Suction Lift – How high is the pump inlet above the water level. The higher the suction lift, the less volume a pump is able to produce.

Suction Length – How far is the pump inlet away from the water. The more distance, the less volume a pump is able to produce.

Discharge Height – How high is the discharge outlet above the pump. The higher a pump must discharge, the more horsepower needed to produce the same volume.

Discharge Length – The longer the hose length, the higher the friction, the more pressure required to produce the same volume.

Size of Hose – Increasing the size of the hose decreases the friction loss.

Friction Loss – Friction loss is the amount of resistance met by a liquid while traveling through a fitting, pipe, or hose. Many factors come into play such as the type of fitting (change of direction), size of fitting (4" pipe or 18" pipe), and velocity of the flow.

Material Pumped – Water is the standard, but needs will come to pump materials such as bentonite, quarry fines, sewage sludge, and latex sludges. These will all have tremendous effects on flow.