Shallow Well Pumps – How They Work

Without the right tools, getting water from a well may as well be like getting blood from a stone; try all you like, but you're not going to get a single drop. For something as inherently precious as water, this just is not good enough. To rectify this problem, shallow well pumps have been developed which allow the user to gain access to water without too much hassle.

To understand what an effective tool the shallow well pump is, we are first going to examine how it works. Following this we will take a look at some of its additional features which make it so versatile. Finally you will be given an idea of ​​situations where it would be especially useful.

How Do Shallow Well Pumps Work?

Basically, they work by hand. To be more exact, they employ an easy to use pump action to draw water up in quantities that would have otherwise unobtainable without the aid of a pump. The key difference between a low well pump and most other pumps on the market is that here there is no internal piston or series of mechanical seals. That, and also it is also not reliant on a vacuum type action to draw water up. What a low well pump does is simplify the entire process down to its most base level.

How Are They Constructed?

Shallow well pumps tend to come in easy to assemble kit sets. These are made of interconnected pipe sections, which are tight together by hand and held in place by threaded joints. The pipe is then fed down to the water level, where the user can start directly pumping the water up into the attached reservoir. The pumping itself operates as a double action, with water being delivered on both the up and down strokes. An overall lack of friction in the pump action lends itself to the effective movement of water.

How Much Can I Expect to Draw from a Shallow Well Pump?

Given the manual operation of the pump, this can vary depending on the use and the user. As a general rule, somewhere between 20 and 30 liters per minute is about right. This effectiveness is born out of the dual action pumping and a reliable durability that allows you to keep working the pump at its maximum efficiency.

When Would I Use One?

Shallow well pumps are incredibly versatile due to their easy pump action and light, transportable make-up. These features were born from its original purpose, which was to obtain much needed water from shallow wells on pacific islands which lacked a reliable supply of water from a tap or any other source. This makes it perfect for use where electricity is at a premium, or if a natural disaster eliminated the regular direct water supply.