Let me give you some advice that I found by accident. Years ago, I was hand digging a well for garden use. I got down to around 7 feet, it came a strong rain storm, and it filled my well with rain water. I needed to drain my hole in order to start digging again, I hooked up a pump, lost power, and the siphon kept on happening…with a hole that was 7’ deep and an over all fall that was 4’ (with a 3’ differential that most people would think a siphon would be impossible. If the amount of water that you want to siphon (when the downhill is less than the uphill, as long as you can create more downhill weight in water, you can siphon water uphill. You could probably take a transit, zigzag your pipe down to the pond, and as long as all of that zig-zagged pipe is going down hill, you can create suction. The more water weight that you can create going downhill, the more suction that you will create at the spring source. The more suction that you create at the spring source, the more water that you will have coming out at your pond. I hypothesize that if you were able to use a transit, have all of your pipe going down hill, and increase the length of your downhill pipe by twice, you could increase the amount of water that you are siphoning by twice the amount. Maybe ten or more gallons per minute. I, though have been able to siphon water uphill.
Great to see someone who knows what he doesn't know and admits it. That's a definite strength in man. We can all learn from eachother. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for the shout out! Your pump looks nice. Only change would be to move the unions in between the ball valves to keep the poly pipe full while you work. A siphon will be great to fill your pond! Remember a basic shopvac can pull the siphon over the hill.
Just a thought on the ram pump, ( just an idea not practical experiance) would a stake supporting the top of the pressure tank help to stabalise the ram pump assembly? Particularly beneficial with a shorter base plate to accommodate the suggestion of leaving the ball valves on the pipe runs.
@@davidclark2286 a stake or fence post works well to support the tank. Its also important to secure the base otherwise the water hammer can jar the pump to the pont of breaking.
Getting your siphon started with that long of a pipe can be a challenge. Best way I have found is to pump water from the outlet to fill the entire line. Have the inlet submurged. When air bubbles stop coming out the inlet, the line is full of water, disconnect the pump at the outlet and gravity will take over. Congratulations on the 100K subscibers. I really enjoy your channel because you are always trying something new and different, not just the same thing over and over. Also, you aren't afraid to show the things that don't work out as hoped and how you go about learning to do it a differnt way. Good job!!
@@letsRegulateSociopaths He shows using an opening at the high spot of the siphon and filling both sides. Depending on the length of the tube, I have filled a pipe of up to 100' by holding my hand over the outlet end and pumping the pipe back and forth. You remove your hand to allow the air to escape when going one direction and cover the end when going the other direction. This requires some practice and a tube that is somewhat held in place so that the inlet end is moving. Also, if there is adequate room on the inlet side, the entire pipe can be submerged, hold the outlet end closed (either with you hand or a valve) and walk it to the point where the outlet is lower than the inlet. This requires some amount of care so that you don't end up with air trapped in the pipe while it is being submerged. You start with the inlet in the water and keep feeding the pipe in so that the water fills the pipe, pushing the air out the other end. Does this answer your question?
I would use the ram pump to fill the pipe because if you ever accidentally get air into the siphon, you'll need to restart it again and using ramp pump for it would be pretty easy way to start it. To fill the pipe, simply have a bleed valve in the highest point, block the downhill end and start pumping the water into the pipe.
an alternate way to start such a siphon originating at a lower elevation without using another pump (the challenge is to get the hose filled with water and all air removed) is to fill the hose from the top elevation from another water source, then perform some physical skullduggery to coax a flow such as raising the filled hose much higher than the top elevation then letting it fall to use gravity to pull water to get it started
When I lived in east Africa in the 50s our 15,000 gallon rainwater storage was supplemented by a ram pump in the next valley, so the technology is not new. I never understood how they worked but your explanations have been very informative. I'm glad the ram has been superseded rather than abandoned due to any defects.
Not a waste at all. You learned new stuff and me also. I learned a lot stuff watching your RUclips channel from last 3 years. I do a lot of my house stuff by my own. Got a lot electric tools.
Just found you....Awesome name by the way! Subbed :) I appreciate the Ram Pump Videos. I know you're going away from it, but if you decide to come back to them (or for anyone else reading this), here's a couple of thoughts... First: Under normal operation, the pressure tank doesn't suddenly get water logged and stop working. It is a slow, incremental process that, over time, causes the pump to stop working. What happens is basically with every cycle, the pump is becoming less and less efficient, pumping less and less volume, until eventually it just can't overcome the head and just stops. Draining it on a regular basis, instead of waiting for it to quit pumping, will keep the pump moving the most fluid it can. This can be done weekly or whatever schedule works for one's personal setup...With a setup like yours, where it can go for several months before stopping, then monthly service should work. I would suggest measuring it weekly to find out the best maintenance cycle. You can use any bucket you wish, if you have a scale. Water weighs approx 8.33 lbs (3780 grams) per gal. Second: Installing a bladder in the pressure tank will prevent this. These can be built (YT videos or google it) into the pressure tank you design, or you can go to your local well driller and purchase a small one from him...odds are, if he's been in business for any length of time, he has a used one someone upgraded from, or an old one from a past project that was too small. You can adjust the air pressure on it to what your system needs. These stay upright a lot easier and are pretty weather resistant...so long as they're drained every year, you can't really hurt them. Third: Not sure where you live, but if you get snow, your ground freezes. If your ground freezes and thaws, the gravel in a driveway will move around, and the more moisture there is in the ground, the more it will move during those cycles. It also moves around as it is driven on. These movements will cause the rocks/sand to apply friction to the water line. I would HIGHLY suggest running your water line through a piece of ABS, or at least PVC, where it goes under the drive way. Fourth and Final: Siphoning will flow more, and more consistently, so certainly do that if you can. But since it flows more, it can drain the creek much quicker too, and it didn't look like you had a ton of water in that one. If possible, I would suggest digging out a pool at least 3-4' deep in that creek so you can have a little bit of a buffer as the water's flow rate through the creek ebbs and gains. Thank you again, and God Bless!
