Using air to pump well water ?

[somethingfromnothing]

I recently saw something that is new to me! I was at a wildlife area in Phoenix Az.

and saw what looked like a lawnmower motor of about 4 HP , mounted on a full sized windmill. It appears as if the motor is being used to generate compressed air which is fed directly into the well casing. Water is slowly gurgling out of a pipe about 1/2" diameter. I asked around and found out the well is about 175' deep. Does anyone know what this is called , and where I might find out more info ?

[zap]

Hiya somethingfromnothing, these are usually refered to as "air lift" pumps.  I think they got their start in the mining industry quite awhile ago.  I've heard they got their start there because so often air was already needing to be pumped into the mine for fresh air.  

These are not the most efficent pumps but can pump quite alot of water if need be.  I've seen a few of these and usually, they are used where there is a lot of sand because there are no valves to plug up.  Sometimes they are used to clean out a well of all the surrounding sand before a typical pump is installed.  

They are also sometimes used in dredging operations and many treasure hunting operations.  You might try googleing "air lift" and maybe dredge or salvage.

[Psycogeek]

darn if i only had the link.

they had a windmill air compressor, it pumps air into the water tube that is extended well below the water line, the air pushes the water up the tube.

the line being below the water line was key to its ability to raise the water.

i had some negative thought about it, and that was airating water feeds stuff that needs oxygen to survive in the water, so algie and whatever bio materials that prefer oxegenated water would thrive more.

having the line lower in the well gets it closer to the crud that settles at the bottom.

but what do i know about wells , NOTHING :-)

[Ziggy]

 Here ya go, this is the link you are looking for.   http://www.airliftech.com/

[pyrocasto]

Seems like it should be easy to build. I've been looking for something to pump air.

Anyone know if an air compressor will still run slow, just not as fast if I hook it up to a mill? If not I may have to rig up a bike pump or something.

[tecker]

 

  After a well is dug the well head is pumped this way they cal this jetting the well .

I know this not what your talking. A half inch pipe must set far enough below table to get water to percolate up . I did this one time to water a garden and noticed the plants were very hardy . I had a 1 " pipe at the bottm of the well and pressurized the casing .

[elvin1949]

good morning

ALL OF MY WATER COMES FROM AN AIR INJECTION WELL

It is simple.

my well is 100 ft deep.

60. ft water in well.
    
95. ft air line in well.
    
    

works well,all the water i need for

home garden and waste[two leak's].

9. dollars a month.
   
1. HP compressor.
   
1. /2 HP pump.
   
   

only way to go.

later

elvin

[Peppyy]

I was thinking of building an air-turbine, getting a large air tank and hooking a compressor directly to a set of blades to power the air tools in my shop. I was looking at trying to use something like this.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=9592

I am not too sure how it would work at lower rpm but it is rated for a maximum of 1200 rpm. I imagine there would be some coging issues when the pressure was built up say over about 50psi but I thought of adding a small motor/generator on an idler to give it a jumpstart when needed. It could charge it's own battery. The only thing I haven't quite figured out is the wind speed switch to engage the contacts on the motor.

Just a thought.

[jimjjnn]

Anybody ever try a centrifigal or rotary pump like a turbocharger wheel connected to a wind turbine? Since air pumps may need gearing to get enough air pressure, would this be feasible?

A very high gear ratio to get the turbo pump fast enough would be needed.

[pyrocasto]

You could use a spring clutch to let the blades spin freely until it reaches a certain speed, then cut in. It would give you a good starting torque.

I think 3 to 1 gear ration at a 150-200 blade rpm would be good, with some good heavy blades, or maybe a flywheel.

[LEXX]

hello Psyco, while it might seem like the oxygen would help the algie and therefore make the water worse, the opposite is actually true.  To have good tasting water it is much better to have healthy botanicals that are living in balance with their environment than to have them oxygen starved.  After installing a system that would oxygenate the water the algie would be in abundance but after they consumed the nitrogen in the water to a certain level they would probably actually decrease, if not they would be healthy and at least wouldn't make your water stink!!  

LEXX

[LEXX]

Very nice site!  What is the real use of the shop you use, I would kill for an area like that (not really, I'm scared of jail).  Your PV panel is quite nice looking, from the pic, it looks professional.

LEXX

[pyrocasto]

lol, thanks. It's actually a custom cabinetry shop(family business). www.mountainshowcasegroup.com

[Barnac]

Hello Psyco, actually LEXX is right about water oxygenation.

Here are a few links demonstrating and stating water oxygenation benifits:

http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/flash/dugout/en/dugout_e.htm

http://www.canadianpond.ca/aeratione.html

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/aqua/broc/aquainfo/aqinfo20.html

http://www.lake-aeration.com/Fish_Kills_In_ponds_lakes.asp

Barnac

[Jimmer]

Elvin, I'm looking to do the same thing on my place in the country.  How did you make your pump?  What type/size pipe did you use?  Do you use solar or anything like that? Can you describe your system or take pictures of the pieces that you can?  

Thanks,

Jim

[Texeast]

I have used this system since I moved to East Texas. I live in a rural area and a well is necessary. When I first bought this property and saw this setup I didn't believe it.  After asking around I found it very popular in this area.  I have been a maintenance supervisor for many years and thought I had seen every thing.

The original system used a holding made out of concrete.  This tank had small cracks in it which allowed roots to grow inside the tank.  So I purchased a plastic 85 gal tank designed for water well storage.  Then I installed a float switch like that used on a sump pump, only this one comes on on low water, which in turn starts my compressor.  When the holding tank is full it shuts off and my water pump takes over from there, pumping water to the house on demand as a normal well pump would.

With this system there isn't any sand etc. in the water, it's clear as a bell and tests like bottled water!! (I said TESTS!!) No oder either.

I built an interface relay and switch to enable me to use 220V motors on my pump and compressor.

Want more info go on google.com and enter "Air Lift Pumping"..