Perfecting The Ram Pump And Then Abandoning It

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[@hevychevy87]

I like the trick of getting an elevation with the drone. That’s a good idea! I would’ve never thought of that lol

[@steenfraosterbro3268]

Adam it is pretty clear you're pumped about this project. I'll just let myself out.

[@1amaker]

He really droned on about it.

[@robertgiguere7137]

Once he gets the water flowing, it’s all down hill from that point.

[@rbthgo]

I like how his plans are so fluid…

[@TheZooBrooksAB]

This comment thread sucks. Not as much as a syphon, though.

[@mathewpoole3589]

I don't know, he's done a pretty plumb job

[@heavydutie1]

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.

[@LandtoHouse]

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.

[@HometownAcres]

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

[@LandtoHouse]

@@HometownAcres looks like a spam comment here on my comment.

[@davidclark2286]

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.

[@LandtoHouse]

@@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.

[@kettlienicolas5413]

I LIKE IT GOOD WORK!! DO YOU SELL PUMPS?

[@kevinlee6731]

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.

[@winsurfer123]

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.

[@jaypee42]

I was thinking the same thing. Pump air in from up top with a bike pump and no loss of water/head during purging.

[@googleyt2622]

Typical pressure tanks for home wells use a schraeder valve at the top.

[@Joe_Blo]

And maybe a bladder between pressurized air and water.

[@googleyt2622]

@@Joe_Blo Well now, that would be a proper pressure tank then wouldn't it!

[@silicon.alchemist]

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.

[@mikewatson4644]

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!!

[@Ryan-Fkrepublicnz]

is there another way?

[@mikewatson4644]

@@Ryan-Fkrepublicnz 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?

[@sypoth]

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.

[@MikkoRantalainen]

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.

[@h.sinclair]

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

[@Adam.Rushing]

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!

[@MrDeleoco]

Thanks... Will use these tips👍

[@OneEyeCustoms]

I still like that ram pump stuff! Now on to more learning with a siphon! Let the games begin.

[@johnwayne3085]

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.

[@rickcoona]

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.

[@blklbluvr]

100k, congrats! I came for the firewood years ago and have come to enjoy watching you do and learn new things.

[@itcanwait]

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.

[@cfrankfly]

Drone elevation check, Awesome! I was thinking use a long tube for water level check. You method uses less tube lol

[@michaelbedell6523]

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.

[@davidedwards3734]

Thanks for the update on the ram pump!! Keep up the awesome job!! Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day

[@user-ds2uj1kq9u]

Cool build and great humility man. Have to give this a try. Thank you for investing your time and sharing your findings.

[@BTom24]

I had no idea what a ram pump was prior to this, so thanks for educating the both of us. Another great video!

[@DDL2728]

Very interesting!! Brilliant!! Congratulations on your subscribers!! You deserve twice that many, & they're coming!! God bless you and your family! 👍💖🙏

[@spencercrispell3255]

Very clever how you determined the grade vs the creek. Also thanks for all the great lessons from you and neighbor Doug!

[@PeterLawton]

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.

[@TheHobbyShop1]

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. 👍🏼

[@troydaigle1260]

Hey thanks. I'm Proud of you showing us how to make this work. Great job

[@martingoodef811]

Thanks for sharing your experience and look forward to the next one

[@woodlyz]

This is a great project. I like to see the different problem solving approaches.

[@stevetuttle5472]

Congratulations on 100 thousand subscribers, Always up for learning new things!

[@rishabhnatholia2034]

Not a waste at all. You learned new stuff and me also. I learned a lot stuff watching your KZbin channel from last 3 years. I do a lot of my house stuff by my own. Got a lot electric tools.

[@DanKlein_1]

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.

[@Gruuvin1]

Yeah I'm glad you did these ram pump videos. These are some of the best ones. So, thanks!

[@harrymills3206]

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

[@robt2151]

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.

[@edwardsullivan5481]

Honest dude about his skill level and learning. Admirable.

[@Wild_Bill57]

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!

[@stevelord5560]

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 👍

[@krisgee9553]

Great video and attitude. Already keep learning new stuff!

[@bradleycavrak8013]

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

[@leveraction3]

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

[@Steve44036]

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.

[@h.sinclair]

you can only abandon the ram pump if you find your pond is actually below your (stream) water source.. a siphon won't pump water to a higher elevation - so all the work you did in this video is very valuable to improve the problems you encountered!

[@geraldchaplin947]

great idea on the siphon just watch that you don't pull more water than the creek can supply

[@HILLBILLY_HARD]

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.

