Heat-powered water pump

A heat-powered water pump comprising:

• a pumping reservoir;
• inlet means for directing water into the pumping reservoir, the inlet means including a first check valve means to control the direction of flow of said water into the pumping reservoir;
• outlet means for directing water from the pumping reservoir, the outlet means including a second check valve means to control the direction of flow of said water from the pumping reservoir;
• a pumping chamber in fluid communication with the pumping reservoir;
• vaporizing means for producing a vapor a predetermined quantity of volatile liquid;
• metering means for metering the predetermined quantity of volatile liquid to the vaporizing means;
• and
• standpipe means for directing the vapor to the pumping chamber.

A method for pumping water comprising:

• forming a pumping chamber with a downwardly oriented opening;
• interconnecting a reservoir chamber with the downwardly oriented opening of the pumping chamber;
• providing inlet check valve means and outlet check valve means to the reservoir chamber, the inlet check valve means being in fluid communication with a water source;
• fabricating a vaporizing means having a predetermined heat capacity to accommodate vaporizing a predetermined quantity of volatile liquid distributed thereto;
• heating the vaporizing means;
• metering a predetermined quantity of volatile liquid to the vaporizing means thereby generating a vapor;
• displacing water from the reservoir chamber through the outlet check valve means by delivering the vapor to the pumping chamber and forcing water from the pumping chamber with the vapor;
• and
• replacing water in the reservoir chamber and the pumping chamber by condensing the vapor in the pumping chamber thereby creating a partial vacuum in the pumping chamber and causing atmospheric pressure to force water from the water source through the inlet check valve means.