 TRADITIONAL STRAINER |  BEARSPAW SEPARATOR |
|---|---|
❌ Lets sand & pebbles through → causes pump wear | ✅ Physically separates solids — only clean water enters pump |
❌ Should be suspended 24” above bottom → useless in shallows | ✅ Rests directly on sand/gravel — works in just 6-inches of water |
❌ Flow is reduced as the mesh clogs → requires constant clearing and is also a threat to aquatic life | ✅ Self-cleaning. Deploy & walk away. No babysitting & be assured there is no threat to aquatic life. |
❌ Easily causes cavitation, blockages in fire nozzles & sprinkler heads plus allows debris through pumps to tanks | ✅ Does not contribute to cavitation, protects fire nozzles, sprinkler heads, pumps & tanks from debris |
❌ Limits drafting locations | ✅ Multiplies your usable water sources |
Unlike strainers — which rely on mesh size to filter debris — BearsPaw SEPARATORS® use patented separation technology that instantly separates debris and sediment from the water before it reaches the pump.
This feature simply means that only clean water passes through to your pump — without debris, clogs, or downtime.
…And it works even while resting on the bottom of a creek in 6″ or less.
6061 Aluminum, HDPE, Stainless Steel
Includes saltwater deployment
Confidently purchase risk-free
2-inch (50 mm) Suction Separator
For high-pressure Fire Pumps like CET, WICK, WATERAX.
✅ Ball swivel connector
✅ Foot-valve built-in (helps maintain prime in suction hose)
✅ Vegetation Guard
✅ Optional connectors including Camlock are available
Flows: US GPM: 113 | LPM: 427 | Imp. GPM: 94
2.5-inch (65 mm) Suction Separator
For both volume & pressure portable pumps like CET, WICK, WATERAX & TOHATSU fire pumps.
✅ Ball swivel connector
✅ Foot-valve built-in (helps maintain prime in suction hose)
✅ Vegetation Guard
✅ Optional 3-inch (75 mm) connectors (including Camlock) are available
Flows: US GPM: 317 | LPM: 1200 | Imp. GPM: 264
4-inch / 100 mm Suction Separator
For portable self-priming like TOHATSU & fire truck pumps.
✅ Vegetation Guard
✅ Optional connectors including Camlock & Storz are available
Flows: US GPM: 1200 | LPM: 4546 | Imp. GPM: 1000
6-inch / 150 mm Suction Separator
For fire truck pumps.
✅ Jet-Syphon
✅ Vegetation Guard
✅ Optional connectors including Camlock, Storz, & 5-inch / 125 mm are available
Flows: US GPM: 1550 | LPM: 5867 | Imp. GPM: 1291
"We could never draft in the location before for obvious reasons, and we now don’t need to be worried where we draft from."
"We probably more than doubled or even tripled the amount of water sources we now have available – it’s fantastic."
"The most exciting part is that we’re not going to have any downtime, pump issues, lack of water at the nozzle, and keep our firefighter’s safe.
"The Separator is a game-changer as far as I’m concerned, it’s going to change our [drafting] protocol so much."
"This thing is amazing. I have dropped it in 6 inches (15 cm) of water and had a continuous water source without any debris in my porta tank or nozzles."
👉 If you answered YES to ANY of these — you’re wasting money, time, and pump life.
So, BearsPaw SEPARATORS® aren’t just an upgrade to your arsenal. They’re a necessity.
Strainers protect pumps from larger debris but still allow sand, pebbles, and debris to go through to the pump causing wear and tear, while weeds and debris, if present, can suffocate the intake of water flow, leading to cavitation and damage to fire pumps. To help alleviate the potential damage to the pump, the suction strainers need to be suspended at least 24" (60 cm) above the sand or gravel, & 18" (45 cm) below the surface of the water level.
Separators (patented technology) function while resting on sand and gravel in all depths, even in less than 6" (15 cm) as it instantly separates the debris from the water allowing only water into your pump. This process eliminates excessive wear or serious damage to pumps, that normally results in down time with costly repairs or replacement.
The bottom line is that the effectiveness of pump protection (for cavitation, sand, pebbles, weeds & debris) offered by Separators is revolutionary in comparison to that of a strainer, especially when used in shallow natural water sources. So, Separators save you money while strainers cost you money in repairs and for premature replacement of pumps plus downtime.
No. It’s designed to rest directly on sand, or gravel — even in 6” (15 cm) of water.
Yes. Models 4.3 and 6.3 are built specifically for truck-mounted and self-priming pumps.
Absolutely. Contact us or Request a Quote with some details of your pump, connector type, and size required.
We’re based in BC, Canada – Pacific Time Zone
