Simmons 1160/PM500 No.2 Pitcher Pump

I just installed this at my remote cabin to bring water from the pond to the rear porch. Installation was easy, and I installed a 1" water line to it, with a foot valve at the pond end. I used about 60 ft. of tubing from in the pond and under the cabin, with an overall rise of likely 12 feet at most. (I didn't bother with calculations and took a chance that it would work.) I soaked the pump for a day prior to installation so the leathers would be good and moist. It works fantastic! Don't know why I didn't do it a long time ago. Priming it was a piece of cake, although a week later when I went to pump it again, it was necessary to pour a couple of gallons into the pump to get it re-primed (but not like a total priming). I will be installing a check valve close to the pump to correct this, though it's no big deal if I don't.I am very pleased thus far, and will report if there are any issues in the future.

Drove a shallow well for garden water and an emergency off-the-grid source of water...Simmons is the brand I trust most for superior performance. I will be weatherizing this in the winter but still keep it operational. Regardless of where it's made, Simmons has kept their manufacturing quality high through the years. Nice finish, no concerns about peeling or chipping. This little pump is made to last.Updated Info: The lower leather valve on this was a bit dry and stiff. I had an extra new one on hand and switched it out. It's probably a good idea to rub petroleum jelly into the leather to keep it soft and waterproof. Won't hurt or contaminate the water.

I bought this pump 8 years ago for a periodic backup to the electric shallow well pump. This pump sits on top of a brass check valve and the tee that goes to the electric pump. It's useful having it as a backup pump during electricity outages. The old pitcher pump became a frog and moss mess so I keep this newer one in the workshop and thread it on when needed. Since the cup seal and flap seal dry out between uses i have to soak them before using the pump. I just dunk the entire pump in the pool for a couple of minutes and then thread it on to the well pipe. There's a catch-22 with having to first wet the seals without a working pump. A prepared person would keep a bottle of water stashed nearby and carefully drip water onto the seals. It doesn't take much for the thirsty leather to form minimal seal. It'll saturate when you use the pump.The seals that came with the pump dried out and the flapper shrunk and deformed to the point that I to remove it, soak it and stretch it and then reassemble the pump. I recommend buying at least a new flapper seal and an extra set (1162 1169),to have on-hand. My second flapper seal doesn't deform like the original. The seal issue isn't worth removing a star form my view because I haven't seen a better pump available.Edit. This list of parts will help maintenance.Part No. Pipe Connection1160 1 1/4″1161 Complete Plunger Assembly incl. Leather1162 Flat Leather for Base Valve1163 Weight and Screw for Flat Leather1164 Pump Base with Bolts1165 Pump Cylinder1166 Pump Top with Set Screw1167 Pump Handle with Bolts1168 Flat Valve Leather and Weight1169 Plunger Cup Leather

I bought 2 of these for 2 different properties. They work great, however Simmons needs to put in better gaskets, both pumps lose prime after a couple minutes so I had to spend $40 on a 1 1/4" brass valve to put under the pump so I shut the valve off everytime I use it so the water doesnt loose prime and fall back down 20 feet. When you put a valve in then you can wait weeks later until you use the pump again and the water is instantly there to pump, no priming needed, just open ball valve and pump, the water stays up inside pump. You may be able to install the replacement leather kit to help eliminate the bad non sealing leather that comes with these pumps. Also, one of the pumps stopped working, it wouldnt pull water up. Theses systems are super simple, the only problem usually is the gasket not making a tight seal so I looked and the gasket cup just needed to be bent out a little to create a tighter suction. Works great now. So keep this in mind instead of a full replacement, try bending leather cup out with fingers first and it will work unless the gasket is actually torn. Great pump so far just make sure you have the gasket kit on hand.

I have a well that used to have an electric pump on it on my property but the electric pump had long been removed. I have no clue how deep it is but I am assuming since the water table in my area in only like 8 feet underground that its not much deeper than 15ft or so. This pump actually screwed right on top of the pipe already sticking out of the ground and with only a couple of quarts poured into the top to prime it......it started pumping water almost immediately. It gets the job done and will be great if emergency water supplies are ever needed. It's a slight workout, you really have to pump the crap out of it to clear up the water but that is to be expected. Great product

I've bought 4 of these pumps from Amazon for different wells over the last 5 years. They are well made unlike most of the other Chinese pumps that are not cast well. I have found through the years, when replacing the bottom leather, retighten the bolts again about a week later. You'll be happy with this pump.

Pulled it out of the box to find there were no cotter pins on the handle linkage, that fell apart in my hands. I scrounged a couple of rusty nails from around the cabin to fix that. Assembled it on the well head, and the third or fourth handle-pump the whole top came off. There's a tension bolt. acting as a handle stop, that secures the top. It would not stay tight, tightened it several times in the process with no avail. There needs to be a recess or detent for the bolt face to grab in the body of the pump... Piss-Poor design! I'll correct it with a drill and some Locktite. But, if this is an indication of the continuation of the quality of this pump, I believe I wasted my money....