RP-01638

Philippines
Antonio Bravo
This report outlines the field testing of the
Waterloo handpump in the Philippines from
January 1980 to May 1982.
The project sought to attain the following
four objectives: (1) to field test the Waterloo
handpump in the rural areas; (2) to evaluate
the technical viability of the handpump by
assessing its operational performance in terms
of volumetric efficiency, mechanical efficiency,
and ease of usage; (3) to determine problems
related to the operation and use of the pump
and provide solutions for the improvement
in design and reliability of the pump; and
(4) to assess prospects for eventual adoption
of the Waterloo pump in the national program
of handpump development.
In accordance with specifications provided
by the International Development Research
Centre (IDRC), prototypes of the Waterloo
handpump were fabricated and installed in
specific areas in the Philippines. Thirty
handpumps were installed in Laguna, Cavite,
Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija. The sites
chosen were typical rural communities where
water supply is a problem and where a
minimum of 10-20 users reside.
Periodic visits were made to the pump sites
to monitor the performance of the pumps.
Employing a monitoring format agreed upon
by the representatives of the countries
involved in the network project during a
meeting held in Malaysia in the latter part
of 1980, various parameters were observed
and measured.
Pump Design and Construction
Below-ground components
The project team used a 3-inch (7.5-cm)
diameter polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe for
the well casing, which also functions as the
pump cylinder. Pipes, 10 feet (3 m) long,
were joined using PVC solvent cernent and
PVC couplings. The nominal pipe dimensions
were 88.7 mm OD x 79.26 mm ID. The piston
was machined from solid PVC stock. Two
polyethylene rings each with a diameter of
3 inches (76.5 mm) and a thickness of 5116
inch (7.93 mm) were used. The first (upper)
piston ring was 5/9 inch (14.2 mm) wide
whereas the lower one was 0.25 inch
(6.35 mm). Eight 0.25-inch (6.35-mm) holes
were drilled in the piston (Fig. lA).
The project team decided to use an irrecoverable
foot valve. Both piston and foot
valve were basically similar except that the
foot valve had larger holes than the piston
(0.5 inch; 12.7 mm) (Fig. 1B). The foot valve
was redesigned therefore, and, instead of two
polyethylene rings, a rubber gasket (ID 2.34
inch and OD 3.5 inch; 59.5 and 88.9 mm)
was used.
The foot valve was further modified by
incorporating a brass spring. The valve seat
was also chamfered to prevent sand particles
from wedging between the flapper valve and
the base (Fig. 2).
PVC pipes (OD 1.06 inch and ID 0.81 inch;
26.8 and 20.5 mm) were used as piston rods.
These were 10 feet (3 m) long and were
joined using PVC couplings and PVC solvent
cement. A PVC screen filter (about 10 feet,
3 m, long) was incorporated in several pumps
during installation. This PVC screen and
sandtrap was improvised by cutting slots
diagonally along a section of PVC pipe with
a hacksaw. These slots were 0.25 inch (6 mm)
apart and 1 inch (2.5 cm) long across the
pipe. The end of the filter was cut and bent to
give it a conical shape.
Above-ground components
The above-ground components consisted
of a wooden handle assembly, metal yoke, a
concrete pedestal, and a concrete platform
reinforced by 0.5-inch (1.25-cm) steel reinforcement
bars. The wooden handle was
originally connected to the piston rod by a
metal flange. This flange was connected by
a bolt to a steel block into which a brass
fitting connected to the piston rod was
screwed. A problem in the design of this
linkage caused the piston rod to buckle during
operation. This was remedied by using a solid
iron rod for the upper portion of the piston
rod (Fig. 3). The pedestal for the pump was
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