Great video, thank you for it. For those who wonder about the waterlog - there is definitely something you can do to avoid that. The water in pressure tank builds up based on how high you want the water delivered. The higher the delivery point, the higher pressure it needs. And that means more water in pressure tank (=more pressured air). However, if the water level rises over time, it only means the pressure tank is not air tight and you've got a tiny leak. So what can you do about it? Use proper pressure tank (1 piece metal) instead of PVC tube with cup glued together. No leaks, no waterlog.
Impressed with your endeavor and simplifying the mechanism. I’ll never too old to learn. May never use it, but I could always share it when it’s needed.
The only way to learn is to break things or do things the wrong way. It's exciting to learn. Never feel bad about learning. You are a braver man than I am posting about it on RUclips.
Thank you for uploading this, the drone usage makes my wanting to get one, a heck of a lot more useful than just...fun. This entire project has been fascinating.
You may be young, but you are wise and humble beyond your years. I enjoy your channel because your honesty and willingness to show what did and didn’t work. That you value the opinion of others who bring more experience to the table, is a rare quality in todays age of self-centered, entitled people.
I am one that am glad you went through this exercise because I have never seen a ram pump in operation before. I didn't notice until I read someone's comment.... congrats on the 100k.
Very interesting!! Brilliant!! Congratulations on your subscribers!! You deserve twice that many, & they're coming!! God bless you and your family! 👍💖🙏
Have you considered putting a Schraeder valve on the top of the cylinder? A quick blast of air and reopen the inlet valve. No need to disassemble. Might be worth a try.
hey I'm 60 years old never even heard of one I appreciate both videos but , but I do understand plumbing real well and when you made the first one I said ought to put unions in there to be able to disconnect it a lot easier and I also would have put a drain for that head pressure cuz I built a lot of pumps of different kinds back in my younger days
Every maple farmer watching can feel your pain on this. We've all been here. Also, I recommend stainless maple tubing mainline fittings. They have a smaller wall thickness. They will take up less of your I.D and increase your flow. Once the ram pump gets you primed - switch over to a siphon feed line. I have enough stuff in my shop/store to get what you need. An experienced maple farmer would be your best friend on this project, Adam. They have toys and tools for tubing you could only dream of... I have a similar setup. But I cheat! I'd be happy to help you. Mike Morgan or Joe at Ohio Woodburner could connect us. Congrats on 100k!
Yes. My first thought was to close valves at the low ends and measure static water pressure, and compare. But that would require adding fittings, etc. and he's already got the drone.
Thumbs up for sharing old school idea. One suggestion I want to share is you can also check elevation of your property and surrounding properties using GIS Mapping. This tool can be found free of charge.
Ram pumps are a great way to fill tanks to water gardens with! Ram pumps are another piece of "forgotten" tech that was around before electricity and they can work day in, day out 24/7/365.
I am surprised that there is not an app for elevation. I know GPS also shows elevation, so I would be shocked if there was no app. You have the absolute most organised tool drawer that I have ever seen. Foam cut outs for wrenches and all tools? PVC pieces to hang your hand power tools? I am impressed! New sub here.
I'm seeing cautions about not overdrawing the capacity of the stream pool, which will be a factor. Perhaps a restrictor on the outlet end would help control flow and not break the suction by introducing air at the inlet. I totally loved learning about the ram pump. Never knew they existed (I'm a city kid). Keep up the great work!
A simple pole with a wire would keep the pump straight up. And you could put a barrel on a hole at the side of the creek, open a canal so the creek could fill the barrel, and use the water weight in the barrel to feed the pump. But yes, siphoning the water maybe is the best solution. Nice videos, found your channel by chance. Greeting from Brazil.
Adam, Congratulations on the 100k milestone! I’ve been here since you told Mike Morgan that he cost you a lot of money, Lol! Enjoying every video that you post! The ram pump was not a waste of time at all as others have mentioned. Like the drone idea. Good luck with the upcoming siphon project and the pond filling! Keep up the great videos! On to 200k! Cheers Harry
All of the experience and education you learn can be used to help someone else besides yourself, so I got to learn how to make a ram pump even if you didn't need it.😊
Ram pump was interesting, glad you checked out the siphon idea, like others have said, you may have to put in a restricter to prevent sucking your source dry at times bur but you might want it adjustable so when the stream is really flowing you can maximize the amount of water you harvest. Good luck!
When you started talking about ways to measure the heights, I'm going "Use the drone! Use the drone!", and there ya go, you did. Nice work, looking forward to the next video. Oh, and as a side note, they do make PVC unions. I don't know what the acidity of the stream water is, but I do know that our well water that has a pH of 5.0 will corrode it over time. We're talking years here, and about pipes that are difficult to replace, but my point stands.
I just wanted to say, you're one of very few RUclips posters that don't insult or belittle the commenters. Infact you welcome suggestions. And I wanted to thank you. There is several channels I don't bother watching anymore with the way they insult the commenters they act cocky and like know it all's. And yet those same people that they're insulting is bringing them in the money through views and subscriptions. We all have our talents and abilities and expertise and if we would put them all together there is many problems that could be solved.
Adam You do very nice work. A comment on you Ram Pump Issue Your Head tank is saturating over time because the gas(air) is being absorbed into the water therefore you must drain the vessel periodically. Your installed drain is correct, but will not drain the tank as configured! You need to add a 'Vent Valve' to the top of the tank in order to properly drain the chamber. If not - it will not drain! As Air cannot enter the chamber to purge the water. Just like holding liquid in a straw by holding you finger over the top = it will not drain, You may realize this the first time you attempt to purge the vessel or you may not the fix is simple - add a vent valve to the top of the tank. I would not abandon the Ram Pump because you can use it to prime the siphon which you may have to do periodically. or at least seasonally. Also realize the larger the diameter (within reason) of the siphon line the greater the flow rate exponential as the flow of a 2" line will be significantly greater than 1.0" and this can be easily calculated.
