Rope pump: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 23:22, 15 February 2009
A rope pump is a kind of pump of which the main or most visible component is a continuous piece of rope, in which the rope is integral in raising water from a well. Rope pumps are often used in developing areas. The most common rope pump consists of a PVC pipe and a rope. There are two types of rope pumps, namely valved and valveless. Valved rope pumps have either flexible valves (often made from rubber) or rigid valves (often metal or plastic washers. Rope pumps are cheap to build and easy to maintain.
Valveless rope pumps
Valveless rope pumps work on the principle of friction. The rope is dragged at high speed, and water which clings to the rope is dragged up the rope. Valveless pumps often use a bicycle to produce the required speed. It is a rather inefficient design but it requires no valves.[1]
Valved rope pumps
Using flexible valves
The most commonly used flexible valve is a cut piece of bicycle tube. The valves are fit 20 cm apart on the rope. A disadvantage of flexible valve rope pumps is that different pump builders may use different sized valves. The thickness of the rubber is also an important factor that differs from place to place.[2]
Another common material valves are made of, is rope itself.[3]
Using rigid valves
The most common type of rope pump uses rigid valves like plastic or metal washers that fit tightly into the PVC pipe the rope is dragged through. If the fit is tight, the washers can be spaced up to half a metre apart. For deeper wells, thinner pipe can be used. These rope pumps often work with a hand crank.[4]
See also
References