On Apr 13, 7:12*am, (Doug Miller)
wrote:
In article , Pavel314 wrote:

We have a submersible pump in a 125' well to provide water to the
house. The water just stopped last night while my wife was preparing
dinner. [...]
My wife
suggested putting an old-fashioned hand pump on the house well head in
the back yard, which would be much closer. That would be decorative
and functional, a clever idea I thought.

Is that possible?

No.

I thought of dropping a 125' hose down the well
shaft and attaching it to a hand pump up top but don't hand pumps only
work to a depth of 15' or so? Something to do with air pressure I
believe.

The maximum depth from which water can be raised by any pump that relies on
suction is approximately 34 feet. That's because suction pumps raise water in
a tube by creating a partial vacuum above the water; atmospheric pressure
forces the water up the tube. Atmospheric pressure will support a water column
no higher than 10.34 meters, or about 34 feet.

Errm..theoretical at sea level. Practical is 26ft at sea level due to
system losses and then the decrease with increased elevation.

Harry K