[@h.sinclair]

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

[@wardvanderberg1403]

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!

[@morlonearlygordener950]

Very nice 👍👍 watching from Jamaica 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

[@brucebello2049]

That was very interesting, thank you for educating us!

[@jerryanderson7343]

Great outlook on your experience

[@redhead1804]

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.

[@bob12197]

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 KZbin.

[@joeystork57]

Excellent video Adam! Will be "pumped" to see if the siphon works better Lol!! Stay safe!!

[@Stefan-wd9uv]

Congratulations on 100.000 subscribers!

[@flyinhighaerial3193]

Congrats on the 100k subs, major milestone. great job

[@cs7717]

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.

[@jimwiskus8862]

Great video Adam as always! See you the next installment.

[@BissellMapleFarm]

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!

[@williamarmstrong392]

Very informative, thanks for sharing !!

[@ronaldcamp6757]

40-50 years or more in some cases and all different areas. It is smart to take advantage of that knowledge.

[@mikeadams2339]

Yep thiz info could help immensely during a grid down situation..

[@JCWren]

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.

[@wesleyhuckabay5968]

As the old saying goes”you learn something new everyday. Good video

[@jackiejanetm]

Great video. Congrats on 100,000!

[@h.sinclair]

using the drone is a crazy cool idea !!!

[@rickmoreland2675]

Hey Adam. Congrats on the 100k subscribers! Keep up the great work!

[@HometownAcres]

Thanks!

[@fricknjeep]

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

[@jaebee3313]

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.

[@HometownAcres]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@danielneeley5480]

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.😊

[@BenjaminKlahn]

@11:00 nice drone piloting, you're braver than I would be flying through those branches.

[@bobhoward9016]

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! 👍

[@oleberg4196]

Congratulations on 100,000. Had never heard of ram pumps. Apparently you can teach an old dog new tricks.

[@michaelmullins1290]

Looking forward to seeing your ingenuity in place soon.

[@fricknjeep]

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

[@jaypee42]

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.

[@wrkey]

Cool stuff... but that drone flying... through those trees and down to the creek water level... THAT'S IMPRESSIVE. Very nice.

[@billmorgan9731]

Great work man!!!!!!!!!

[@charlesheon7238]

Congrats on your 100k subscribers Adam !

[@HometownAcres]

Thanks

[@rogersweet1396]

This info has been awsome for me , thank you

[@2alawabidingcitzen]

The wonders of youtube and being able to share information.

[@davygravy7332]

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.

[@brunoks6951]

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.

[@jyienger]

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 👍

[@renem6441]

Learning new things all the time!! Like your manicure!! Jajajaja

[@m1cklife168]

Ah c'mon I just fell in love with ram pumps!! 🤣

[@brettmcculloch2367]

Congratulations on the 100 k subs

[@kentcorbett5436]

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

[@shanealexander9952]

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.

[@JohnSmith-tv5ep]

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!

[@michaelpetty8416]

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.

[@dinoconect4484]

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.

[@davehenderson47240]

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.

[@willdavidsonakawd3062]

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 100K SUBS!!!!!!

[@bwillan]

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.

[@PeterLawton]

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.

[@bobber5534]

I just wanted to say, you're one of very few KZbin 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.

[@HometownAcres]

Thank you!

[@PurpleCollarLife]

Great use of the drone for info!

[@McrueProductions]

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.

[@MichaelDillin]

And you're also a viral KZbin maker 100,000 views for something that didn't work I love it keep it up❤

[@aly-tek7190]

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.

[@MilesDaffin]

Nice follow up. A ram pump is a cool gadget, but far cooler to find an even simpler, better solution. “For the simplicity on this side of complexity, I wouldn't give you a fig. But for the simplicity on the other side of complexity, for that I would give you anything I have.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes

[@JK-zl7vv]

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. 😎👍

[@jayham1970]

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.

[@DL-sx7yh]

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

[@gailmrutland6508]

*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!*

[@greggamble6733]

could add a intertube to the stop the presure valve from getting water logged . great video thank you .

[@sassafrasvalley1939]

Sometimes circumstance and simple win! LOL Looking forward to seeing how you start the siphon. A check valve up stream with a stand pipe to fill the tube are possibilities. Does that creek ever flood? (Oak floats.)

[@HometownAcres]

Yes it does run hard in a torrential downpour

[@VijeeshVkakkanam]

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 😁😁😁

[@erikzorger3311]

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.