The pump rod is the item which connects the windmill pump to the
windmill engine. In examining windmill pumping system failures it
is found that pump rod failures are the major cause. Windmill
engine or tower failures are rare if a proven windmill design is
chosen and the windmill is correctly installed. One will often
hear that a windmill is broken. In the great majority of cases in
fact the pump rods have become disconnected from the windmill
pump due to breakage or twisting loose. Breakages are caused by a
number of reasons dealt with elsewhere in this document. It is
also obviously essential that adequately sized pump rods be
selected.

One of the major failure modes further is the propensity of the
individual pump rod lengths to twist loose from each other. This
is due to incorrect installation, poor windmill design which
leads the pump rods to be twisted by the windmill engine as it
turns to follow the wind direction or by poor machining of the
threads on the individual pump rods.














Photo of pump rods.