Hand pump

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Handpumps are used primarily in developing nations as a manually powered means of bringing water to the surface from a borehole, rainwater tank or well.

The main types of hand pumps are the India Mark II, the India Mark III, and the Afridev deep-well (30 - 40 m deep) pumps.

Village Level Operation and Maintenance (VLOM) refers to low maintenance handpumps which can be maintained at a village level, intended to provide reliable long-term service.

Thousands of handpumps have been installed in developing countries of the last two decades, especially in India, Bangladesh, and Sub-Sahara Africa.

It can be used in gardening too.

[edit] Beer hand pumps

In pubs, particularly in Britain, a handpump draws beer up from the cask to the counter. The visible handle activates a pump below the bar called a beer engine that pulls beer through a flexible tube to the spout, below which the glass is placed. In some cases a sparkler is fitted to the spout to aerate the beer as it enters the glass, giving a frothier head; this presentation style is more popular in the North of England than in the South.

A pump clip is usually attached to the handle by a spring clip giving the name, and sometimes other details such as the brewer's name, beer type and alcoholic strength, of the beer being served through that handpump.

The handle of a handpump is often used as a symbol of real ale, although this can also be served by electric pumps or by gravity. By contrast, keg beer dispensers usually feature illuminated countertop fittings behind which a handle opens a valve that allows the gas pressure in the keg to force beer to the attached spout.