The following table of dimensions for hand-worked simple lift-pumps will be found useful:—
| Height for Water to be raised. | Diam. of Pump Barrel. | Water delivered per Hour at 30 Strokes per Min. | Diam. of Suction Pipe. | Thickness of Well Rods for Deep Wells. |
| ft. | in. | gal. | in. | in. |
| 14 | 6 | 1640 | 4 | 1 |
| 20 | 5 | 1110 | 3 | 1 |
| 30 | 4 | 732 | 2½ | ⅞ |
| 40 | 3½ | 555 | 2½ | ¾ |
| 50 | 3 | 412 | 2 | ¾ |
| 75 | 2½ | 260 | 2 | ⅝ |
| 100 | 2 | 183 | 1½ | ⅝ |
7. Lift and Force Pump. 8. Deep-well Pump.
Fig. 7 shows a lift- and force-pump suitable for raising water from a well 30 ft. deep, and forcing it to the top of a house. The pump barrel a is fixed to a strong plank b, and fitted with “slings” at c to enable the piston to work parallel in the barrel, a guide rod working through a collar guiding the piston in a perpendicular position, d is the handle. The suction pipe e and rose f are fixed in the well g as already explained. At the top of the working barrel is a stuffing-box h, filled with hemp and tallow, which keeps the pump rod water-tight. When the piston is raised to the top of the barrel, the valve i in the delivery pipe k closes, and prevents the water descending at the down-stroke of the piston. The valve in the bucket l, also at m in the barrel a, is the same as in the common pump. The pipe k is called the “force” for this description of pump.
Fig. 8 shows a design for a deep-well pump, consisting of the usual fittings—viz. a brass barrel a, a suction pipe with rose b, rising main pipe c, well-rod d, wooden or iron stages e f g, and clip and guide pulleys h. The well-rod and the rising main must be well secured to the stages, which are fixed every 12 ft. down the well. An extra strong stage is fixed at i, to carry the pump—if of wood, beech or ash, 5 ft. × 9 in. × 4 in.; the other stages may be 4 in. sq.
The handle is mounted on a plank k fitted with guide slings, either at right angles or sideways to the plank. The handle l is weighted with a solid ball-end at m, which will balance the well-rod fixed to the piston. By fixing the pump barrel down the well about 12 ft. from the level of the water, the pump will act better than if it were fixed 30 ft. above the water, because any small wear and tear of the piston does not so soon affect the action of the pump, and therefore saves trouble and expense, as the pump will keep in working order longer. It is usual to fix an air-vessel at n. The valves o are similar to those already described. In the best-constructed pumps, man-holes are arranged near the valves to enable workmen to clean or repair the same, without taking up the pump. Every care should be given to make strong and sound joints for the suction pipe and delivery pipe, as the pump cannot do its proper duty should the pipes be leaky or draw air.
To find the total weight or pressure of water to be raised from a well, reckon from the water level in the well to the delivery in the house tank or elsewhere. For example, if the well is 27 ft. deep, and the house tank is 50 ft. above the pump barrel; then you have 77 ft. pressure, or about 39 lb. pressure per sq. in. That portion of the pipe which takes a horizontal position may be neglected. The pressure of water in working a pump is according to the diameter of the pump barrel. Suppose the barrel to be 3 in. diam., it would contain 7 sq. in., and say the total height of water raised to be 77 ft., equal to 39 lb. pressure, multiplied by 7 sq. in., is equal to 539 lb. to be raised or balanced by a pump handle; then if the leverage of the pump handle were, the short arm 6 in. and long arm 36 in., or as 6 to 1, you have (539 × 1) ÷ 56 = 90 lb. power on the handle to work the pump, which would require 2 men to do the work, unless you obtained extra leverage by wheel work. When the suction or delivery pipe is too small, it adds enormously to the power required to work a pump, and the water is then called “wiredrawn.” When pumps are required for tar or liquid manure, the suction and delivery pipe should be the same size as the pump barrel, to prevent choking.
The operations of plumbing and making joints in pipes will be found fully described and illustrated in ‘Spons’ Mechanics’ Own Book’; and many other methods of raising water for household and agricultural purposes are explained in ‘Workshop Receipts,’ 4th series.