A while back I came across information on a community in Venezuela that had invented a windmill water pump that was cheap to build and would draw from a deep well. They even had it operating by a children's seesaw in a playground. They were sharing the design freely, but didn't have plans on the internet, or I would have printed them off then and saved them. Now I could really use more information on their water pump, but I can't remember the name of the community. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I'm hoping that by now they've got plans on the internet, or that I can get more information from someone who has seen the pump.

Thank you.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (freeholder45@yahoo.net), April 26, 2002

Answers

I'm very interested! I have a hand dug well in the woods that if I could clear away the junk at the top of it would be wonderful for goat water! I would like to lower my electricity bill! Lemme know if you find the information!!

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), April 26, 2002.

Found a site that mentions a childrens seesaw water pump, perhaps this will allow you to find a diagram or plans, if you do locate plans, hope you will post them:

Gaviotas, http://www.globalideasbank.org/wbi/WBI-163.HTML "In the open-air Gaviotas preschool, the children's see-saw is actually a pump in disguise."

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 26, 2002.

http://www.chelseagreen.com/Gaviotas/teeter.htm

-- kim in CO (kimk61252@hotmail.com), April 28, 2002.

Thanks Kim. Looks like a regular manual pump only using child 'slave' labor in the guise of 'fun'.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), April 28, 2002.

Thanks for the replies. Gaviotas is the key word I was looking for -- thank you, Kim, for the site with the diagram! I don't know if I could build the pump from that diagram, but perhaps someone who knows more about pumps could. My mother has remote land in Eastern Oregon with a well on it, but no electricity. They have worn out several generators, and can't afford to get another one, or to get electricity to the land. The well is 150 feet deep, a little deep for a regular hand pump, so I've been looking for other solutions, preferably inexpensive ones. (Especially as I am going to be camped on their land for a while, and would really like to not have to haul water!

Thanks again.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (freeholder45@yahoo.net), April 29, 2002.