How Do Self-Priming Pumps Work? To avoid the mixing of air and water, self-priming pumps create a partial vacuum to discharge water while also evacuating any air. It does this by combining the air and water during the priming process, forcing the air to rise and the water to sink or go down.

Can self priming pump run dry?

"Self-priming" in this context means that the pump has the ability to use liquid stored in its housing to generate a vacuum on the suction line. Even a 'self-priming' centrifugal pump will not operate when dry.

What does it mean when a pump is self priming?

Self-priming pumps are a specific type of liquid pump designed to have the required liquid inside the cavity or pump body necessary to start the pumping process. This offers the potential for increased operating efficiencies in process plants where pumps are used for a variety of repeated yet intermittent operations.