Spare parts
The only spare parts which require the rope pump are the
rope and the pistons.
The rope has an approximate live time of 3 years. The rope
of the rope pump used at family level has a live time of
over 5 years. Family level in Central America means an
average of three families per pump. At community level the
live time of the rope can go down to one year depending
on the number of users.
The pistons have in the same way an approximate live time
of 5 years. Pistons of good quality don't break but do have
certain wear. The wear and thus decrease of the diameter of
the pistons influences negatively in the efficiency of the
rope pump. The necessity to change the pistons depends on
the application, depth and number of users.
The rope can be found on the local market and can be
changed by the users themselves. The pistons have to be
acquired at the rope pump producers or at the intermediate
piston producers. As the rope pump is (or will be) a
national product, the spare parts will be available at the
local market as well.
The cost of a new rope prepared with pistons is in the
range of US$ 10 to US$ 20 , depending on the depth of the
well. The pistons will have a cost of around US$ 0.20 each
depending on the diameter. Each metre of rope requires one
piston.
The turnover of spare parts at the rope pump producers is
very small, less then 3% of the total turn over.