Just in case you haven’t thought of it, because a siphon will pump more water faster, you will need to make sure that the small creek pond that you are drawing from can keep up with the demand. Great video.
I found it very interesting you explain it well, don't waste all this work see if you can use ram pump to put water back into the steam that would make a good video, thanks again
bro, there's dome really great Israeli quick connectors that have cams and tabs for tool free pulling your pump out... but that will work as well. Redwood is at home in water. but that white oak will last a long time. good job, I love seeing creative homesteading! 👍
Just an idea to check if the pond is higher than the stream, put clear vinyl tubing at each end and make a water level since you already have a pipe going from the pond to the stream.
Thanks for sharing the ram pump stuff. I did not know anything about those so we’re all learning. Good luck with the siphon line. I think that might work pretty slick especially if it’s a decent diameter to fill up the pond faster. 👍🏼
hi there old water rams had what was called a sniffer , . i put a foot ball inner tube . in one i made and a few tennis balls in another . both worked . when i had my tank up like yours the vibrations or pulse kept snapping off . good luck john
I am glad the syphon works for you, but a restriction valve to limit the flow might be needed. The system could draw too much water from the creek causing air to enter the system and the need to restart. Also put some ant seize on the threads of the pipe couplings (not the seal area) this will make your assembly/disassembly a lot easier.
so the problem is that the siphon draw will be so great it will immediately empty the creek side and stop. siphons empty stuff. you might need dig out a small bowl in the creek as storage, but even then it's going to be tricky to divert small creek flow consistently. you may want to turn it on during wetter season when flow is much greater than siphon flow.... my gut says that pond will fill naturally on its own, and that all this work to divert that little creek will be campfire chat one day. good luck 👍
Mate I have been planning to do this for a long time. I didn't even think it was possible! Even though you haven't got a use in Yr current application, this knowledge is invaluable. Great work and much respect from down here in NZ 👍
hi again another thought about the syphon look onto water lose from friction in the hose pipe / also air may flow back up to the high point and loose the syphon . may need a valve the end . good luck john
Now since you will have flowing water into the pond, just put a couple of inline water generators, and you can put lights around the pond, that will cost you nothing to keep them on. 😎👍
Priming that siphon will be a challenge. Ram pump is set it and forget it and will run as long as there is water in the stream. Loss of flow rate makes up for the ease of operation. But it’s not my pond. :). Learned a lot watching your challenges!
You can avoid water logging by installing an inner tube inside the pressure chamber when you assemble it. Very little air pressure in the tube is needed. Great video.
exactly, and if you happen to live in a place where others downstream are watching or needing the creek for any reason, you could end up in a heap a trouble with the county sherrif if you drain the creek dry - aren't there regulations here and there about diverting creeks and brooks from their natural flow? Not sure gotta look it up
Word of caution when threading a male metal pipe into a PVC threading joint. The thermo expansion is different and can cause a failure over a relatively long period of time in the PVC female fitting.
Ok bro do one thing use a hose from the hiest point of the creek to the pond then use foot valve on the creek side and ball walve on the pond side find the most elivated point of the hose pipe and fit a t coupling and ball valve then fill the entire hose with water, close the valve go to the pond side open the valve... Tadaaa u have gentle flow of water 😁😁😁
Pool noodles Or bike or half pumped tire tube to slow down the water logging update to stainless steel parts for more weather resistance, add small weights (a few bolts) to top of foot valve to increase flow. Great idea on the added tap. Even a more durable drive pipe PVC or galvanised half the pipe to the pump for better flow.
You can put an air pump valve from a bicycle tire into the pressure tank make sure to seal it, every so often just hit it with an air pump, what I did for my water solution. also built a frame out of pvc pipe and had 4, 6" spikes built into the bottom of the frame also pvc and hammered those into the ground. Very stable and once a month pump the tank and it maintains great pressure
I've never seen a Ram Pump so thanks for showing us that. One thing to consider if not mentioned before is the flow rate of the syphon to the fill rate of the creek you're pulling from. Another words, the syphon may empty the creek and break the syphon if the flow rate is to much and then you will need to restart the syphon. where as the Ram pump may drain but would restart with the simple push of that valve.
With the siphon line I would prime the line from the pond side not the creek side. Put an air release at the apex and a valve at either end. Open air release, close creek valve pump water from pond until siphon is full so water is coming out air release and all air is out. Close air release and open valve in creek. If you find the flow is too high and drains creek pool use lower valve at pond to slow the flow, it won’t cause cavitation introducing air into the line.
Just put a loop in the pipe after the check valve. Will create air gap to allow for compression. Get rid of the pressure tank all together. If the creek ever runs dry for a bit your siphon will stop, with the ram pump it will always move water when available. Granted the siphon will move more but it is not a set it and forget it. You can set the ram pump and come back 20 years later and it will still be running.
As far as getting the siphon going you could use one of those drill pumps from harbor freight to possibly pull a vacuum. My concern with a siphon though, if it pulls too much and it overwhelms your creek supply it will stop working.
Before water tanks for water wells had rubber blatters they used a setup just like what you made. They had a plug to remove at the right height of air to water for the best pressure. I was going to suggest trying something like a small innertube inside the tank. Bycicle or Lawnmower maybe. Consider keeping the ram pump for filling the syphon tube with water.
