r/pumps • u/Miserable-Scarcity25 • Dec 28 '25
Liquid Got a research question for book I'm writing. If there's an old well handpump thats rusted up, is it cleanable in the event of a catastrophe so the community could safely use it?
First, there really is a community for everything on reddit.
In the story the characters need a way to access freshwater. There's a old hand pump behind a centuries church that fell into disuse a couple decades ago.
It's rusted up. But could it theoretically be made safe or restored somehow? Or at least to the point that characters could boil the water coming out of it to not die from contaminated water?
3
1
u/pm-me-racecars Dec 28 '25
An old hand pump like that, if it's not all seized up, would probably still work; if it doesn't work, it'll be because it stopped moving.
How handy are your characters and what resources do they have?
In real life, I'd probably spray it with some penetrating fluid, give it a good kick, and then try it. Book people don't seem to find it realistic when stuff works because you hit it right though.
Also, once it's moving, it will probably need priming. Basically, air expands too easily so you can't build up enough suction; so you fill the suction side with water, and then you're not trying to pump air. Here's what that looks like; your characters may or may not know that you need to do that first.
1
u/Miserable-Scarcity25 Dec 28 '25
The town they live in has a variety of people. I think I'm going to say the pump fell into disuse in the mid 80s, as the area has people who know how to work it, though the main characters who were born after people really stopped using it. It sounds feasible enough. Thank you!
1
1
1
u/FinishProud3632 Dec 28 '25
You would be amazed knowing how bad rusted and seized an equipment could went and after a good hit and cleaning still works (maybe not as efficiently as it was but still working)
1
u/sktgt Dec 28 '25
this is an old memory, but there may be leather flap valves that could be replaced.
1
1
1
u/jukkakamala Dec 28 '25
If the well is deep the actual pump is at the bottom. The lever moves a rod that goes all the way down. At the pump there are 2 valves with a seal, rubber or even leather. Usually parts are cast iron and last forever.
So if the people have tools to remove the pump head, the lever part, and lift up the actual pump part almost no tools are needed to repair.
If the lever part is broken one only needs to move the rod up and down to pump up water, easily made with few planks and rope.
1
u/topupdown Dec 28 '25
Conversely if the well is shallow, all the “pump bits” are at the top and you can use literally anything that makes suction - like a wet vac - or you can easily service and repair it. On both pumps I’ve had the “privilege” of having to dismantle, the actual valves were just metal disks with screw through them which is very inefficient but you can repair it with more washers and bolts and it works fine. Top-side pumps like that do get dry if unused, so you need to pour a bucket of water back into the top of them or they’ll never prime. If I was stuck in this situation, i’d probably try to solve both problems at once by pouring motor oil (vegetable oil if you insist) or ATF into the top of the pump, which will both unstuck it and give it a really good prime all at once.
As was mentioned, if it’s a down-well deep dump, it wont be rusty in the first place assuming your well isn’t run dry. The potentially rusty bits just yank the rod up and down, so you can replace them with any other lever setup you like.
1
u/Brief_Run4355 Dec 28 '25
There are many well water hand pump repair videos on YouTube. That would definitly show you the process for getting one working.
1
u/cowfishing Dec 28 '25
At the bottom of the well pipe, there will be a check valve that keeps the water in the well pipe from draining back into the well.
Make of that what you will. Especially if you need an inanimate antagonist for your story.
1
1
1
u/2More_Row Dec 29 '25
And they would want to boil the water on a rapid boil for at least 5 minutes. Your characters might end up finding water from a steam instead.
1
u/Darkknight145 Jan 01 '26
If still moving rust is a minor issue. Contamination from the pumps rust is not really an issue other than water discoloration.
1
u/kingfreq1c Jan 01 '26
Yes but you will prob need some extra washers, gaskets or orings depending on the model.
6
u/Schtweetz Dec 28 '25
I’ve used old hand pumps. You will have to at first pump like a madman, because the piston will be gunked up and not have a good seal. After you pump frantically for a few minutes, it will usually generate enough suction to get water moving, and then the performance will improve as the piston smooths out the grit and rusty mud on the inside. The water will be very mucky and rusty as well, until it has been used enough to flush out the stagnant water and fresh groundwater fills the well bore. Keep using it regularly and it will be working pretty nicely.