Have you ever wondered how suction trucks work? They are usually pretty large vehicles and machines, yet how they function often goes unnoticed. This is despite the fact that suction trucks contribute to many clean-up projects that keep cities, industrial areas, and other places clean, safe, and out of harms’ way.
If you want to learn more about suction trucks and what technology they use to function, then please keep on reading.
What Is A Suction Truck?
A suction truck is a large industrial truck—composed of a holding tank, pumps, and of course, high-pressure suction hoses. These vehicles are used to suck up different types of liquid waste, including sludge and slurry, into the holding tank of the truck.
You will find that suction trucks are used in waste management to primarily deal with situations such as large-scale sludge problems, septic and sewer maintenance projects, environmental clean-up projects, and liquid clean-up projects.
How Do Suction Trucks Work?
Suction trucks function on a vacuum system. The powerful pump of the truck displaces all the air within the holding tank in order to generate a vacuum inside.
From here, the primary and secondary shutoff valves will be opened through the suction hoses, which forces pressure within the tank to equalise with the outside atmospheric pressure and suck up liquids and/or sludge.
Vacuum Tech And Design
Suction trucks use negative air pressure to suck out the liquid and other materials. Negative air pressure is made by using a low volume liquid ring pump or sliding vane pump. The pump allows the vacuum of the suction power to suck up liquid and sludges.
Suction Truck Parts
- The Cab – This is where the driver seat is located as well as a passenger seat. This is where all the controls are located and where the driver operates the truck and all its functionality. It is the control centre.
- The Tank Can – This is the centre cylinder of the suction truck body where all the hazardous waste gets sucked into. It is usually made of a quarter of an inch rolled sheets of metal like steel or stainless steel.
- The Tank Head – This is the end cap of the body of the tank usually found at the rear end. It usually has a flange and a dish process and is made of the same material as the tank body.
- Discharge Port – Usually found at the bottom part of the tank body, the discharge port is where the hose is connected when the tank needs to be emptied. The discharge port is usually a three to six-inch pipe connected to a lever, a butterfly, or a ball valve.
- Inlet Port – This is smaller than the discharge port and is made of two to six-inch pipe that is also connected to a lever, a butterfly, or a ball valve.
- The Sight Eyes – this is usually a 3 to 5-inch inverted bowl that allows the users and operators to view the load level of the tank. It is usually made of plastic or glass and is located at the upper end of the tank body.
- The Pressure gauge – This is usually a simple gauge that keeps track and indicates the level of pressure inside the tank. This is usually found at the top of the end part of the tank body.
- The Vacuum Relief Valve – This is used to regulate the maximum vacuum level of the tank allowing air to circulate inside the tank to cool the vacuum pump. This is important because it will reduce long-term tank fatigue and the risk of the tank collapsing.
- The Pressure Relief Valve – This is an important safety feature like the vacuum relief valve. It regulates the pressure level inside the tank to help avoid accidents, reduce long-term tank fatigue and tank collapse.
- The Vacuum Pump – This is usually made of rotary vane pumps that create the vacuum in the tank.
Suction trucks are a common sight in our streets. We don’t really take much notice until we need them, pronto! Do not wait for an emergency, make sure you save our number and call us so we can do a maintenance check for you.