Zealand Hut Water Pump

While hiking today near Zealand Hut I noticed that the AMC replaced the "rube goldberg" looking water driven pump with a DC commerical unit. I expect the old one was somewhat maintenance intensive and had some moving parts exposed so it probably needed to go, but I will miss it as it was quite a marvel and had an interesting sound while operating. The new one is a stainless steel housing with a sealed pump rod and appears to be plunger style pump driven by an electric motor. I also expect that the new pump is somewhat better sealed to surface water and its associated contamination so thats probably another reason to replace it.

That's too bad, I always thought it was just a marvel that the power driving that pump was hydromechanical. I guess between the hydro turbine generator, modern solar panels, and wind turbine, they have enough of their own little electric grid to support an electric pump.

Hopefully the water will taste better now.I got the privilege of digging out the now old water pump two years ago[early spring]after snow.The sound was cool!Always interesting what people remember about older things like the pump and cool to hear old stories related to the huts.

Here is a video I shot last year for FOT48 of the pump in action, for those who've never seen it:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NQ7QPJq73DzPosewo1sR7dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0

Tim

bikehikeskifish said:

Here is a video I shot last year for FOT48 of the pump in action, for those who've never seen it:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NQ7QPJq73DzPosewo1sR7dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0

Click to expand...

There is a flow driven (more properly high flow, low pressure input, lower flow, higher pressure output) pump sometimes used in remote areas called a hydraulic ram, but this doesn't appear to be one...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_ram

Doug

I have noticed the pump replaced during one of our trips this winter. I loved the old pump, however and the need to bring a kettle with hot water to pour it over the metal to unfreeze the 'joints'

Here is a photo from a few years ago when I had the 'priviledge' of doing the pumping: