# Water Well Hand Pump ?



## BillT

I have a Deep Water Well with a typical Submersible Electric Pump.

I am interested in putting in a Hand Pump so I can get Water when there would be a Power Outage. 

I wasn't even sure if they even made one until last night. I did a thorough search and actually found many. It took a little further research to find out some prices. I had about $300 to $400 in mind and got knocked over when I saw the good ones going for $1500 to $2000!!

I have a Pump House out in the field and have a Plastic Water Line buried about 24 inches down that has somewhat of a downward slope towards the house. 

When we have a Power Outage, if we run the Water fast, we will lose it pretty quick, but if we nurse it and run it slow, it will last a surprisingly good little while. I believe that it actually Siphons somewhat which helps it last longer.

Now my question. It sounds too simple, but if I were to dig down to the Plastic Pipe, near the house, put it a Tee Connection and connect a Hand Pump to it, would it possibly work? My thinking is that if it will Siphon somewhat on it's own, it could very well pump Water with a Hand Pump.

I can see that I would need to put in a Shut Off Valve next to the Tee on the house side for the Pump to only draw from the Well side. I would also put a Shut Off between the Tee and the Hand Pump for it to run normally when back to regular service. 

Looking for input, thoughts or advice.

Thanks

Bill


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## Padre

I am very interested in an answer to this question also, I have a gravity fed system that comes into my house, in the basement, but there is not enough pressure to force the water up stairs. Currently we use a typical indoor water pump, but in a lights out situation is there a hand pump I could use to augment the pressure?


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## Tirediron

BillT :If I read your question right , my answer would be no, the bit of water pressure you have left over when the grid goes out is from the pressure tank, gravity may help a bit, but the chances of sucking water up from any depth is slim, Hand ,deep well pumps are submerged (the pump part) and push water up to the surface. You could put a hand pump down the well hole along with the electric submersible , there is usually room for both except right at the bottom (at the submersible head), but the submersible should be fairly deep in the reservor so the hand pump unit can be just above it and still have good water depth. If there is room for both pumps, some of the better hand pumps have a spot to connect a hose or some kind of fitting to pressure up your house water system, a valve to prevent the sub from dumping water back into the hand pump would be nessicary. if you used up the remaining pressure from the pressure tank and opened a tap in the house you could hand pump water to the house system at not much more effort than filling buckets with the hand pump (this is where the downhill slope would help you)

Padre: you should be able to find a shallow lift pump fairly easily, even one of the plastic pump kits should work because you wouldn't need much lift, unless you were trying to build enough pressure for a regular feeling shower or something.


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## VUnder

Maybe you could invest in a tank of some sort, like one of these square crates they sell here that are 375 gal. Always keep it full near the house, or in the house, however you can work it out. Then you will have some water close and could even use a 12v pump or gravity feed depending on how you set it up.

On an outage where you think it may be permanent, pull your well pump and drop a hand pump in or use a bucket. There are some examples of home made deep well hand pumps on here that you can make yourself, and make them cheap. Maybe 75. for the pump parts plus some 2" pvc to get to the bottom of your well. If your well is fairly large diameter, you can bail with a regular bucket, but if it is smaller in diameter, 4"-6", you can make a bucket now out of the next smaller size pipe and have it ready. The pipe buckets, and my grandparents had these, are just a 3' section of pipe with a flapper valve on the bottom. When you drop it down to the bottom, the flapper flaps up and water comes in, then you pull up on it and the flap flops down and sits on a seat and holds the water until you get it up and pour it out.

Me personally, I would make the hand pump up, have that ready, and keep a bail bucket for back up for your back up. Or, you could always get a small generator and run your electric pump to have water. But, this site is about modern conveniences being gone for a good while, so that is how I think. Ask questions and we will all try to help you out.


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## VUnder

Padre said:


> I am very interested in an answer to this question also, I have a gravity fed system that comes into my house, in the basement, but there is not enough pressure to force the water up stairs. Currently we use a typical indoor water pump, but in a lights out situation is there a hand pump I could use to augment the pressure?


They make hand pumps. Even a fuel transfer pump will work as long as it is new, and you take it apart and clean it, and put it back together with food grade lubricant instead of petroleum based lubricant. Maybe a hand diaphragm pump, and get an extra diaphragm or two to go with it. Or, if you get a piston type pump, get some spares for that too.


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## JustCliff

Hey Bill.
Here is a post I put on another forum yesterday. 

I finally got my new manual water pump in. I have been waiting on this for a while. Figured I should get it before I couldn't anymore. I got it off Ebay for $184 delivered. The price was reasonable and didn't get burnt on shipping. This seller was in Indiana.
I am working on a pump head made of off the shelf plumbing parts. I couldn't see myself paying the $800+ for one. So far I have had minimal machine work done. I should come in under $100. The 1 1/4" galvanized water pipe to drop in the well is another story. Everone seems to really like that stuff now!! Lowes is the cheapest I have found at $3.20 a foot. I am going down 60' as I have water at 30'. 
It is a Midland #442
Frpm the description:
Brand new brass closed top #442 shallow well cylinder in the 2" X 16" size. Provides a 8" stroke capability. Perfect is every way. Includes 2 leather pump valve fitted with a 7/16" galvined rod plus a poppet style foot valve. Leathers included too. Caps are tapped for standard 1 1/4 " NPT pipe. 

This a closed top cylinder with flush caps designed for small diameter wells. Barrels are made with 11 Gauge seamless brass tubing. The plunger is all brass with hemispherical poppet and two cup leathers. The check poppet is fitted with a special facing for a secure seal. Clearance of 2” is provided for operation at each stroke specified. Cylinders are supplied with 7/16” stainless steel rod.. This type cylinder was originally designed for Hand Pumps but can be used with windmills in shallow well situations. (We recommend 100ft or less).


