Does anyone have a hand pump for water?

**NikoSan999** · 07-08-2009, 08:08 PM

Does anyone have/use an old fashioned water hand pump? I know alot of people who considered putting them in before y2k. I remember they were hard to find. Possibly because alot of people were actually buying them and installing. I don't think any of the people I know did. One woman would have but her husband couldn't find one and had looked all over.
We had one when I was growing up and I vaguely remember sometimes (?) you had to have water to prime it.
Thinking that it might not be a bad thing to have along with survival stockpile. Don't need electric as with a well. No one can turn it off on you. No one can raise the rates. Any thoughts on this? Just curious.

**dolphin** · 07-08-2009, 08:35 PM

I also remember growing up with a hand pump well. Yes, you did need a water source to prime it at times but not normally.

I think what most people did during Y2K was to get a generator. A generator can run your well and your fridge and maybe one TV so it was enough for people.

I still have an old fashiond cast iron water pump sitting in my flower garden for decorative use. I know NO ONE who actually reverted or made their water/well so they could switch over to it.

Oh, and I did find out that my rusty old water pump was worth around $50.00 a few years ago. Don't think it has kept it's value but I like seeing it sitting in my garden and reminding me of the "old days".

**nodmicks** · 07-09-2009, 07:52 AM

The majority of my neighbors have them because they are Amish. No one I know that isn't Amish has one. I think it is a great idea though!

**thefrug** · 07-09-2009, 07:57 AM

We're in the process of picking one for our place here. There are different kinds and different ones for different depths of water. Hubby has to check our well to see if he can figure out the water depth. He said not the depth of the drilling, but of the water table in the well.
This is the next major buy I want to make. They can be pricey.

**baronmom** · 07-11-2009, 09:20 AM

I would love to have one because if the electric goes out we don't have water. It would make it so much more bearable when the electric goes off.

**Debbie-cat** · 07-11-2009, 11:10 AM

We have one but haven't used it on our new well. The old well we had was a shallow well but the new one we put in last year goes 298 feet down! DH is going to revamp it to accomodate the new well so if we lose power for any length of time, we still have access to water. We do have a generator so it isn't really that urgent...just another thing on the long list of "to do's".