Garden water pump

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

I have an ornamental style garden water pump that I am looking for an alternative to the leather piston seal.   I bought the pump some thirty years and it worked for many of those years faultlessly.  Eventually the leather seal needed replacing to the point of needing to yearly, sometimes twice in a year.  Cheap, ~£2 through to ~£20 seals that perform, or not, just the same.

What I am looking for is an alternative to the leather seal that will last, Any ideas?  Or, maybe, redesign the piston with a modern seal?  The leather seal copes with the cylinder corrosion well enough, what about a modern synthetic seal?

The pump sits over a 150 gallon tank of harvested rain water.  Another hose pipe ban has just been introduced so I really want to get the pump working reliably.  Climate change (?) is making this more important.

Over to you guys.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

In the recent blueberries thread I posted a link for a Bosch garden pump. Doesn’t solve your seal problem but does the job magnificently.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

We need much more info. You mention a piston so a reciprocating pump ? Iron cylinder ? Corrosion ? What sort of valves if any ? Size ? A modern poly type material will work if you can find the right size. Do you have any machining facilities ? Noel.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

It sounds like the root of the problem might be the corrosion of the cylinder

… have you considered either re-boring, or sleeving, it ?

MichaelG.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

After 30 years I don’t think a new pump could be called extravagant

[duncan webster 1]

On duncan webster 1 Said:

After 30 years I don’t think a new pump could be called extravagant

Except in Yorkshire and Scotland.

On a more serious note, I think Michael has gone to the root of the problrem.

Martin

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Choise of the correctly treated leather ?

[Author]

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