These Windpumps are a reminder of our farming days of yesteryear.
The day I came to this Windpump to set up the details for the cache, the wind was blowing and the windpump was turning furiously. The shaft which is now part broken, was moving up and down.
As this is a letterbox cache, the given co-ords are not the final ones. To find the final cache hide, please make the following simple calculation:
At the listed co-ordinates, face the Windpump structure with your back towards the entrance and your front looking at the Randburg City skyline ahead of you.
Look up at the top of the Windpump. How many wooden slats to you see? Let this be X. Look at the directional vein - there is a Manufacturer's name beginning with "L". How many letters are there in this word? Let this be Y.
The final co-ords can be found at:
S 26 04.0(63+Y)
E027 57.3(82-X)
P.S.: You'll need to know a little bit of Latin to make sense of the hint!!
Happy Hunting!
From South African photographer Chris Myburgh's website:
"The first records found of a windpump in South Africa, is from a painting drawn in 1848. Records were found of windpumps as from 1869 and the first import was in 1874.
These were wooden constructions. The first all steel windpump was patented in 1855 in England."
There are a number of types of windpumps manufactured both locally and abroad. Each manufacturer has its own style and branding. You'll notice the Manufacturer's branding on the Wind Vane - this particular Windpump was manufactured by "SA Climax".
Windpumps (Windmills) are fondly referred to as "steel flowers" especially in the Karoo area where they can be found in abundance, providing much needed water to the farms.
Taken from the website: http://www.dwa.gov.za/groundwater/NORADToolkit/7.2%20Introductory%20Guide%20to%20Appropriate%20Solutions%20for%20Water%20and%20Sanitation.pdf
"What is a wind powered pump and how does it work?
Wind powered pumps use the energy generated by wind to lift groundwater to the surface. A rotor is mounted on top of a tower. The action of the wind turns the rotor, which through a gearbox drives a reciprocating shaft. This in turn drives the pump in the borehole.
Wind pump adaptations
The air-lift groundwater pump was developed to provide a low-cost pump for use in informal and rural settlements. This pump system can be operated with tyre pumps. It has a wind pack compressor, capable of storing wind energy as compressed air. This provides supplementary power to the pump. All the working parts of this pump are located above ground, making maintenance easy.
Wind pump requirements
The pump requires sufficient wind speeds for significant lengths of time. The wind pump must therefore be placed where there is a clear sweep of wind. Also, the borehole should provide enough water so that continuous pumping does not result in excessive drawdown. Storage for several days must be provided to cater for calm periods when there is insufficient wind speeds to pump water. Further, someone must be delegated to apply the manual brake to avoid damage during storms.