Rotary Pump Lift Height

[BrokenTrack]

I have an old hand dug well, and occasionally use it when the power goes out, but it really sucks to lift 5 gallon pails of water up and out of the hole. I have a hand, rotary transfer pump I bought, but never used, and thought about dropping that down into the well with a hose on it. But how deep can they draw from? I would need to pull the water vertically by about 10 feet.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I'm skeptical that it will work but since you have the pump give it a whirl. When my rotary fuel pump loses prime in the 3' diameter fuel tank it can be a bugger to get it started again.

 

[oldnslo]

Not sure if feasible but possibly pouring a little water into the pump to prime it might help. Suspect once primed it will lift the water but getting it primed could be a challenge.

 

[3Ts]

The depth it will draw from is dependent on the pump. The theoretical max you will get is 1 atmosphere converted to feet. E.g. 1 atm = 14.69 psi, 1 foot water column = .43 psi: so 14.69 / .43 = 34 feet (about). In practicallity, a really high efficency pump ($$$$$$) might get about 29 feet, so you should plan on something on the order of 20 feet with a good pump. That's assuming a positive displacement pump, centrifugal pumps are a different story. I believe a rotary vane pump is a positive displacement pump.

However, since you have the pump, try it and see. If you're only after 10' it will probably work.