Community & Business
28 June, 2022
New water pump hits the market
A NEW water pump that doesn’t use fuel, oil or electricity to run, only the water it pumps has been designed and built in Mareeba by local businessman Roy Bird.
Mr Bird first became involved with Glockemann Water Pumps in PNG around 14 years ago, where he sold the pumps out of his two retail shops in LAE and in Highlands at Goroka in Papua New Guinea.
Upon returning to Mareeba, Mr Bird bought the rights to the name Glockemann Water Pumps from Glockmann Pick and began operating, having the pumps built in Innisfail.
Mr Bird, along with the help of others, has spent the last two years improving on the old Glockemann model and developed a lighter and cheaper model, the Aquarius.
Both the newer Aquarius and the older Glockemann 320 pump are Ram Pumps which have been around for about 140 years.
“The Aquarius is very environmentally friendly because it uses no fuel to operate it such as petrol, diesel, oil, or electricity,” Mr Bird said.
“It only runs on running water such as a small waterfall or creek with a fall It is very suited to rural and remote areas in the world where fuel is expensive.
“I found that the weight of our pump limited its potential for export so in the last two years, I designed the Aquarius with the help of others.”
The Aquarius’s predecessor, the Glockemann 320 pump, operated similarly to the new pump and pushed more volume, however it weighed a considerable 32kg heavier.
The new pump pumps to a height of 75m and deliver a total of 2800L per day and only needs to be serviced every six months to replace the leather seal, depending on the water quality.
Mr Bird currently distributed pumps to PNG, New Zealand, America, Canada, Mexico, Cambodia and Thailand and hopes to build a new workshop in Mareeba and hire staff to help with growing export demand.
The pumps are now being displayed at Pumping Irrigation and Machinery Services (PIMS) in Mareeba, Tableland Pumps, Pipes and Rural in Atherton and Malanda Rural with a retail price of $1450.
They can also be purchased directly from Mr Bird at glockemannwaterpumps.com
