how keep sump pump operating w/o solar, elect, battery

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assuming need long term solution to keeping water out of basement (back up living area)generator could require storage of fuel which may not be available or practical. also in area where solar not practical. is there a good mechanical means to keep water out. sump runs about every 20 minutes due to ground water.

-- chuck soder (ssoder@velocity.net), November 19, 1999

Answers

I'd suggest a pneumaticly driven water pump in this case. You would need to be able to charge a large air tank. The pump would be actuated by mechanical switch (valve w/ float). Air would drive the pumping mechanism which would expel the water. Compressed air is a great energy storage medium. You would need an air pump possibly pumped with a bicycle though if you had no motive power source. Grainer's sells pneumaticly driven water pumps.

One thing you could do is use a steam powered engine to drive the air compressor. You would need to have access to wood. I understand that a simple steam engine can be rigged from a few car parts from the 1970's to early 1980's. Has something to do with emission control pump (?) and also 100' of copper tubing for the 'boiler'. You could hook up a heat exchanger to preheat the incoming water from the outgoing steam (from the engine) which would improve effeciency.

-- ..- (dit@dot.dash), November 19, 1999.


--one solution, depending on the lay of your land, is just to get a siphon hose of appropriate size going, and siphon the water out. You need a lower place than the basement to siphon to, and the hose has to be small enough to never run out of water once the siphoning is set up. --the only other simple thing is a hand pump, unless you are far enough out in the country, and have enough steady wind to run an olden timey windmill for pumping water. You can still buy these things. --another way is to dig out on the outside of the house down below the level of the bottom of the basement, and install a drain leading out and downhill to another place where it can runoff, a holding pond perhaps. --good luck! water is an asset, should be able to figure out how to deal with it! zoggus envious, sorta

-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), November 19, 1999.

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