Good morning you had great info I thought this was going to be a video that you're going to be calling in neighbor Dougie anyways you're getting her figured out and yeah it'll be interesting on when you start setting up a siphon
By the way ,what I know for sure it's true the quantity of water will be significantly larger and if you will choose to use the "drum" or barel of 200 l solution ,the outlet pipe must be larger than the inlet pipe which has to have at the end a foot valve and at the end of outlet use a reduction equal or slightly smaller than the inlet pipe.Also on the outlet pipe I saw the Vietnamese, are using a pressure chamber -as the one you used at the ram pomp- I don't know the measurements for and if you because you have a big distance to cover,you have to use one or more of it! Success and keep us posted! I forgot use a tap at the and of the outlet pipe before the reduction,and fill with water the hole system before....but I think you know how the syphoning method works! Open the end faucet slowly,I saw a video with a barel crushed by the suction force like a can of soda! I edited four times ...I remember things gradually!...and excuse my English I hope I made myself understood!
Use an airtight tote or barrel to create a self priming siphon. Two feed hoses at the top of the airtight barrel or tote one from the Ram Pump the other is just from the water source on the other side will be a valve and hose to your destination pond and on top of the container is a removable cap to let air out. fill the container with cap off to let air out. once full put cap on and the open the valve to let water flow to the pond which will start a natural siphon. keeping the line to the ram pump so you may reprime the system if you ever lose pressure. The hose leading to the pond must absolutely be the same size or smaller in diameter as the fill line if not you will slowly lose pressure and have to start again.
You may want to consider looking into horizontal boring to run a pipe from the pond through the hill to the creek. You could put a small water feature at the ponds edge. It would just gravity flow.
With the siphon, you'll have to be careful that the flow rate of the creek at your inlet point is greater than the amount you'll be draining from it. Otherwise it will break the siphon and you'll have to start it up again.
I was thinking about that. A simple valve at the pond end (low end) could throttle flow enough to solve the problem, if there is a problem. It's conceivable it'll be a seasonal problem, so he could adjust as he goes.
one other way to get relative elevations is the water pipe. a piece of tubing or hose filled with water will have the water at either end at the same elevation. Of course, this requires you to have a hose long enough to begin with, but useful for smaller projects
*I'll have to look for follow up vid, but one thing that comes to mind is supply flow, is there enough water to handle an increased draw. Breaking a siphon of that distance would be a huge PITA!*
ADAM, siphon will work, that's good news! Watched a video on OWTM channel a while back when Mike needed to siphon water out from his pond.Same concept, check it out. Yinz already have the bladder tank at the top of grade to use as a primer, or fill point, to make it work.Im sure You and Doug will come up with building it. Congrats on 100k subs!
A siphon only works as long as you don’t introduce air into the line, seems more efficient. Any just noticed you hit 100k subs congratulations in case I missed a video where you announced it
The ram pump is good to know if in your situation you needed higher head pressure to do some cleaning with water at higher pressures, and had a elevated perch to place a modest storage tank much higher than where you could use the water. If I am remembering correctly from my ram pump days ....that every foot of elevated water, roughly 1/3rd of a pound is developed below. 10 ft. Rise equals 3pounds 100ft = 30lbs pressure and so on. Put a tank on a 150 ft hill above you, ram pump water up to that tank and have pressures that match your local water utilities pressure.
You might be able to boil your wood pcs in a bucket with a little canning wax, to make it more water proof. They do that with wood carved kitchen ware items. Just some thoughts !
you can always put a air valve stem on the top of the pressure tank. then you dont halfto worry about disconnecting to drain it, you can just use some compressed air to purge the water from the tank.
Using a 4 way pipe connection directly under the pressure chamber would allow you to add 2 stabilizer feet . If made approximately 2 feet long. It would never tip over. You could make the stabilizer feet off the 4 way as long as you wanted.
That was my thought as well. Use an inverted double wye. and it would be very stable. The legs don't need to be glued in place so they could be removed as needed or adjusted for another location.
![Off Grid Water Pump lifts over 50 feet [Full 1/2" Ram Pump Install]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MiTN1UNPDp8/mqdefault.jpg)
Let me give you some advice that I found by accident. Years ago, I was hand digging a well for garden use. I got down to around 7 feet, it came a strong rain storm, and it filled my well with rain water. I needed to drain my hole in order to start digging again, I hooked up a pump, lost power, and the siphon kept on happening…with a hole that was 7’ deep and an over all fall that was 4’ (with a 3’ differential that most people would think a siphon would be impossible. If the amount of water that you want to siphon (when the downhill is less than the uphill, as long as you can create more downhill weight in water, you can siphon water uphill. You could probably take a transit, zigzag your pipe down to the pond, and as long as all of that zig-zagged pipe is going down hill, you can create suction. The more water weight that you can create going downhill, the more suction that you will create at the spring source. The more suction that you create at the spring source, the more water that you will have coming out at your pond. I hypothesize that if you were able to use a transit, have all of your pipe going down hill, and increase the length of your downhill pipe by twice, you could increase the amount of water that you are siphoning by twice the amount. Maybe ten or more gallons per minute. I, though have been able to siphon water uphill.
Not a waste of time at all. As you said, you learned about the ram pump and so did many of us. Keep up the good work.
Lol. My rule of thumb has become hurry up and do it wrong so you can get on to doing it right. Thank you for the knowledge brother. Strong work.
Great to see someone who knows what he doesn't know and admits it. That's a definite strength in man. We can all learn from eachother. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for the shout out! Your pump looks nice. Only change would be to move the unions in between the ball valves to keep the poly pipe full while you work.
A siphon will be great to fill your pond! Remember a basic shopvac can pull the siphon over the hill.
Ahhh yeah I didn’t think to add the unions inside the ball valves. That would have been way easier to get the line full again
@@HometownAcres looks like a spam comment here on my comment.
Just a thought on the ram pump, ( just an idea not practical experiance) would a stake supporting the top of the pressure tank help to stabalise the ram pump assembly? Particularly beneficial with a shorter base plate to accommodate the suggestion of leaving the ball valves on the pipe runs.
@@davidclark2286 a stake or fence post works well to support the tank. Its also important to secure the base otherwise the water hammer can jar the pump to the pont of breaking.
