This month I put a hand pump on the well at my farm. It is not just any hand pump though. Originally, I was looking at the old-fashioned pitcher pump. The same exact type of pump my grandmother had on her well. However, I realized early on in my search for the perfect pump that there are now new and improved pump options. After careful consideration of all the pumps available I went for what I consider to be the best choice on the market. It is called the Simple Pump. Indeed it was simple to put in and simple to pump. We placed the Simple Pump right over the current electric pump without a problem. However, this is not just any hand pump. This pump can be hooked up to electricity as a primary electric pump if I wish. Additionally the creator of this fine pump had the forethought to make a pump that it is easily hooked up and used with solar power if I wish. I have not done either of these things currently, although I may hook it up for solar use eventually. Living in the Pacific NW that is not something I am jumping at first thing. I do like the option to be able to easily hook it up to solar though.
There are many things I like about this pump. I have the choice of pumping the water into a bucket or I can hook it up to my pressurized tank and pump the water right into the tank rather than a bucket. When the electricity goes off here, rather than going out and pumping into a bucket, I pump directly into my pressurized tank and the water still goes into my house and comes out of my faucet and into the toilet. Wow, that is a far cry from my grandmother having to carry water. You can’t fill the whole pressurized tank, as eventually the pressure is too much to pump against. However, it beats carrying the buckets and is much easier to use out of the tap. It is made right here in the USA and wow is it quality workmanship. The parts are cut and ground with skill. It is not every day you see such brilliant workmanship.
You can find cheaper pumps, but I doubt you can find a better pump or more versatile pump. If you want more details on this pump you can go to http://www.simplepump.com . (I have no affiliation with this company.)
