I helped a chap build one of these ‘perpetual’ pumps years’ ago to pump water from a stream way down in the bush at the bottom of his property to near his house at the top so he could run their vegie garden. At best you get 1/10th of the water (diminishing with head to be pumped) without any source of power save the flowing water. In this case it was ample and it worked smoothly without maintenance for many years (maybe still) : DIY instructions to build from standard plumbing fittings eg here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Hydraulic-Ram-Pump/
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-drilling-water-wells/