I LIKE IT GOOD WORK!! DO YOU SELL PUMPS?
Getting your siphon started with that long of a pipe can be a challenge. Best way I have found is to pump water from the outlet to fill the entire line. Have the inlet submurged. When air bubbles stop coming out the inlet, the line is full of water, disconnect the pump at the outlet and gravity will take over.
Congratulations on the 100K subscibers.
I really enjoy your channel because you are always trying something new and different, not just the same thing over and over. Also, you aren't afraid to show the things that don't work out as hoped and how you go about learning to do it a differnt way.
Good job!!
is there another way?
@@letsRegulateSociopaths He shows using an opening at the high spot of the siphon and filling both sides. Depending on the length of the tube, I have filled a pipe of up to 100' by holding my hand over the outlet end and pumping the pipe back and forth. You remove your hand to allow the air to escape when going one direction and cover the end when going the other direction. This requires some practice and a tube that is somewhat held in place so that the inlet end is moving. Also, if there is adequate room on the inlet side, the entire pipe can be submerged, hold the outlet end closed (either with you hand or a valve) and walk it to the point where the outlet is lower than the inlet. This requires some amount of care so that you don't end up with air trapped in the pipe while it is being submerged. You start with the inlet in the water and keep feeding the pipe in so that the water fills the pipe, pushing the air out the other end.
Does this answer your question?
I imagine there is an easier way if he just uses the ram pump to charge the siphon. That way he can use it whenever the siphon runs dry.
I would use the ram pump to fill the pipe because if you ever accidentally get air into the siphon, you'll need to restart it again and using ramp pump for it would be pretty easy way to start it. To fill the pipe, simply have a bleed valve in the highest point, block the downhill end and start pumping the water into the pipe.
an alternate way to start such a siphon originating at a lower elevation without using another pump (the challenge is to get the hose filled with water and all air removed) is to fill the hose from the top elevation from another water source, then perform some physical skullduggery to coax a flow such as raising the filled hose much higher than the top elevation then letting it fall to use gravity to pull water to get it started
When I lived in east Africa in the 50s our 15,000 gallon rainwater storage was supplemented by a ram pump in the next valley, so the technology is not new. I never understood how they worked but your explanations have been very informative. I'm glad the ram has been superseded rather than abandoned due to any defects.
Not a waste at all. You learned new stuff and me also. I learned a lot stuff watching your RUclips channel from last 3 years. I do a lot of my house stuff by my own. Got a lot electric tools.
Just found you....Awesome name by the way! Subbed :)
I appreciate the Ram Pump Videos. I know you're going away from it, but if you decide to come back to them (or for anyone else reading this), here's a couple of thoughts...
First: Under normal operation, the pressure tank doesn't suddenly get water logged and stop working. It is a slow, incremental process that, over time, causes the pump to stop working. What happens is basically with every cycle, the pump is becoming less and less efficient, pumping less and less volume, until eventually it just can't overcome the head and just stops.
Draining it on a regular basis, instead of waiting for it to quit pumping, will keep the pump moving the most fluid it can. This can be done weekly or whatever schedule works for one's personal setup...With a setup like yours, where it can go for several months before stopping, then monthly service should work. I would suggest measuring it weekly to find out the best maintenance cycle. You can use any bucket you wish, if you have a scale. Water weighs approx 8.33 lbs (3780 grams) per gal.
Second: Installing a bladder in the pressure tank will prevent this. These can be built (YT videos or google it) into the pressure tank you design, or you can go to your local well driller and purchase a small one from him...odds are, if he's been in business for any length of time, he has a used one someone upgraded from, or an old one from a past project that was too small. You can adjust the air pressure on it to what your system needs. These stay upright a lot easier and are pretty weather resistant...so long as they're drained every year, you can't really hurt them.
Third: Not sure where you live, but if you get snow, your ground freezes. If your ground freezes and thaws, the gravel in a driveway will move around, and the more moisture there is in the ground, the more it will move during those cycles. It also moves around as it is driven on. These movements will cause the rocks/sand to apply friction to the water line. I would HIGHLY suggest running your water line through a piece of ABS, or at least PVC, where it goes under the drive way.
Fourth and Final: Siphoning will flow more, and more consistently, so certainly do that if you can. But since it flows more, it can drain the creek much quicker too, and it didn't look like you had a ton of water in that one. If possible, I would suggest digging out a pool at least 3-4' deep in that creek so you can have a little bit of a buffer as the water's flow rate through the creek ebbs and gains.
Thank you again, and God Bless!
Thanks... Will use these tips👍
I still like that ram pump stuff! Now on to more learning with a siphon! Let the games begin.
Great video, thank you for it. For those who wonder about the waterlog - there is definitely something you can do to avoid that. The water in pressure tank builds up based on how high you want the water delivered. The higher the delivery point, the higher pressure it needs. And that means more water in pressure tank (=more pressured air). However, if the water level rises over time, it only means the pressure tank is not air tight and you've got a tiny leak. So what can you do about it? Use proper pressure tank (1 piece metal) instead of PVC tube with cup glued together. No leaks, no waterlog.
Impressed with your endeavor and simplifying the mechanism. I’ll never too old to learn. May never use it, but I could always share it when it’s needed.
The only way to learn is to break things or do things the wrong way. It's exciting to learn. Never feel bad about learning. You are a braver man than I am posting about it on RUclips.
Thank you for uploading this, the drone usage makes my wanting to get one, a heck of a lot more useful than just...fun. This entire project has been fascinating.
Honest dude about his skill level and learning. Admirable.
100k, congrats! I came for the firewood years ago and have come to enjoy watching you do and learn new things.
Cool build and great humility man. Have to give this a try. Thank you for investing your time and sharing your findings.
You may be young, but you are wise and humble beyond your years. I enjoy your channel because your honesty and willingness to show what did and didn’t work. That you value the opinion of others who bring more experience to the table, is a rare quality in todays age of self-centered, entitled people.
