Keith states he built this hand
pump in 20 minutes for about US $20. It can be used in water wells
that have no existing feed lines, wiring or submersible pumps in
place, or in water wells with them in place by the addition of a
1-1/2" interior diameter PVC pipe as a pump guide sleeve. The
1-1/2" interior diameter PVC guide sleeve should have a cap
glued on the bottom end and 1/2" holes drilled through the
bottom pipe section above the end cap. The holes allow water to
flow freely into the 1-1/2" interior diameter sleeve when it
is submerged into water. The sleeve separates the hand pump from
feed lines, wiring or submersible pumps so they do not rub during
pumping. It also keeps the water clearer by keeping the hand pump
off the bottom of the well. The guide sleeve can be bolted to the
above ground well casing area with 1/2" carriage bolts and
nuts. Be sure to seal the bolt holes with rubber washers or caulking.
The guide sleeve and pump should extend down below the water table.
As the foot valve of the pump is pushed down below the water table,
the water flows up through the foot valve and into the pump shaft
above it. The valve is open on the down stroke and closed on the
up stroke. Repeated pumping motion shoves the water up the pipe
and out the hose by a hydraulic ram effect. The water flows out
the hose on the down stroke only.
Pump length is based on well depth and the water table height in
it. The pump should be long enough to stay submerged in at least
3' - 5' of water so the pump remains in the water during the pumping
motion cycle. Remember that water tables may change with seasonal
conditions. If you know of wells that you may need to use in the
future, you should get proper water samples from them and have them
tested. Stagnant or unused wells should be cleaned out with a power
pump and disinfected. Local health departments and well drillers
maintain well records and can give you information on well depths,
testing and on keeping wells sanitary. You can also measure a well
and water table with a sanitized cord and plumb bob. When using
untested well water, you should use water treatments (boiling, bleach,
iodine, filters, etc.) to protect you from typhoid, dysentery, diarrhea,
cholera, giardia and other diseases.
You must disinfect your hands before using the well. Keep all the
pump parts off the ground and disinfect them before placing them
in the well. Sick persons must not have any contact with the well
area, pump or water containers. Keep the area around the well sanitary
and never drink from the hose or allow any waste water or animals
near the well area.
Leaving the pump in the well and keeping the well cap on when not
in use will help keep the well sanitary. If no sleeve is used in
your well, you can hang the pump inside the casing by a cord with
a prussik knot (Scout handbook) around the pump shaft. Install a
hook below the well cap area on the inside of the casing and hang
the pump from it. If you use a pump sleeve, you should make the
sleeve about 2" shorter than the well casing top. Make the
pump long enough to stand above the sleeve but still be short enough
for the well cap to be replaced over the well casing. You can also
wire a hook to the top of the pump shaft and hang it over the sleeve
edge.
The pump can be made from copper and brass. It will cost more, be
heavier and freeze easier in cold climates, but will allow the pump
to be used on fuels from storage tanks. Some makes and models of
brass foot valves are:
Simmons model 1402
Merril Series 810, model FV75
Water Ace model RFV75
Brady model SFV75 (plastic)
A plunger action check valve can be used but you should put a 1/8"
screen over the intake end and secure it with a ring clamp to help
keep any well debris out of the valve. Foot and check valves have
a closure spring which may need to be trimmed down or removed to
get the best flow rate from pressures generated by hand pumping.
The weep hole is about 1/8" diameter. It should be drilled
through one side of the pump shaft above the foot valve but a good
distance below the frost line in your area. This allows the water
in the pump shaft to slowly drain back down into the well when the
pumping stops. This helps keep the well from freezing in cold weather.
NOTE: This pump works great at depths of 0 to 20 feet; good
at 20 to 35 feet; OK at 50 feet. It remains workable down to 75
feet for one person, but beyond that, it is too heavy for only one
person to operate due to the increased water and pipe weight. It
will work deeper and is limited only by the person's downward thrust
with more energy than it takes to suspend the existing water column
in the pipe.
The pump model displayed in
only one of an endless number of pump variations you can build.
Parts are becoming harder to find in quantity due to low inventory
stocking practices at stores. Other pipe types, sizes, adapters
and fittings can be readily made into pumps that will work with
varying degrees of efficiency levels. A functional pump only needs
a foot valve, a weep hole (cold climates), a stiff hollow pipe shaft
above the valve for the water to flow up in, and a hose or side
pipe discharge to get the water away from the pump shaft and into
a container.
The best way to survive
a power outage or any emergency is to prepare before it occurs.
You need shelter, heat for cooking and warmth, water, food medicines,
medical supplies, hygiene items and other things. These will not
be easy to get in a power outage or emergency. Build a pump now
while you can still get the parts. After a power outage will be
too late.