From: altamira (altamira@ecpi.com)
Date: Sun Jun 25 2000 - 11:19:26 MDT
I swear I'm not associated in any way with Dankoff pumps, but I've been so
impressed with their products that I want to say one more thing about them.
Some of their pumps (like for instance the piston pump I have) are designed
specifically with remote areas in mind. They are simply and ruggedly built
so that a person can work on them without any special tools, and all the
parts are replacable and can be bought from Dankoff. The disadvantage of a
piston pump over, say, a centrifugal pump is that the piston pump contains
more moving parts. I don't see this as necessarily a problem as long as
spare parts are readily available at reasonable prices, which they are from
Dankoff.
The same can't be said for other pump manufacturers. I have generally good
things to say about Teel pumps, and it IS possible to get parts, but the
cost is prohibitive. I cracked the pump housing on a Teel cast aluminum
centrifugal pump that sells for a bit less than $200 in the Grainger
catalogue. To buy a new housing costs almost as much as buying a whole new
pump. All the parts are like this. They obviously want you to buy new
pumps rather than fixing old ones. (I'm not very good at welding, especially
aluminum, and I haven't been able to find anyone who was willing to try
welding the crack in the housing.)
Now that we have the internet, I think there's an opportunity for small
manufacturing businesses like Dankoff, to make good, rugged products that
can be repaired rather than junked and replaced.
Bonnie
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