Thank you for the kind words!
Hey thanks. I'm Proud of you showing us how to make this work. Great job
This is a great project. I like to see the different problem solving approaches.
I am one that am glad you went through this exercise because I have never seen a ram pump in operation before. I didn't notice until I read someone's comment.... congrats on the 100k.
Very interesting!! Brilliant!! Congratulations on your subscribers!! You deserve twice that many, & they're coming!! God bless you and your family! 👍💖🙏
Yeah I'm glad you did these ram pump videos. These are some of the best ones. So, thanks!
Have you considered putting a Schraeder valve on the top of the cylinder? A quick blast of air and reopen the inlet valve. No need to disassemble. Might be worth a try.
I was thinking the same thing. Pump air in from up top with a bike pump and no loss of water/head during purging.
Typical pressure tanks for home wells use a schraeder valve at the top.
And maybe a bladder between pressurized air and water.
@@Joe_Blo Well now, that would be a proper pressure tank then wouldn't it!
Just use one of those blue expansion tanks from a hot water heating system. It already has a bladder and a schrader valve for pressurizing.
hey I'm 60 years old never even heard of one I appreciate both videos but , but I do understand plumbing real well and when you made the first one I said ought to put unions in there to be able to disconnect it a lot easier and I also would have put a drain for that head pressure cuz I built a lot of pumps of different kinds back in my younger days
Every maple farmer watching can feel your pain on this. We've all been here. Also, I recommend stainless maple tubing mainline fittings. They have a smaller wall thickness. They will take up less of your I.D and increase your flow. Once the ram pump gets you primed - switch over to a siphon feed line. I have enough stuff in my shop/store to get what you need.
An experienced maple farmer would be your best friend on this project, Adam. They have toys and tools for tubing you could only dream of... I have a similar setup. But I cheat!
I'd be happy to help you. Mike Morgan or Joe at Ohio Woodburner could connect us. Congrats on 100k!
Adam it is pretty clear you're pumped about this project. I'll just let myself out.
He really droned on about it.
Once he gets the water flowing, it’s all down hill from that point.
I like how his plans are so fluid…
This comment thread sucks. Not as much as a syphon, though.
I don't know, he's done a pretty plumb job
Very clever how you determined the grade vs the creek. Also thanks for all the great lessons from you and neighbor Doug!
Yes. My first thought was to close valves at the low ends and measure static water pressure, and compare. But that would require adding fittings, etc. and he's already got the drone.
Drone elevation check, Awesome!
I was thinking use a long tube for water level check.
You method uses less tube lol
Thumbs up for sharing old school idea. One suggestion I want to share is you can also check elevation of your property and surrounding properties using GIS Mapping. This tool can be found free of charge.
Ram pumps are a great way to fill tanks to water gardens with!
Ram pumps are another piece of "forgotten" tech that was around before electricity and they can work day in, day out 24/7/365.
The wonders of youtube and being able to share information.
I am surprised that there is not an app for elevation. I know GPS also shows elevation, so I would be shocked if there was no app.
You have the absolute most organised tool drawer that I have ever seen. Foam cut outs for wrenches and all tools? PVC pieces to hang your hand power tools? I am impressed! New sub here.
Thanks for the update on the ram pump!! Keep up the awesome job!! Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
Thanks for sharing your experience and look forward to the next one
I'm seeing cautions about not overdrawing the capacity of the stream pool, which will be a factor. Perhaps a restrictor on the outlet end would help control flow and not break the suction by introducing air at the inlet. I totally loved learning about the ram pump. Never knew they existed (I'm a city kid). Keep up the great work!
I had no idea what a ram pump was prior to this, so thanks for educating the both of us. Another great video!
A simple pole with a wire would keep the pump straight up. And you could put a barrel on a hole at the side of the creek, open a canal so the creek could fill the barrel, and use the water weight in the barrel to feed the pump.
But yes, siphoning the water maybe is the best solution.
Nice videos, found your channel by chance. Greeting from Brazil.
40-50 years or more in some cases and all different areas. It is smart to take advantage of that knowledge.
Yep thiz info could help immensely during a grid down situation..
Adam, Congratulations on the 100k milestone! I’ve been here since you told Mike Morgan that he cost you a lot of money, Lol!
Enjoying every video that you post! The ram pump was not a waste of time at all as others have mentioned. Like the drone idea. Good luck with the upcoming siphon project and the pond filling! Keep up the great videos! On to 200k! Cheers Harry
All of the experience and education you learn can be used to help someone else besides yourself, so I got to learn how to make a ram pump even if you didn't need it.😊
I like the trick of getting an elevation with the drone. That’s a good idea! I would’ve never thought of that lol
Congratulations on 100 thousand subscribers, Always up for learning new things!
Ram pump was interesting, glad you checked out the siphon idea, like others have said, you may have to put in a restricter to prevent sucking your source dry at times bur but you might want it adjustable so when the stream is really flowing you can maximize the amount of water you harvest. Good luck!
When you started talking about ways to measure the heights, I'm going "Use the drone! Use the drone!", and there ya go, you did. Nice work, looking forward to the next video. Oh, and as a side note, they do make PVC unions. I don't know what the acidity of the stream water is, but I do know that our well water that has a pH of 5.0 will corrode it over time. We're talking years here, and about pipes that are difficult to replace, but my point stands.
As the old saying goes”you learn something new everyday. Good video
I just wanted to say, you're one of very few RUclips posters that don't insult or belittle the commenters. Infact you welcome suggestions. And I wanted to thank you.
There is several channels I don't bother watching anymore with the way they insult the commenters they act cocky and like know it all's. And yet those same people that they're insulting is bringing them in the money through views and subscriptions.
We all have our talents and abilities and expertise and if we would put them all together there is many problems that could be solved.
Thank you!
Adam
You do very nice work.
