Antique Pump Mystery

[Richtdow]

I picked up this Rumsey "Terror" pump at an antique show a few weeks ago. The condition at the time implied that it hadn't been opened or otherwise messed with in some time, if ever. I disassembled it and could not locate any movable valves or soft goods, attachment points for valves, and other items that imply any had been part of the initial design. Note that I do not show the long handle and associated linkages in the pictures.

I found the original ad (attached) and it mentions that two bolts give access to the valve system. This area (the box-like area in the pictures attached to the cylinder composed of a top, middle, and bottom) was nothing more than a hollow cavity with a dividing wall in the middle. The inlet was open to both sides of the cavity as was the outlet on the top (bottom of expansion tank).

I was not able to get into the cylinder itself as the cylinder heads was impossible from years of corrosion, so I didn't force the issue. However, even in the event that inside of the cylinder contained valves, the hollow cavity of the aforementioned "valve system" would make the pump not function well.

I bench tested it with a bucket of water and check valve on the inlet side (bottom of "valve system") to see if there wasn't some hydraulic voodoo I wasn't considering. As I thought, it didn't work. The piston moved freely but with enough resistance to imply it was sealed but it more or less swished water inside of the "valve system."

I'm at a loss with this one. Does anyone know what I'm missing with this pump?

 

[Farmer J.]

Does anyone know what I'm missing with this pump?

Valves.

 

[Richtdow]

Valves.

I'm thinking there was a rectangle flap on the top and bottom of the inside of the middle section that is now missing. Since there are no obvious attachment points I'm wondering if they weren't just attached to one another using some shaft/spring combination.

 

[Farmer J.]

Just a wild guess.. Maybe it originally had flaps made of leather for the valves? Could they have been clamped in there somehow?

 

[Richtdow]

Just a wild guess.. Maybe it originally had flaps made of leather for the valves? Could they have been clamped in there somehow?

Not a bad guess. That's where I'm at right now. I'm planning on grabbing rubber vice leather and make some of my own flaps and give it a try. If that's true, I'm not sure how it would it would've been primed, although I can probably figure a way out.

What initially threw me off is that I've never run into completely missing soft goods of this size. Often they're dried out or remnants remain.

 

[rlitman]

It looks to me like that cylinder is dual acting, with the push forcing water up one valve and the pull forcing water up the other. My guess is that a single rectangular piece of leather acted as both the valves and the gasket. It's probably also missing cast iron weights that held down each flapper.

 

[Richtdow]

It looks to me like that cylinder is dual acting, with the push forcing water up one valve and the pull forcing water up the other. My guess is that a single rectangular piece of leather acted as both the valves and the gasket. It's probably also missing cast iron weights that held down each flapper.

It's definitely dual acting. Good call on the weights. I'm contemplating how I'm going to weight the flaps. I may end up using a piece of sheet metal to also add a bit of rigidity.

 

[RTM]

Looking at the wear patterns, I’m wondering if your “valve” isn’t a rectangle of leather or rubber, with two hole/ flap arrangements with 3 of 4 sides cut, and the 4th as your pivot.

Place this on top of the part with the two squares, and sandwich it under the top piece. When you draw the piston back, the flaps pull down against the squares, flooding the cylinder. Push it in, and the fluid can flow up, through the valve..

I’d assume you need a similar valve on the lower side, to keep the water from flowing out the bottom again. No pix w that piece off, so no clue what it might look like, but similar design should be under there, where both flaps on both pieces prefer to go up.


Based on how little thread is left on your bolt, I don’t imagine the valves are very thick.

Here is a Rumsey catalog, your pump is on pg 475. Maybe you can find a rebuild kit there.

L. M. Rumsey Mfg. Co. No. 97 : Manufacturers and Jobbers of Railway, Foundry, Steam, Gas Fitters', Miners' and Water Works Supplies, Iron and Wood Working Machinery, Engines and Boilers, Shafting and Pulleys, Pump and Hoisting Machinery, Belting, Hos

666 p., illus., 26.6 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[Richtdow]

Looking at the wear patterns, I’m wondering if your “valve” isn’t a rectangle of leather or rubber, with two hole/ flap arrangements with 3 of 4 sides cut, and the 4th as your pivot.

Place this on top of the part with the two squares, and sandwich it under the top piece. When you draw the piston back, the flaps pull down against the squares, flooding the cylinder. Push it in, and the fluid can flow up, through the valve..

I’d assume you need a similar valve on the lower side, to keep the water from flowing out the bottom again. No pix w that piece off, so no clue what it might look like, but similar design should be under there, where both flaps on both pieces prefer to go up.


Based on how little thread is left on your bolt, I don’t imagine the valves are very thick.

Here is a Rumsey catalog, your pump is on pg 475. Maybe you can find a rebuild kit there.

L. M. Rumsey Mfg. Co. No. 97 : Manufacturers and Jobbers of Railway, Foundry, Steam, Gas Fitters', Miners' and Water Works Supplies, Iron and Wood Working Machinery, Engines and Boilers, Shafting and Pulleys, Pump and Hoisting Machinery, Belting, Hos

666 p., illus., 26.6 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

I think you nailed it, RTM! The lower piece is a facsimile of the upper piece. The bolt length is based on my measurements when I bought new SS ones not realizing that there should've been a valve/gasket thickness added in. I'll grab some new bolts and retrofit everything once the rubber comes in. I'm planning on taking a rectangle of 1/4" rubber, one for the lower and one for the lower, and cutting the flaps in those for the valves (3 of 4 sides as you mentioned) and the remainder will be the gasket as one piece. I'll add weights as necessary.

Thank you for the Rumsey catalog.

 

[RTM]

P187 has the parts list for the Terror pump, nothing sounds like a valve.

Edit, forgot the link

Pump is on page 74

http://storage.lib.uchicago.edu/pres/2015/pres2015-0643.pdf

 

[rlitman]

...nothing sounds like a valve...

"The removal of two bolts gives access to the valve system."
So there are valves. Maybe they expected people to make their own out of a simple piece of leather. I'd have expected weights for that though. I don't see a leather cup washer in the parts list either, but it could be integral with the plunger. If so, maybe the valves are integral with the suction piece.

Anyway, the fact that it has a brass rod and stuffing box and may have a brass lined cylinder is impressive.

 

[RTM]

"The removal of two bolts gives access to the valve system."
So there are valves. Maybe they expected people to make their own out of a simple piece of leather. I'd have expected weights for that though. .

I agree, my thought was they didn’t specifically list a valve leather, so it wasn’t sold as a spare, so on your own to make one, as you said.