SS hand water pump

[Wpala]

Hi
Would like to build a hand deep well water pump (do not want to spend 1k) have all the equipment for it just would like to know what type of SS would be best suited for the project I know some types machine and weld better then others but has to be capable to stand up to submerged environment obviously
If someone has done something like that would also love to see the ideas for cylinder build, I have a few but experience is best

Thanks in advance
Paul

 

[JRIowa]

316/316L would be first choice. Excellent corrosion resistance, decent machining and weldable. Next would be 304. Stay away from 303 stainless, it has problems if you weld.
JR

 

[Heavey Metal]

SS is alright for the sucker rods but most working barrels are ali bronze ss galls to easy.

https://www.lehmans.com/p-4793-deep-well-lift-pump.aspx

 

[magneticanomaly]

There are a couple for sale now, of which this Bison Hand Water PumpsBISON PUMPS® is only one.

The old hand-pump cylinders were cast-iron with brass or bronze sleeve, sometimes brass valves, and leather cup.

That design in 316 would be my choice, with a couple of mods...principally a UHMWPE piston, UHMWPE valve poppets maybe with dovetailed-in o-rings, and using a standard glass-filled nylon hydraulic cylinder wear ring as a piston ring. Might have to experiment with the wear-ring to be sure that swell does not make it bind....but as a piston-ring it should be in a groove deeper than its thickness, so likely no problem. No risk of galling with plastic piston. 304 0r fiberglass for sucker rod.

I'd like to see your design! I put an antique pump down my electric-pumped well,alongside the jet, in 1980 or so, and for the next 10 years I lived there greatly enjoyed access to my water during electic power outage or electric-pump failures.

A reason to avoid 304 is pitting corrosion. A reason to avoid brass is failure by de-zincification...tin- or silicon- or aluminum-bronze is okay

 

[redlee]

Why not go with something like this for the Cyl.mat.
http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...T6NfFcN1eL92Ety-qYyJdEA&bvm=bv.55123115,d.b2I

 

[Bill D]

why not brass or bronze? better wear properties some what self lubricating. no worries about heavy metals in the water.
Bill D.

 

[Wpala]

Thank You all for you contributions !!!
Much appreciated keep them coming.
Some of the new pumps are SS, but you are right I could make it out of bronze especially the internal part would this work SSpipe as a cylinder and then sucking valve out of bronze?

The composite one look good and promising however i'm afraid that slow chemical leaching can occur with time this stuff has not been tested for drinking water so that is out, I still remember the days that a most of pipes were made with lead in them and they were saying oh no problem its safe, I think bronze/ brass and SS have proven to be one of the safest - at least to my limited knowledge

Paul

 

[Limy Sami]

IME you should not run stainless on stainless - either sliding or rotating.

IME You should use bronze and not brass which has a tendency to fall apart in some waters.

 

[WizardOfBoz]

Agree with Limy. No brass. No SS part rubbing any other SS part (if you have to have a SS screw in an SS tapped hole, silverplate and used silver-bearing anti-gall) . But I'd make your sucking rod of SS (better tensile properties), and the cylinder of bronze.

 

[LFLondon]

SS is alright for the sucker rods but most working barrels are ali bronze ss galls to easy.

https://www.lehmans.com/p-4793-deep-well-lift-pump.aspx

This is a Heller-Aller well pump; these are time-proven, reliable and cost effective. I have seen and used one;
there are many different models; some have hose bibs for connecting pump to elevated water storage - a first
class piece of equipment; glad to see they are still being manufactured. - accessories are extra, i.e. piping, etc.;
total cost for an average well might be around $1000 or more.

 

[Limy Sami]

You might find this useful, a 100ft lift in say 1 1/4 gets heavy and therefore hard work -fast

Water Content in Pipes

 

[adama]

Stainless won't work in some well waters either, not enough oxygen to keep it passivated and it rusts near as fast as mild steel. Been there done that, had the lesson in well fishing too due to it (i needed to recover that check valve + strainer as i wanted to work out what failed), the stainless hose clip rusted away, the zinc plated one still looked fine (that had stayed on the hose but alone was not enough to keep everything connected with water hammer) due to the zinc acting as anodic protection, completely about face to what i would have ever expected! My advice, bronzes, better brass and good polymers. But like Sami says, some waters eat brass and copper just as fast as stainless. Good polmers are totaly unaffected apart from a limited amount of swelling in any water thats remotaly fit enough to make it worth pumping up.

Don't forget though its only the physical effort of lifting above the static water level that matters. The actual pipe diamiter is irrelivent, its a static pressure caused by diffrence in head thats the relivent number to base things on, that decides what pressure you have to get too to get water to the surface. Bigger pipes can actually help as it reduced flow induced resistance.

Pumping enough water to not die of dehydration is pretty easy at any depth, pumping enough to wash or water crops - even a few live stock and its a diffrent story.

 

[LFLondon]

There are a couple for sale now, of which this Bison Hand Water PumpsBISON PUMPS® is only one.

What a find, thanks for posting this link. I did not know about Bison. These are obviously very high quality pumps and expensive. The commercial deep well model is amazing, 12gpm
possible, $4500. The Heller-Aller is also a quality pump, easily rebuilt and about $1000; enough output to water a garden and have pumped storage gravity flow household water supply.

 

[DDoug]

How about what is common in the gas/oil industry ?

A pumpjack with counterwieghts ?

Neighbor pulls salt brine from 4000'.

 

[SAG 180]

Don't forget some bronzes like LG2/SAE40 is 5% lead which would be an issue for drinking water

 

[JRIowa]

How about what is common in the gas/oil industry ?

We run stainless on stainless, but we've been doing it for 120 years, so we know how. The stuff that some of you have brought up about stainless, brass, and bronze is all minor. Yes, it could be a problem, but more than likely, not in my lifetime. If you're that worried about any corrosion, make it all from nickel. Then you'll think the store bought model is cheap.

I'd make the barrel and such out of 316 if you absolutely think you need stainless. The piston could be made from about anything. If you have concerns, ENC it. Sucker rods would be 304.

There's a company (I can't think of the name) that makes the down pipe in 9' sections of SCH 120 PVC. They have a molded delrin spider to support the fiberglass sucker rods which have SS ends. IIRC, they get $40/section and claim they're good to 300'. Using PVC, they keep the weight down to about 5#/section. I don't know how old you are, but I'd bet that type of a well would outlast you.

I was going to pull the well on my property this summer and never had time. Don't know how deep the submersible pump is. The neighbors is down 350'. The water is pretty much un-drinkable, but it makes the grass turn real green with all of the iron in it.
JR

 

[redlee]

How about what is common in the gas/oil industry ?

A pumpjack with counterwieghts ?

Neighbor pulls salt brine from 4000'.

Is it a Mini version of a Pump Jack?

 

[DDoug]

Is it a Mini version of a Pump Jack?

God no....4,000' of brine (in 1 -1/2" pipe) and 3/4" steel sucker rod...
the main beam looked to be 18" wf x 20' long or so.

The counterweight was a mafia block.

I'm starting to see "mini" models for all the 700-800' residential
gas wells. As they fill up with brine, a couple of shops have sprung
up making these, look like they fit nicely in the back of a 1/2 ton pick
up truck, maybe 1 h.p. electric motor drive.

I would hope the O.P. would post some more details of his situation:
How deep, what power source, available tools.