We may not realise it, but water pumps have become an indispensable “tool” in our everyday lives. Why? We all make use of water everyday, right? We use a tap to wash our hands, dishes, glassware, and other stuff; we take a shower to ‘clean’ ourselves; we use water-driven appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, and washing machines. Heck, even our cars, trucks, and speedboats make use of water in one way or another. We all take these things for granted mainly because when we “switch on” one of these things, water will usually flow and the machine/device that we are using then works. What most of us don’t know, however, is that at the heart of many of these everyday conveniences, the humble, trusty water pump makes them work!
So what is a water pump then, and what makes it work? Well, at its most basic, it is a device or machine that is used to compress, move, raise, and/or transfer water or perhaps other fluids. It works because it usually has an incredible amount of suction or “pushing” power (depending on the kind of pump; some “suck” water, while others “push”), thereby allowing it to serve its purpose of moving water (or other fluids) from one point to another. Surprisingly, they have been around for several centuries: our ancestors saw the need for such pumps and “improvised” their own by using wood and other readily-available materials and harnessing the power of nature – such as wind and gravity – to “obtain” water from nearby sources (rivers, streams, waterfalls, etc.) into their farmlands.
Today, of course, we still make use of water pumps, for example to:
1.] Move water from underground water sources (i.e., “water tables”) through pipes and into our houses’ kitchen sinks, bathrooms, and lavatories, using well pumps, a very “basic” variation of the water pump.
2.] “Hydrate” our lawns and gardens using a combination of sprinklers and/or “irrigation systems”.
3.] Clean up water-flooded (whether they be caused by malfunctioning water pipes or our pool gone amuck) areas around our house (such as the basement) using sump pumps, another kind of water pump.
4.] “Aerate” our fish ponds by continuously “circulating” air, using submersible water and/or air pumps.
5.] Keep the water in our “home” and “spa” swimming pools (as well in some ponds) fresh and clean by “recirculating” and “filtering” it using some combination of submersible and/or sump pumps, together with some filtering elements.
6.] Treat “waste water” coming from drainage systems and contaminated “groundwater” in water treatment plants all around the world using more powerful and sophisticated combinations of submersible and/or sump pumps as well as filtration systems.
Indeed, the humble water pump has come a long way in helping shape the modern world, and without them, we probably would not be able to use and enjoy fresh, clean running water and we’d probably be stuck with latrines and tin baths!
So what is a water pump then, and what makes it work? Well, at its most basic, it is a device or machine that is used to compress, move, raise, and/or transfer water or perhaps other fluids. It works because it usually has an incredible amount of suction or “pushing” power (depending on the kind of pump; some “suck” water, while others “push”), thereby allowing it to serve its purpose of moving water (or other fluids) from one point to another. Surprisingly, they have been around for several centuries: our ancestors saw the need for such pumps and “improvised” their own by using wood and other readily-available materials and harnessing the power of nature – such as wind and gravity – to “obtain” water from nearby sources (rivers, streams, waterfalls, etc.) into their farmlands.
Today, of course, we still make use of water pumps, for example to:
1.] Move water from underground water sources (i.e., “water tables”) through pipes and into our houses’ kitchen sinks, bathrooms, and lavatories, using well pumps, a very “basic” variation of the water pump.
2.] “Hydrate” our lawns and gardens using a combination of sprinklers and/or “irrigation systems”.
3.] Clean up water-flooded (whether they be caused by malfunctioning water pipes or our pool gone amuck) areas around our house (such as the basement) using sump pumps, another kind of water pump.
4.] “Aerate” our fish ponds by continuously “circulating” air, using submersible water and/or air pumps.
5.] Keep the water in our “home” and “spa” swimming pools (as well in some ponds) fresh and clean by “recirculating” and “filtering” it using some combination of submersible and/or sump pumps, together with some filtering elements.
6.] Treat “waste water” coming from drainage systems and contaminated “groundwater” in water treatment plants all around the world using more powerful and sophisticated combinations of submersible and/or sump pumps as well as filtration systems.
Indeed, the humble water pump has come a long way in helping shape the modern world, and without them, we probably would not be able to use and enjoy fresh, clean running water and we’d probably be stuck with latrines and tin baths!
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