During our travels, we sometimes encounter situations where the drafting pumper comes up short in terms of equipment needed for drafting - or the event is so large that additional suction lines are needed in order to support the flow demand - and therefore additional appliances are also needed. For those folks who have "been around for awhile" - making a floating suction strainer is no big deal - simply find something that floats and tie it to a suction strainer that does not float!
The most common scenario is the barrel strainer. A pumper arrives at a good draft source but only has a low level strainer and a traditional barrel strainer. Chances are that the low level strainer will not support the rated capacity of the pumper so the barrel strainer needs to be used. However, the worry is about setting the barrel strainer on the bottom of the pond or stream.
An empty foam bucket (or similar container) works well as a "float" and can be tied to the barrel strainer - thus most likely creating a full-flow (rated pump capacity) floating strainer. Remember to tie off the float leaving enough slack so that the barrel strainer stays about 12 to 18 inches below the surface of the water.
Making a full-capacity floating strainer is as easy as tying an empty foam bucket to a barrel strainer. Of course, one has to carry an empty foam bucket on the pumper.
The key point here is to allow enough slack in the rope to allow the barrel strainer to remain about 12 to 18 inches below the surface of the water so that the chance for a vortex forming is minimized.
Pea Ridge VFD's engine crew made two floating strainers so that they could increase the flow into their pumper at this tanker fill site in nearby Montevallo, Alabama.
A Kochek hi-flow floating strainer. Same idea - just manufactured instead of "homemade on the fly."
The Kochek strainer in operation.
All three strainers in operation at the tanker fill site.
