Pumps can be expensive, but they are often cost-effective when considering their long-term running costs compared with other sources of safe drinking water. For example, it may take 15 years or more of use to recoup the price of a hand-pump in areas with high groundwater and a long-term investment over 25 years of life. However, often water pump provide water as a free public good. So they may be installed or maintained without proper attention to water quality or even within buildings where the water is contaminated with sewage. Waters pumps are also important for private use, such as water supply when traveling.
A water pump donation can help lift water from a well, waterway, or water body and delivers it to a water distribution system. Submerged pumps use hydropower (or electric power in the case of an AC motor). When water flows downhill, its potential energy decreases. Therefore, the water source has to be higher than the water outlet: if not, then a lot of energy will have to transport water against gravity.
In some cases
It may be cost-effective by saving larger amounts of electricity. However, these are usually only used for freshwater supplies when the head becomes too low due to prohibitive pumping costs on lower charges. Another common reason why hand pumps are still widely used is the initial cost instead of the running cost. It is often cheaper in the short term to buy a new hand pump than it is to maintain or replace an electric water pump, especially where the water supply is free.
The lifespan of manually operated water pumps can be decades if properly maintained and used for water at low heads rather than high heads that need large flow rates. However, in such water systems, the speed of water flow becomes limiting on its life span and thus requiring attention sooner than otherwise allowed.
The first known
An example of mechanically raising water is thought to have been developed around 2000 BC by Greek engineers employed by Egyptian ruler Zoser. By increasing water through aqueducts from below ground into the palace gardens, they created a system that regularly replenished the water supply.
The water-lifting device was adopted in India, Persia, and surrounding countries, and ancient Greece. It was perfected by engineers in Roman times and continues to be used widely today where water is plentiful or can be pumped from a water source. In other locations, windmills are used for pumping water from wells and watercourses to irrigation tanks. However, there is still a great demand for water pumps now made more affordable by mass production of lower-cost modern parts instead of hand-made older components that were often expensive depending on the metal they were created with.
The water pumps have been used since ancient times
But only in the past century were submersible electric water pumps. That could push water up from under the ground level using an electrical motor. This allowed wells to be built much deeper than before possible. The first of this type was created by Harvey Hersey at his farm near Rutland, Massachusetts. In 1904 and was driven by a gasoline engine. In 1919 Charles Nelson Pownall improved on this design with a water pump powered by a water turbine. Now in water supply systems, water sources such as lakes or rivers are at a higher elevation. Then tap water use in cities and towns. For this reason, water must be pumped from the water source for the town. Which is known as a water pumping station.
Nowadays, water pumps are used for many different things such as irrigation. Power take-off (PTO), drinking water supply when traveling or camping, etc… However, in most cases, people cannot generate electricity on their own. So they have to buy it from electrical companies who work thanks to these power stations.
Of course
These power stations are important. But they cause pollution in nature because some gases remain inside too long while others go back into the atmosphere. So water pumps are also important to avoid water pollution too. And so they need to be installed at the water source. And tap water should come from deep aquifers where water is cleaner than rivers or lakes.
Waters pumps are a good way to provide clean water for people who do not have water networks. They can give access to safe drinking water in isolated regions nearby water sources such as lakes. Dams, and even rivers. The only problem with this system is when the water pump works. It has oil leaks, affecting groundwater quality and causing many diseases.
However, this problem must be solved with leak detection systems that indicate where the water pumps oil leaks are located. These oil leaks may also pollute water sources surrounding water pumps; in this case, water supply systems may become ineffective, and water from rivers, lakes, or dams will be contaminated.