India Mark II Type Deep-Well Hand Pump

Overview

How the pump works

On the surface there is a pump head with a long lever handle. Below the ground, a cylinder sits in the borehole at the bottom of a column of rising main pipe, connected to the lever by steel rods. Each stroke of the handle lifts a plunger in the cylinder, and water rises up the pipe to the spout. No fuel and no electricity are needed.

Materials

The cylinder is cast iron lined with brass, with a 63.5 mm bore. Rods are galvanized steel, 12 mm, in 3 m lengths. The rising main is 32 mm NB galvanized iron pipe, also in 3 m lengths. The design follows the widely used India Mark II pattern, so spare parts and village mechanics’ knowledge carry over.

Output and depth

A discharge of 15 L per 40 strokes is the reference figure, and the pump is suited to a static water level of up to about 45 m. Real output depends on how deep the water is, how the pump is set and how fast people pump, so we ask for well details rather than promise a flow.

Configuring to your well

Pipe and rod count depend on the depth at which the cylinder sits. The borehole depth, casing diameter and static and dynamic water levels fix the lengths. We supply the right number of pipe and rod lengths, and a set of fittings for the install.

Where it is used

Water points where there is no grid power or where power is unreliable: villages, schools, clinics and farms.

Spare parts

Wear parts such as seals and bearings can be supplied with the pump, in as many spare sets as your maintenance plan needs.

Compared with the Afridev type pump

Choose this model when the well is deep, the water level is likely to fall in the dry season, or you prefer a pump whose cylinder is cast iron with a brass lining. The heavier cylinder and galvanized rods are made for deep-well duty and for heavy daily use at a busy village or school well.

The Afridev type pump on our other page is lighter, with a plastic cylinder, and is designed so a village caretaker can pull the plunger and foot valve out through the rising main without lifting the pipes. This model needs the rising main and rods lifted to reach the cylinder, so it needs a short tripod or a few people for servicing, but it gives the longer service life under heavy use. The static water level, the depth to the pump setting, and the number of users decide which pump fits the site.