"Ryan P." wrote in message
...
Chas Hurst wrote:

Those systems place the pump down in the well within 22' of the water.
You obviously are not aware of the physics or mechanics involved with
pumping water. The atmosphere will only support a column of water about
29' high. It's exactly the same as a mercury barometer. The atmosphere
will support a column of mercury about 30" high and no more.
It's you that hasn't a clue.
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Okay, I've been following this thread, admittedly not knowing (or rather,
not remembering from school) the maximum height a column of water could be
without assistance.

That being said, I distinctly remember the old-style hand pumps... the
kind you find in state camping grounds, and used to find in highway
waysides, and people who had them on wells with a water table WELL below
22 feet.

So, I did a little checking, and came up with this table:
http://www.aermotorwindmills.com/handpumps.htm (there's a nice table about
halfway down the page).

Am I wrong in thinking this is a standard hand pump, or is this NOT what
you and Tom are talking about?

There are two kinds of pumps in this discussion. If the pump depends on
suction only and everything but the pipe is above the water, you can not
pump more than around 30 feet vertically. You are creating a vacuum and are
depending on the atmospheric pressure to push the water up the pipe.

If parts of the pump are below the water level , then is is mostly a
function of how much power or force you have to move the water. It can be
much more than 30 feet.