A comment on you Ram Pump Issue
Your Head tank is saturating over time because the gas(air) is being absorbed into the water
therefore you must drain the vessel periodically.
Your installed drain is correct, but will not drain the tank as configured!
You need to add a 'Vent Valve' to the top of the tank in order to properly drain the chamber.
If not - it will not drain! As Air cannot enter the chamber to purge the water.
Just like holding liquid in a straw by holding you finger over the top = it will not drain,
You may realize this the first time you attempt to purge the vessel or you may not
the fix is simple - add a vent valve to the top of the tank.
I would not abandon the Ram Pump
because you can use it to prime the siphon
which you may have to do periodically. or at least seasonally.
Also realize the larger the diameter (within reason) of the siphon line the greater the flow rate
exponential as the flow of a 2" line will be significantly greater than 1.0"
and this can be easily calculated.
Just in case you haven’t thought of it, because a siphon will pump more water faster, you will need to make sure that the small creek pond that you are drawing from can keep up with the demand. Great video.
I found it very interesting you explain it well, don't waste all this work see if you can use ram pump to put water back into the steam that would make a good video, thanks again
bro, there's dome really great Israeli quick connectors that have cams and tabs for tool free pulling your pump out... but that will work as well. Redwood is at home in water. but that white oak will last a long time. good job, I love seeing creative homesteading! 👍
Great video and attitude. Already keep learning new stuff!
Just an idea to check if the pond is higher than the stream, put clear vinyl tubing at each end and make a water level since you already have a pipe going from the pond to the stream.
Thanks for sharing the ram pump stuff. I did not know anything about those so we’re all learning. Good luck with the siphon line. I think that might work pretty slick especially if it’s a decent diameter to fill up the pond faster. 👍🏼
Cool stuff... but that drone flying... through those trees and down to the creek water level... THAT'S IMPRESSIVE. Very nice.
hi there old water rams had what was called a sniffer , . i put a foot ball inner tube . in one i made and a few tennis balls in another . both worked . when i had my tank up like yours the vibrations or pulse kept snapping off . good luck john
I am glad the syphon works for you, but a restriction valve to limit the flow might be needed. The system could draw too much water from the creek causing air to enter the system and the need to restart. Also put some ant seize on the threads of the pipe couplings (not the seal area) this will make your assembly/disassembly a lot easier.
so the problem is that the siphon draw will be so great it will immediately empty the creek side and stop. siphons empty stuff. you might need dig out a small bowl in the creek as storage, but even then it's going to be tricky to divert small creek flow consistently. you may want to turn it on during wetter season when flow is much greater than siphon flow.... my gut says that pond will fill naturally on its own, and that all this work to divert that little creek will be campfire chat one day. good luck 👍
Mate I have been planning to do this for a long time. I didn't even think it was possible! Even though you haven't got a use in Yr current application, this knowledge is invaluable. Great work and much respect from down here in NZ 👍
hi again another thought about the syphon look onto water lose from friction in the hose pipe / also air may flow back up to the high point and loose the syphon . may need a valve the end . good luck john
And you're also a viral RUclips maker 100,000 views for something that didn't work I love it keep it up❤
Now since you will have flowing water into the pond, just put a couple of inline water generators, and you can put lights around the pond, that will cost you nothing to keep them on. 😎👍
As well as an aerator to reduce algae and increase oxygen for fish!!
@11:00 nice drone piloting, you're braver than I would be flying through those branches.
Priming that siphon will be a challenge. Ram pump is set it and forget it and will run as long as there is water in the stream. Loss of flow rate makes up for the ease of operation. But it’s not my pond. :). Learned a lot watching your challenges!
You can avoid water logging by installing an inner tube inside the pressure chamber when you assemble it. Very little air pressure in the tube is needed. Great video.
great idea on the siphon just watch that you don't pull more water than the creek can supply
If his pond spills back into the creek it wouldn’t matter too much. Just be less water between the pickup spot and the pond water entrance spot.
exactly, and if you happen to live in a place where others downstream are watching or needing the creek for any reason, you could end up in a heap a trouble with the county sherrif if you drain the creek dry - aren't there regulations here and there about diverting creeks and brooks from their natural flow? Not sure gotta look it up
very cool using the drone to compare elevations.
I for one had no clue a ram pump existed so I'm thankful you went this route first. About to watch the siphon video so hopefully all went well
Word of caution when threading a male metal pipe into a PVC threading joint. The thermo expansion is different and can cause a failure over a relatively long period of time in the PVC female fitting.
Ok bro do one thing use a hose from the hiest point of the creek to the pond then use foot valve on the creek side and ball walve on the pond side find the most elivated point of the hose pipe and fit a t coupling and ball valve then fill the entire hose with water, close the valve go to the pond side open the valve... Tadaaa u have gentle flow of water 😁😁😁
Pool noodles Or bike or half pumped tire tube to slow down the water logging update to stainless steel parts for more weather resistance, add small weights (a few bolts) to top of foot valve to increase flow. Great idea on the added tap. Even a more durable drive pipe PVC or galvanised half the pipe to the pump for better flow.
Set a flow valve at the pond and don't over draw your source at the creek. Otherwise your line will run dry. Great stuff. Thanks.
P.S. . . . keep the ram pump handy to fill or refill the lines. Again . . . Great Stuff. Thanks.
You can put an air pump valve from a bicycle tire into the pressure tank make sure to seal it, every so often just hit it with an air pump, what I did for my water solution. also built a frame out of pvc pipe and had 4, 6" spikes built into the bottom of the frame also pvc and hammered those into the ground. Very stable and once a month pump the tank and it maintains great pressure
Congratulations on 100,000. Had never heard of ram pumps. Apparently you can teach an old dog new tricks.
I've never seen a Ram Pump so thanks for showing us that. One thing to consider if not mentioned before is the flow rate of the syphon to the fill rate of the creek you're pulling from. Another words, the syphon may empty the creek and break the syphon if the flow rate is to much and then you will need to restart the syphon. where as the Ram pump may drain but would restart with the simple push of that valve.
