How the Simple Pump Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly Works

I get asked this question a lot from customers looking at automated pumping.

"Can I run the pump automatically when I want water, and still grab the handle and pump by hand any time?"

For years, the honest answer was: sort of. Not at the same time.

What came before: the LBLD motor

If you wanted automated pumping on a Simple Pump, your option was our LBLD motor. The LBLD was a DC motor that replaced the hand pump's lever arm. It worked well. It shared the same drop pipes. It shared the same cylinder. It shared the same pump head.

But here's the catch. You could only use one pumping mode at a time.

If the LBLD was installed and running, you couldn't hand pump. The motor was physically where the handle would go. To switch to manual, you had to take the LBLD off and put the handle back on. That's about an hour of work.

In an emergency, that was a real problem. You didn't have immediate access to water through the hand pump. You had to do a swap first.

The other direction was the same. If the handle was on and you wanted automated pumping, you had to take the handle off and install the LBLD. Another hour of work.

Not great when you actually needed water right away.

We discontinued the LBLD motor for new purchase on March 31, 2026. Existing LBLD owners still get parts and support for at least 10 more years. But for new customers, we have something better.

The Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly

Now the Simple Pump hand pump and a WORKHORSE solar submersible pump can both run in the same well, sharing the same drop pipe. Both work. At the same time. No swap. No physical change to your setup to switch from one to the other.

The Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly is what makes this possible. It's a check valve we designed in-house. It sits between the WORKHORSE solar submersible at the bottom and the Simple Pump cylinder above it.

When the WORKHORSE is running, water pressure closes the valve. Water flows up through the Simple Pump cylinder to wherever you've got it plumbed.

When you reach for the Simple Pump lever arm, the vacuum from pumping opens the valve. The hand pump draws water through its own path. The way it always has.

You don't remove anything. You don't switch anything. You just pump the handle if you want to, or let the solar run if you don't. Both are always available.

How the check valve tee works

The valve responds to pressure, not to you. That's the key.

Positive pressure from the WORKHORSE closes it. Negative pressure (the vacuum from hand pumping) opens it. There's no electronic control. No solenoid. No ball valve to remember. The pressure differential does the work.

That means the system responds automatically based on which pump is in use. You can walk up, grab the lever, and pump. Your solar submersible can run on its schedule. Neither one interferes with the other.

Who this is for

A few typical setups we see:

You have an existing Simple Pump and you want to add solar automation. Maybe you're tired of pumping by hand for your garden or your stock tank. Add a WORKHORSE Narrow Series solar submersible with the inline valve. Your Simple Pump keeps working exactly as it does now. Solar gives you automated daily water.

You're off-grid and running a generator to power your pumps. Generators work, but you've got fuel to stock and equipment to maintain. A WORKHORSE solar submersible paired with your Simple Pump through the inline valve gets you off the generator. You still have manual backup through the hand pump any time.

You have an electric submersible and a Simple Pump already. Your electric submersible handles daily grid-powered use. Your Simple Pump is your backup. Adding the WORKHORSE solar + inline valve gives you a third option: automated solar pumping that doesn't depend on grid power. Now you've got three pumps in one well using two drop pipes.

You're starting from scratch. New well, new system. The WORKHORSE solar submersible + Simple Pump + inline valve gives you automated daily water and always-ready manual backup from day one. For homes that don't use huge amounts of water, you may find the solar submersible does the job on its own. You might not need a separate electric submersible at all.

Above-ground plumbing doesn't change

One thing worth saying out loud: the inline valve only changes what happens inside the well column. If you already have tees or valves at your pressure tank connecting your pumps to your home's plumbing, those stay the same. We're not replacing your above-ground plumbing. We're making the in-well side of the system simpler.

Valve sizes and what pairs with what

We make the Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly in two sizes to match your cylinder and WORKHORSE model:

Your Simple Pump specialist can help you pick the right combination for your well depth, daily water needs, and WORKHORSE model.

What's included, what's sold separately

The Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly is a component. It isn't a complete pump system. To build out the full inline manual-solar setup, you'll need:

• The Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly (Valve-1/2-Assy or Valve-1-Assy). That's what this article covers.
• The Simple Pump hand pump system. Cylinder, drop pipes, pump head, lever arm. Sold separately at simplepump.com.
• A WORKHORSE Narrow Series solar submersible pump. Sized and installed by authorized dealers and WORKHORSE Pumps installers.
• Spring check valve and cylinder bottom conversion kit. Sold separately for the assembly.
• Solar panels. Sized to your WORKHORSE model and application.

Valve inserts are available if the valve itself ever needs service over its lifetime.

Simple Pump made. 15-year warranty.

The Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly is a Simple Pump product. We designed it. We manufacture it in Nevada. It carries our 15-year warranty.

This isn't an adapter. It isn't a third-party fitting. It's the answer we've been working toward for years, and we made it the way we make everything else. In-house. With professional-grade materials.

Works with Simple Pumps going back to 1999

If you put in a Simple Pump any time since 1999, the Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly fits your system. The assembly threads between a compatible WORKHORSE submersible and your existing Simple Pump cylinder. Your drop pipes, pump head, and pressure connections stay the same. Your manual pumping depth and performance don't change.

Ready to talk about your well?

The Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly is available now through simplepump.com and authorized dealers. The full Inline Manual-Solar Well Pump System (WORKHORSE solar submersible, Simple Pump hand pump, and the Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly) is available through Simple Pump dealers and authorized WORKHORSE Pumps professional installers.

If you're thinking about this for your well, give us a call at (877) 492-8711 or request a quote. Tell us about your existing Simple Pump setup, whether you've got an electric submersible already, and what your daily water needs look like. We'll help you figure out what fits.

Learn more about the Inline Dual-Pump Valve Assembly