Many thanks to those who offered suggestions about ways to retrieve water from my point driven well in my basement (in the event of a power outage), without installing a hand pump.

I just came back from the basement with this observation (I think I finally figured out my set up).

A verticle two inch pipe is cemented into the floor of my basement. At the top of this pipe (approximately a foot off the ground) is a faucet with a male thread. Looks like a regular exterior hose faucet. Another pipe is connected to the hose faucet apparatus at a ninety degree angle. This pipe connects to our well pump, which sits on the floor.

From the well pump, another pipe feeds water to our lawn sprinkler system.

So the question becomes, can I hook a hand pump to the faucet with the male hose thread? If so, How?

Thanks for your input!

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), July 21, 1999

Answers

Only if the water level is less than 20 feet. You will be fighting the laws of physics if it's farther than that. Hand pumps that operate at a greater depths than 20' have the actual pump cylinder at the bottom of the pipe and there is a rod that goes all the way down the pipe to actuate the pump cylinder. I'm guessing that your present pump is a "jet pump" that actually shoots water down a small pipe to a device that forces water back up a larger pipe.

The only thing I can think of is a handmade pump that I found a design for at:

http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/INFO_Files/Hand_Pump.html

It uses a small foot valve and PVC to make a crude pump, but it does work. Otherwise you're looking at batteries and an inverter to power your present pump.

Good luck!

-- Steve (bibleout@tds.net), July 21, 1999.

Steve - FM doesn't mention a secondary pipe for the jet effect, so if lucky the water level is less than 20 feet down.

FM - you really need to establish water level. if it *is* less than 20 feet, a pitcher pump will do the job just fine. it *could* easily connect to the top of the vertical pipe, if you can remove the 'hose bib' faucet and you find just a normal threaded end to the pipe.

if it *is* more than 20 feet, you'll have to use Steve's improvised foot valve pump or find someting more expensive.

again, good luck, and keep us posted!

-- Cowardly Lion (cl0001@hotmail.com), July 21, 1999.

Well depth is 22'.

Actually my present pump may indeed be a "jet pump."

(Wish I could fax someone a diagram. This is SO hard to explain)

There's a completely different setup about two feet away from the one I described above.

This consists of a verticle 2 or 3 inch pvc pipe that extends into a hole in the concrete floor. ('Never looked inside. Too creepy. Afraid I might find Jimmy Hoffa.)

Our sump pump is in there is down in this "hole" which is covered by a "mini man-hole cover" of sorts. I've assumed this pipe is for draining the sprinkler system before winter.

These set ups are not connected that I can see.

Does that help clarify?

Thanks!

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), July 21, 1999.

FM; Sounds like you have a basement sump pump that is used for basement flooding. If I'm right ? You should see that when you pour water into this hole the sump pump should drain it to the outside somewhere ? To answer your question of hooking up a pump to the threaded faucet , NO because the opening of the faucet is too small, it would be better if you keep it set up as is and attach a " Y " to this 2" pipe,and have your pump slide on to one side of the "Y". This threaded faucet is probably used to drain your sprinkler system during winter months from inside the house,at the lowest point of the water line. Furie...

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), July 21, 1999.

FM

sorry, need to clarify - is 22' to top of water level in the well? or to bottom of well?

if to water level, then improvised pump or more expensive submerged cylinder pump version is required.

if to bottom of well (could be, but not as likely), then a pitcher (suction) pump will work okay.

yeah, sorry, i'm not getting a good feel for what you've got to connect to, but the sump pump is not (better not be) connected to the well water supply.

-- Cowardly Lion (cl0001@hotmail.com), July 22, 1999.

*Perfect* vacuum loses it's ability to draw liquid at about 30' because of air pressure, so you can vacuum pump with an [excellant to very good] vacuum pump to about 28', since perfect vacuum is a lab type thing.

For info on a couple of other pumps email me; One has virtually 0 failure potential, and is not limited by depth and will not become unusable because of parts malfunction, and one that relies on vacuum, but has some great design benefits.

Respectfully; Michael

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), July 25, 1999.

Great to see you posting again Furie. (8'}` I'll get an email off to you tonight. I've been gone for a while.

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), July 25, 1999.