I bought a 100 year old house in the NC mountains in December and discovered the water source was a 16 foot hand dug well with a Meyers hand pump. The pump discharged water into an in-ground concrete trough with a bung hole – I assume it was used to keep things cool in the summer. Last week I had a new well drilled (305 feet, 86 ft. of steel casing – lots of shattered bed rock!) so I pulled the old Meyers hand pump. It has the number 1039 stamped on the spigot. I can see the piston has worn out and it needs a new rubber ring/flange so the pump can create suction. I have had no luck looking for parts on the web. Has anyone ever repaired one of these babies? I just want to try. I know I can buy new hand pumps but want to repair the old one if possible.
Bill
Buladean NC
Replies
Not one with a rubber valve but one with a leather valve, yes.
Got a piece of leather close to the original thickness, cut a circle slightly bigger than the diameter of the bore of the pump and installed it.
Once it was well wetted down it worked just like new and I expect if it has been kept in use it is still working.
I no longer live where the pump is.
My dad just redid a conical hand pump washer with a piece of oiled leather. He's 70; remembers his grandad using it to pump out his boat sometime about 1944.
We just used it to bring up some creek water to mix some Sakrete - kinda' cool.
Forrest