With the siphon line I would prime the line from the pond side not the creek side. Put an air release at the apex and a valve at either end. Open air release, close creek valve pump water from pond until siphon is full so water is coming out air release and all air is out. Close air release and open valve in creek. If you find the flow is too high and drains creek pool use lower valve at pond to slow the flow, it won’t cause cavitation introducing air into the line.
Just put a loop in the pipe after the check valve. Will create air gap to allow for compression. Get rid of the pressure tank all together. If the creek ever runs dry for a bit your siphon will stop, with the ram pump it will always move water when available. Granted the siphon will move more but it is not a set it and forget it. You can set the ram pump and come back 20 years later and it will still be running.
Great video Adam as always! See you the next installment.
As far as getting the siphon going you could use one of those drill pumps from harbor freight to possibly pull a vacuum. My concern with a siphon though, if it pulls too much and it overwhelms your creek supply it will stop working.
Before water tanks for water wells had rubber blatters they used a setup just like what you made. They had a plug to remove at the right height of air to water for the best pressure. I was going to suggest trying something like a small innertube inside the tank. Bycicle or Lawnmower maybe.
Consider keeping the ram pump for filling the syphon tube with water.
Excellent video Adam! Will be "pumped" to see if the siphon works better Lol!! Stay safe!!
Good morning you had great info I thought this was going to be a video that you're going to be calling in neighbor Dougie anyways you're getting her figured out and yeah it'll be interesting on when you start setting up a siphon
That was very interesting, thank you for educating us!
By the way ,what I know for sure it's true the quantity of water will be significantly larger and if you will choose to use the "drum" or barel of 200 l solution ,the outlet pipe must be larger than the inlet pipe which has to have at the end a foot valve and at the end of outlet use a reduction equal or slightly smaller than the inlet pipe.Also on the outlet pipe I saw the Vietnamese, are using a pressure chamber -as the one you used at the ram pomp- I don't know the measurements for and if you because you have a big distance to cover,you have to use one or more of it! Success and keep us posted! I forgot use a tap at the and of the outlet pipe before the reduction,and fill with water the hole system before....but I think you know how the syphoning method works! Open the end faucet slowly,I saw a video with a barel crushed by the suction force like a can of soda! I edited four times ...I remember things gradually!...and excuse my English I hope I made myself understood!
Use an airtight tote or barrel to create a self priming siphon. Two feed hoses at the top of the airtight barrel or tote one from the Ram Pump the other is just from the water source on the other side will be a valve and hose to your destination pond and on top of the container is a removable cap to let air out. fill the container with cap off to let air out. once full put cap on and the open the valve to let water flow to the pond which will start a natural siphon. keeping the line to the ram pump so you may reprime the system if you ever lose pressure. The hose leading to the pond must absolutely be the same size or smaller in diameter as the fill line if not you will slowly lose pressure and have to start again.
A siphon will likely need a reservoir at the creek end to ensure you don’t lose water input and suck air. Don’t be too quick to abandon the ram pump.
A simple weir will suffice.
You may want to consider looking into horizontal boring to run a pipe from the pond through the hill to the creek. You could put a small water feature at the ponds edge. It would just gravity flow.
With the siphon, you'll have to be careful that the flow rate of the creek at your inlet point is greater than the amount you'll be draining from it. Otherwise it will break the siphon and you'll have to start it up again.
I was thinking about that. A simple valve at the pond end (low end) could throttle flow enough to solve the problem, if there is a problem. It's conceivable it'll be a seasonal problem, so he could adjust as he goes.
Install a “U” trap halfway down and it will be self starting if it runs dry or gulps air.
one other way to get relative elevations is the water pipe. a piece of tubing or hose filled with water will have the water at either end at the same elevation. Of course, this requires you to have a hose long enough to begin with, but useful for smaller projects
Congrats on the 100k subs, major milestone. great job
*I'll have to look for follow up vid, but one thing that comes to mind is supply flow, is there enough water to handle an increased draw. Breaking a siphon of that distance would be a huge PITA!*
ADAM, siphon will work, that's good news! Watched a video on OWTM channel a while back when Mike needed to siphon water out from his pond.Same concept, check it out. Yinz already have the bladder tank at the top of grade to use as a primer, or fill point, to make it work.Im sure You and Doug will come up with building it.
Congrats on 100k subs!
Great outlook on your experience
He bro plz put material size and which parts are considered to that project plz step wise 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
A siphon only works as long as you don’t introduce air into the line, seems more efficient. Any just noticed you hit 100k subs congratulations in case I missed a video where you announced it
Thank you!
The ram pump is good to know if in your situation you needed higher head pressure to do some cleaning with water at higher pressures, and had a elevated perch to place a modest storage tank much higher than where you could use the water. If I am remembering correctly from my ram pump days ....that every foot of elevated water, roughly 1/3rd of a pound is developed below. 10 ft. Rise equals 3pounds 100ft = 30lbs pressure and so on. Put a tank on a 150 ft hill above you, ram pump water up to that tank and have pressures that match your local water utilities pressure.
You might be able to boil your wood pcs in a bucket with a little canning wax, to make it more water proof. They do that with wood carved kitchen ware items. Just some thoughts !
you can always put a air valve stem on the top of the pressure tank. then you dont halfto worry about disconnecting to drain it, you can just use some compressed air to purge the water from the tank.
Using a 4 way pipe connection directly under the pressure chamber would allow you to add 2 stabilizer feet . If made approximately 2 feet long. It would never tip over. You could make the stabilizer feet off the 4 way as long as you wanted.
That was my thought as well. Use an inverted double wye. and it would be very stable. The legs don't need to be glued in place so they could be removed as needed or adjusted for another location.
Congratulations on 100.000 subscribers!