There are two common types of stainless steel hand pumps or drum pumps, the lift action pump and the rotary hand pump. They use different principle but have a common function and that is to extract or pump water or liquid from a drum particularly the standard 55 gallon drums used in storing chemicals in various industrial and agricultural industries. These pumps are composed of mostly stainless steel except for some parts like the teflon piston of the lift action pump, it is meant handle both oil and water base chemicals like petroleum fuel, pesticides and other corrosive chemicals. Unlike other type of metals, stainless steel is corrosion and rust resistant making it ideal to use in harsh chemicals. It is designed such that it will fit the small opening of the drum. It also has a long tubular body about 2 inches in diameter with an adjustable stopper to adapt with the different drum height or size. The lift action pump type operates like a siphon with a piston and check valve. Each lift carries small amount of liquid and discharge it to spout at the top end. The rotary drum pump is more complicated and uses a rotary or hand crank pump. To operate it you have to manually drive the rotary pump using a lever and turn it in circular motion. It is actually similar to ordinary electric pumps; the difference is that you have to manually turn the pump by hand instead of a motor. It is actually more expensive than lift action pump, almost double the price but has a more sophisticated approach. It is also more expensive to maintain because of many moving parts.
You can use it to transfer the contents of a large 55 gallon drum to small containers or bottles without mess. Some people use it to re-pack whole sale chemicals like pesticide and liquid fertilizers into small plastic bottles and sell it for a profit. There are some limitations to each type of pump with regards to viscosity. The viscosity of some liquid varies depending on the temperature so check the product specification if it’s compatible with the liquid you want to pump. Working with combustible or flammable chemicals is very dangerous and should be handled with extra caution and care. When handling corrosive chemicals, wear proper protective clothing to avoid any health problems it may cause while handling.
