Sand pump for a simple sand production in small sand business. Without sand no construction. Pumping sand and producing stone or gravel as a small business model

The below sand pump pictures are from a rice field area in Cambodia, near Siem Reap. This sand pump brings up enough sand to supply truck-loads of clean construction grade sand to small local construction companies.

Sand pump and small sand production operation
Cambodia - Siem Reap

Sand is available in abundance. However sand needs to be filtered and cleaned / washed prior to construction use. The easiest method to get sand is the shown sand pump method. It's a small scale operation - thus also a very small investment within easy reach of a one man or family business.

Of course you need first to have a market and a sand source to supply the quantity and quality of sand needed. Technically, sand pumps are water pumps made for dirty or polluted water. A membrane type pump instead of piston type pump. Any style water pump that has NO moving parts in direct contact with the water will do the job. Moving parts such as pistons would cause excessive wear and tear and the pump would break down within minutes or hours.

Low cost sand pump
Cambodia - Siem Reap

Large diameter, high volume pumps that can pump sand-saturated water a few meters UP as shown here will do the job. Pumps are definitely cheaper than other mechanical transport systems such as excavators used in mining or gravel pits.

The sand is flushed with the water as carrier onto a flat area surrounded with a mesh or screen to keep the sand within a confined area while the water flows back again into the sand pond.

Sand production - small scale business
Cambodia - Siem Reap

Construction rocks, stone and gravel production

Gravel, stone and rocks - valuable construction raw material
Philippines - near Baguio City in the mountains

Another small business model is gravel or construction stone prodcution. In many countries construction gravel still is produced by hand. Of course heavy machines can do may be thousand times more volume than a single man per day ever can produce. However such heavy machinery also may easily cost hundred thousand to million times or more dollars than the tools needed for natural human production. In addition to the investment needed in heavy stone production machinery and wear / maintenance of such machinery. The energy consumption of stone / gravel braking machinery also is a substantial part of the overall expense.

Natural rocks and stones have been used since thousands of years for house and home construction or street construction. Hence who says that all modern construction material needs to come from factories? Raw rock is free and available in masses. All you need is 2 men to break rock down to usable sizes. 2 men because one man alone would be boring work. A man needs a companion, a best friend to do such hard work. Together all work is shared work and far more fun.

Of course such production of sand, gravel or rock is nothing for huge construction sites in New York, Hong Kong or Paris. But such small scale business models certainly are useful and practicable in any small village in provincial areas such as shown here.

Many decades ago, during my teenage years, I saw ones an old man doing ONE complete house construction for the village's only restaurant all on his own. From breaking rocks and cutting rocks to proper size, to all mason work. It took that man approximately one full year. However it looked like he did all that construction without financing, without mortgage and investors. A one man's job for a one family business.

May be in the verge of our global crisis you start to see solutions rather than to see problems. The more large companies go broke, the more job opportunities for small one man or one family business start to arise out of the ashes of Wallstreet cleanup. By the end of a carefully finished disaster, millions of hard working and work-motivated people may find their own unique smallest business models free of employers, free of bosses and CEOs. All work done b y you, all money invested by you, all earnings for you as well. Just like in good old times when people worked with God in mind and heart!

When you think such labor is too hard to be practicable, think twice and have a look at the beautiful but huge construction achievement of the Banaue rice terraces - all done by hand, by humans! Everything is possible. All reasonable projects always can be done by hand and by humans. Anything else is beyond your limits and thus too large for you. Learn to stay with all your work, your entire life and projects within your own limits of your own body, mind and soul. Always maintain full direct and personal control over your entire business.

Love and bliss

hans