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## BillT

Appreciate all of the replies. 

I am pretty much agreeing that my idea will not work. Not only because of some of the info above, but as mentioned, the water now is pushed up from the bottom and I would be trying to draw it a good ways away horizontally. Especially in my case as I have thin wall plastic piping and I could see it very possibly collapsing in the process, even if there would be a possibility of it working. 

I would be interested in learning more about building my own Hand Pump and installing it alongside my submersible pump now.

JustCliff, could you use plastic pipe instead of galvanized?

Bill


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## JustCliff

I went and bought 6 peices of pipe and 5 couplings last night. I don't think I could, not with a pump this size, it is a bit heavy.

How deep is your well? How far from the surface is your water?


My wells are 130'. I have water at 30'. I am going down about 55' There is no need to go down close to the bottom. You will not be able to pump it up that fast with a hand pump to run it dry.
The pump I am building will be able to push water through a hose or out a spout. It took me a while to figure out how to keep the system closed to push it through a hose. When I did figure out what some of the companies use it was a DUH moment. 
They use a modified brass compression fitting on the top were the sucker rod comes through. Building the head is not so hard now. If you want something small to go next to your electric pump, you could build it with little of nothing. The pump is what will get you. You will want a decent pump that you wont have to pull and repair. 
I will try and pull this pump apart and get a pic or two of the internals and post them. might give you an idea on how to build one.

(How far are you from Clarksville?)


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## BillT

Clarksville, VA? Close to 2 hours. I'm 22 miles east of Roanoke.

My Well is 165 Ft Deep. I saw the Water Line the day we pull the pump out, but I can't remember how deep it was. I'd only be guessing. 

Pictures would be great, thanks.

Bill


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## UncleJoe

I just came across this tonight. Something else to look at.

Flojak Hand Well Pump - Deep Well Hand Pump - Shallow Well Hand Pump


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## BillT

I have heard of Flojak, but just read up on it more thoroughly.

Appreciate the link.

Bill


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## stanb999

Here is a pump I designed from a myriad of youtube videos. on the subject. I found the same issue as the OP. They were darn expensive and I wanted one that was frost "proof" so it had to pump from the bottom.

It works for me at 20'. It also worked for a fella on a different forum to 55'. I see no reason it wouldn't work to greater depths. The issue will be more of efficiency and work load rather than ability. It's entirely made from materials available at lowes or home Depot. Cost will vary but it shouldn't cost much more than 100 bucks. Ours has been in place for nearly a year with no issues.

Without further ado...














































Sorry for the pic heavy post...


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## BillT

Great diagrams. I'll be studying up on it.

Thanks for posting them.

Bill


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## stanb999

BillT said:


> Great diagrams. I'll be studying up on it.
> 
> Thanks for posting them.
> 
> Bill


A few notes...

Use a dremel to cut the shoulders on the fittings where indicated. Use sand paper to properly fit the pusher rings. They just about fit in the pipe in the natural state. But a little sanding and they fit well enough that I pump from 20' without seals.

The one way valves are the simple flap type. They require the least psi to over come and are cheap.


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## larsj

*piston pump*

Hi, I am new here and am actually wanting to build a deep well pump and have two questions if anyone could help. First, does anyone know if I could buy a premade piston pump somewhere as that seems to be that most difficult part of the whole rig, and secondly I don't know exactly how the submersible pump works exactly, at the bottom, but is there any reason you could not tie into the existing piping with a pump and handle at the well head with a check valve going to the plumbing in the house to pressurize the bladder in the pressure tank? Thanks


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## idragrace

larsj 
Here are a couple of links to some premade pumps that can be used in existing wells. Hope this helps.

Flojak Hand Well Pump - Backup Hand Pump for Well

Bison Hand Water Pumps

Hand Water Pump, Motorized, by SIMPLE PUMP

I have not used these so do not have any information as to the real world use.


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## larsj

*pupmps*

thank you, i appreciatae the info.


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## VUnder

There is an example on here to use two brass check valves with a pipe nipple between them, and gaskets on the nipple between the check valves. It all goes inside a 2" pvc pipe that you use for a pump barrel. Then you can use a cable or a rod for a sucker. At the top, you just put a tee, and let the water discharge out the side. The check valves had the springs removed.


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## jjwilson72000

Don't know if this helps, but it is the project I am planning for next summer.

Water Well Helpline

I am not very technically intelligent so hammering a pipe into the ground is what I am going to try. It looks like this method will be marginally more expensive than some of the other ideas, but simpler.


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## fishtexas

Also look into this well hand pump.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WELL-HAND-P...Domain_0&var=560123524084&hash=item3cc699b839


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## Szumi

BillT,

How deep is your deep well? I have a shallow well so a vacuum pump works fine but the limit is 33 feet. After that you have to have the pump section where it can push water up the pipe.

Would it make more sense to fire up a generator to run the pump when you want water and have containers to fill so you don't have to do this often?

Szumi


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## beingwater

And then there's this http://www.beingwater.com/urban-farming/handy-well-pump


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## LincTex

Szumi said:


> I have a shallow well so a vacuum pump works fine but the limit is 33 feet. After that you have to have the pump section where it can push water up the pipe.


You can install an ejector venturi (jet) that will let you keep the same pump, but will let you draw water from much greater depths.



Szumi said:


> Would it make more sense to fire up a generator to run the pump when you want water and have containers to fill so you don't have to do this often?


YES! Absolutely! 
In fact, don't start your generator unless you have about 90% of its capacity waiting in the wings, ready to go. Have your flour mill all set-up, your washing machine loaded, fridge plugged in, your water containers ready to be filled, etc. You want to be able to get as much done as you possibly can in the shortest amount of generator "run time" possible.


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