tubing is supplied in coiled lengths of 30m and 60m in a selection of 6 tubing diameters (See Table 1). Some tubing is also stocked in 100m coils. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), exclusively manufactured for Waterra, is the most commonly used material because of its high strength, durability, good sampling properties and low cost. Other types of tubing such as LDPE and Teflon can be supplied for specific sampling applications. We do not recommend use of any other inferior tubing.

 Foot Valves
 A range of internal and external fitting foot valves are available manufactured from Delrin plastic and 316 grade stainless steel. All our VS range of stainless steel foot valves are internal fitting to tubing and use a double screw thread for positive, quick and secure attachment. Delrin foot valves are external fitting to tubing and are also screw-threaded.

Manual or Powered Operation
 Waterra Inertial Pumps can be operated manually or by use of a mechanical actuator. Manual operation is not normally recommended below a depth of 5m (HF tubing) to 13m (STD tubing).

The PowerPack PP1 provides the power and performance to pump water from up to 90m depth using STD-X (16mm OD x 10mm ID) tubing. With HF (25mm OD) tubing it is possible to pump from up to 40m depth. The Waterra PowerPack PP1 is manufactured in the UK. It takes away the strains of manual pumping and provides the ability to pump at a regular and consistent rate. It is recommended for use when sampling from a large numbers of boreholes or for depths of pumping in excess of manual operation limits.

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INSTALLATION TOOLS

Tubing Cutters
 These light weight cutters are faster and safer than a utility knife, easy to clean and produce straight and clean cuts without burrs.

Valve Wrench and Hex Keys
 Waterra valve wrenched are designed exclusively for use with Delrin foot valves and old-style stainless steel foot valves. They ensure that valves are securely attached to the tubing.

A series of hexagonal keys are provided for tightening the new style "VS" stainless steel foot valves. These are quick and easy to use and enable valves to be attached directly on the axis of rotation.

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ACCESSORIES FOR TUBING AND FOOT VALVES
Surface Extension Discharge Tubing
 Disposable, clear, flexible PVC tubing is used with the 25mm OD High Flow tubing and the 16mm OD Standard tubing tubing to provide a means of directing the discharge of water during purging and sampling. During sampling, these tubes can be optionally removed.

Surge Blocks
 Delrin surge blocks are available for both the HF and STD tubing systems and can be used with either "VS" or Delrin Foot Valves. They are 48mm in diameter and are typically used for developing or cleaning 50mm diameter monitoring boreholes.

End Caps
 PE end caps can be supplied for the 16mm OD Standard tubing and 25mmOD High Flow tubing to cover the exposed ends of any sampling tubing installed permanently into boreholes between sampling events. These caps maintain the tubing ends clean and prevent access by foreign bodies.

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SAMPLING ACCESSORIES

Sheffield LFC Flow-Through Cell
 The Sheffield Lo-Flo cell is the culmination of a collaborative development programme between the University of Sheffield's Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group (GPRG) and Waterra (UK) Limited. It offers a range of innovative design features engineered to provide high quality field and laboratory measurements where air contact with the sample has to be avoided. A number of accessories are available for connecting the cells to different pumping systems, including a unique adaptor for use with 16mm Standard inertial pump tubing.

In-Line Disposable Filters
 Waterra in-line disposable filters are easy to use with most sample systems and are excellent for the preparation of samples filtered to 0.45µm for dissolved metals analysis. Filters supplied by Waterra uniquely include couplings customised for connection to inertial pumps.

Volatile Sampling Tubing
 A 6mm diameter siphon tube can be used to collect samples from inertial pump tubing to avoid sample contact with air at surface and provide a smooth laminar flow of water. Tubing can be supplied in HDPE or Teflon.

SP1 Suction Pump
 The Waterra SP1 portable suction pump weighs only 7 kg and is powered by the Honda GX series of ultra-small 4-stroke engines. As well as being a general purpose water pump capable of delivering up to 100 litres per minute, the SP1 is also an ideal tool for purging and sampling boreholes at suction depths (8m) in conjunction with inertial pumps. The inertial pump is used to manually prime the suction pump which is then utilised to efficiently purge the well. Once purging is completed and to avoid cross-contamination, the suction pump is disconnected and samples taken by manual operation of the inertial pump.

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