The Best Way to Pump it Up - Part 2 : The Treadle and Malda Pumps

Published on August 29, 2013 15:23 by Brian Luenow, Founder/President at HydrateLife

The treadle pump is a simple suction pump that has been around since the 1970's. It was first introduced to farmers in Bangladesh, and it quickly gained in popularity. All of the sudden farmers were no longer dependent on rain fed irrigation, and could now grow two rounds of crops per year. Since then it has spread throughout the world with over 2 million installed, however, the majority of the pumps are located within Asia.

The treadle pump is foot operated and works by stepping up and down on the treadles. This action causes the pistons within the cylinders to move up and down. The up-stroke creates a vacuum and water is drawn into the cylinder through a one-way valve. Then...