1 The Mullumbimby Garden Pedal-Powered Water Pump
Purpose: An educational interactive tool to help visitors and
students understand the concepts of embodied energy, renewable
energy systems, multifaceted thinking, and reusable water
techniques. A pedal-powered water pump can be used for virtually
any watering needs, at the lowest energy consumption possible.
Roles: Educational tool, Renewable energy implement, and
Watering device to immediate areas (nursery, entrance shrubs, etc.)
Building Method: It is important to consider that ‘Do it yourself’
projects differ relatively. Based on the different available and
sustainable materials the building process may be modified or
changed to produce the best possible outcome.
I will outline the materials used for building specific to this project, the
hiccups or modifications along the way, their solutions, and also,
include alternative techniques.
2 Materials & Budget List
Basic Tools:
Hacksaw or angle grinder
Metal Screws
Allen key wrench set
Screwdrivers
Hand drill
Spanner
Welder
Extra Materials:
Thanks to the Mullumbimby Steel Engineering Company a wide majority of
the extra materials used in this project were donated for the Mullumbimby
Community Garden pedal-powered water pump.
-Nuts and Bolts (if parts are not welded together)
$11.00 AU
-Base Plate
*For the MCG Pedal Powered Water pump C-section was used, but any
strong and wide enough piece of timber or aluminum is also sufficient.
$0
-Bicycle Frame
*For this project box section metal, angle iron and steel, and metal piping
was used, but an indoor trainer frame works just as well without needing to
weld pieces (if bought used roughly $50-100).
$0
-Hose and Fittings
*If planning long-lasting continuous use of structure purchasing a new
strong hose and brass hose fittings is advised, although, plastic hose fittings
work well.
$50-150
3 ‘How to Build’
Key words are highlighted in Red to remind those interested that DIY
projects require modifications, alternative techniques, creativity and
sustainable thinking. And most importantly, it is possible to create a
pedal-powered water pump nearly each attempt with a little refining
and dedication.
1.) Acquire Materials
If building for a community organization, often local businesses are
willing to donate excess materials. And if not, dumpster diving for
materials can be used to compile an assortment of possibilities for
building. Keep in mind creativity should be utilized when
conducting DIY projects for solutions to temporary hiccups.
2.) Examine the different building materials acquired and
brainstorm a plan for building specific for your project.
3.) Decide building location
If welding metal pieces is part of the building plan, electricity will be
needed. Also important to keep in mind is the final placement and
mobility of the pedal-powered water pump when choosing a
building site. In this project the building process was modified to
include welding and took place away from the final placement site,
therefore, mobility of the structure was necessary.
4.) Put together base plate (if applicable)
If a large enough sheet of metal (aluminum or steel) or timber can
be used no building is necessary. If this is not possible welding
pieces of steel together to create a sturdy base piece is sufficient.
This technique was the method used for this project. An alternative
would be placing a series of screws in smaller pieces of aluminum
or timber to produce a capable base piece or sheet. The base
piece must be large enough to support the bicycle’s framework or
stand and strong enough to hold additional body weight along with
the pump and bike itself.
4 5.) Examine and prepare water pump (this step should not need
modification)
Begin by removing and setting
aside the handle, end casing,
electric on/off switch unit, and
fan because these pieces will
not be needed. Following this
step undo and remove the
four long bolts that retain the
finned casing and keep.
Finally, remove the casing
with electric motor to reveal
the drive shaft, secure the
casing with motor inside with
a vice or wedge, and cut a
section of the outer housing
with your hacksaw or angle grinder. Approximately 1/3 of the
housing needs to be removed.
6.) Make sure to properly recycle or reuse the toxic motor parts
7.) Plan out the placement of pump
Refit the finned outer casing and secure. To do this properly, the
bicycle’s back tire needs to rub up against the drive shaft of the
pump’s motor and the bicycle’s frame must be able to hold it
sternly in place before tightening.
5 8.) Secure pump to base
This can be done either by welding the pump’s edges to the steel
base or securing with screws and a holding cup section of some
kind (for the purpose of propping up in accessible position). A
combination of both techniques may work best. Make sure the
placement of the bicycle will run the pump in a forward direction.
9.) Secure frame to bicycle and base plate/piece
The most important aspects of this step include fixing the frame to
hold the bike up with body weight and to the stay attached to the
base at the same time. For this project a t-shaped box metal
section was screwed into the aluminum bicycle acting as a stand,
while two metal frames were welded to the steel base piece and
screwed into the aluminum bicycle. The step is precisely why
using a wide enough base plate or piece is vital. Using an indoor
trainer frame to hold the bicycle up by securing it to both sides of
the bicycle and the base is an alternative for this step.
6 10.) Conclude by testing
Test out the structure. Make sure the frame feels sturdy and
strong, while the back tire continuously rubs against the motor
shaft making in turn manually.
For this project, the frame was welded a second time to correct a
mistake that was made in the placement of the bicycle to the
pump. Initially, the bicycle was spinning the pump shaft backwards
instead of forwards. The picture below shows the correct
placement of a different steel bicycle after the second welding
session. The steel bicycle was used for welding purposes.
7 11.) Connect hose with hose fittings
Use appropriate hose fittings to attach hose from water
containment to the intake facet of the pump. And then, connect a
separate access hose from the output facet of the pump to
anything in need of water. The hose fittings for the pump will be
different than the hose fittings for a rainwater containment or
another outdoor facet.
12.) Maintenance
Continuously monitor the structure for strength or breakdown and
use rust resistant mechanisms to avoid deterioration.
Presented Issues
-Finding building location with electricity
Solution: Make structure mobile thus it can be moved to and from the
building site to a permanent location
-Weakness of screws used to hold frame to bicycle
Solution: Add more screws or restructure frame to become more
stable
8 Frequently Asked Questions
1.) Question: Will reused materials be strong enough throughout
consistent use?
Answer: If metal usually reused pieces are perfectly suitable, but if
pieces are timber the type and condition of the wood is important to
consider before building.
2.) Question: Will smaller or larger water pumps work better?
Answer: The size of the water pump decides the size of the hose and
hose fittings used. These size differences (usually either 1’ or 2’
inches) are what determine water pressure. The smaller the hose
input and output, the greater the water pressure. Therefore, it is
specific to your ideal use of the pedal-powered water pump.
3.) Question: How practical is the pedal-powered water pump?
Answer: For the purpose of watering a smaller sized at home garden,
the pump will produce nearly complete coverage. This will not be the
case for larger areas of land needing high intensity watering.
4.) Question: What if the materials acquired must be welded and the
necessary tools are not available?
Answer: An online search for a local blacksmith or welding shop to
help complete the welding of specific pieces would be useful. And the
mind’s ability to creatively solve problems usually comes in handy
particularly at this stage in the building process.