Which pipe to use on hand pump well?

turnkey4099 · Jan 3, 2008

Subject of foot valve: Only if you want to be pulling the pump/pipe during cold weather.

We had a pitcher pump set up for all our water needs back in the 30s/40s on the farm, pour water in to prime, pump several times till water appears, fill bucket, lift handle high would trip the valve built into the pump draining all water (including the pipe) back into the well. I presume the ones they sell now are set up the same way.

Not sure just how it worked when priming but it did in spite of my taking my frustrations out on it regularly. I was the kid carrying two buckets almost as big as me.

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Harry K

Egon · Jan 3, 2008

These pumps work with a pump rod attached to the pump which is set at the bottom of the tubing. Mostly the pumps had leather washers acting as the seal in the pump.

The small countertop mounted ones usually worked from a cistern in the basement, woud be in a heated area and subjected to a maximum lift that deepened on atmospheric pressure.

The deeper wells all the rod pump and pump stand at the top. Pumping the handle got real old real quick if it was a deep well and lots of water was needed.

Dood · Jan 6, 2008

A small ~3/16" hole drilled in the pipe below the frost level will allow water to drain out of the top of the pump to prevent freezing. It won't affect the pumping ability.

zzvyb6 · Jan 6, 2008

Your well would work and look a lot better with a 32' tower and an 8' windmill stacked around it. Tell Mom she won't have to get carpal tunnel pumping the handle that way....

turnkey4099 · Jan 6, 2008

Egon said:
These pumps work with a pump rod attached to the pump which is set at the bottom of the tubing. Mostly the pumps had leather washers acting as the seal in the pump.

Not ours. The entire works sat on top of the spring. Of course the water level was only about 2 ft below the valve in the pump also so...

Loosening a set screw or two let you lift the top, the handle, the pump rod and the suction disk with the leather on it right out of th pump body. You could then reach down and touch the flapper which had a knob on it that opened the valve when the handle was lifted high. That 'flapper was right at the base of the pump.

I still don't see how priming the pump chamber would suck water up the pipe though. There had to be something in there to keep the water from draining down the pipe below the flapper valve.

Of course my memory is of things back in the 40s.

Harry K

Harry K