This force allows the heavier material to settle out of suspension and the lighter, non value bearing material to be washed away. This continuous self cleaning principal allows a dredge to be operated for prolonged periods of time. Normal conditions require a sluice box to be cleaned only once or twice a day. Before starting the engine, the pump must be fully primed. This means the pump must be full of water and all air removed.
All jetting pumps provided with our dredges have a mechanical water pump seal.
Without the presence of water in the pump, friction could cause a seal to overheat and require replacement. Priming the pump on some of the smaller models is accomplished by thrusting the foot valve back and forth under the surface of the water in a reciprocating motion. This will cause water to become pumped into the foot valve assembly into the pump. A pump is fully primed when water is observed flowing out of the discharge end of the pump. It sometimes may become necessary to hold the discharge hose above the level of the pump to complete the priming operation.