What is it?
The rope pump consists of a loop of rope that passes up inside a rising pipe (or rising main). The rope is driven by a pulley wheel at ground level which pulls the rope down into the water over a static guide block and then back up through the rising pipe (rising main). Along the rope are spaced small pistons that can be plastic conical pieces, discs, washers, wooden blocks or even pieces of material. These pistons fit just inside the pipe such that the water is lifted up with rope as it passes from the bottom of the well to the top of the pipe. The rope moves at around one metre per second and the pulley can be driven by hand, wind, animal, geared diesel engine, electric motor or solar (PV) panel. The pump has been highly successful in China, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and many other countries and regions across the world.
