This Siphon Will Save Our Pond

[@HometownAcres]

ToGo Power Portable Power Station Link www.amazon.com/dp/B09VX9TYVL/ref=twister_B09VX54W24?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 15% Discount Code: A4IEC34D

[@johnantonopoulous6381]

Just in case you're curious if you need a fill about 5 ft your outflow of 2.1 million will give you around 238x238x5 ft cube of water per year

[@gregoryeverson741]

your left-hand pointer fingernail? what did you do, i saw a purple nail

[@nothingelsetolose7661]

What Did. you use for piping? for running the water from your ramp pump or your siphon? Sizes material. And where did you get the? fittings and fixtures that go with it?

[@LandtoHouse]

Remember you can use a shopvac to start the siphon. It will pull the water very quickly over 7' of lift.

[@HometownAcres]

Good to know. Thanks Seth!

[@glennrager3684]

These ram pump / siphon videos are awesome! It reminds me when I worked at a water utility in Florida years ago, we were tasked to pump water from a large canal to a drier canal system at a lower elevation (and over a berm). There was no power nearby, so the options were expensive diesel-powered pumps or a siphon. We went with a siphon made out of 12" pipe and were able to get the desired 500 gallons per minute, at a greatly reduced cost.

[@webyankee6558]

"500 gallons per minute", that's what I'm talking about. LOL

[@webyankee6558]

no need a second hose, use the in the inground hose and maybe use fittings if want to have dual function. As I said in your pump video you should build a small dam ( 1or 2 feet of water) at the source and a flow control at the pond to prevent sucking to much water and draining the source to fast. Basically, DO NOT forget how many gallons the source will give. i noticed that you are testing quite a distance above the pond, so if you test at the discharge point at the pond you will find a faster rate due to the increased drop in elevation. Also, Remember moving water freezes at lower temps. NICE VIDEO.

[@jayham1970]

I am so glad that you tried the siphon. I mentioned in another previous video that you might be able to siphon, and then I caught this video which was actually made before I made that comment. So, I wasn’t trying to be a “DA” in the previous comment. I am glad that you can get water to your pond. Good job and congratulations. 👍💯👏👏👏

[@davidtyndall8880]

I have worked with that type of piping before. If you use a small propane torch to heat the end of the tubing just slightly, the fittings will go in much easier, but the most important part is that the hose clamps will make the tubing conform to the fitting much more tightly. Just a little heat goes a long way.

[@feuby8480]

this whole project is really cool. I like the fact that you tried a ram pump. I don't know if that could help you with your drought, but I suggest you to plant trees on the south side of your pond. Trees will shade your pond and that can really really help with evaporation. My parents had a palm tree close to our pool, and when the tree was removed, the pool went up 3°C consistently. If you manage to select the trees properly according to your location, and the conditions (humidity because close of pond), I think you could even get some fruits, or things like that. And reduce evaporation, as a win-win.

[@Bubbaman217]

Be careful what kind of trees you plant. Some drink a lot of water.

[@sergentm1]

Thank you. Fascinating. And saying siphon would work better is a powerful statement about thinking through options with help of viewers-shows a lot of character. Well done. I’m thinking of a pump for our road gutter and harvesting water to a tank.Gutter water goes out to sea where we are so no legal issues.All the best from Australia.

[@njonebale7889]

That’s just awesome! Four gallons a minute isn’t nothing to sneeze at…for free! I watch that kid in NC that digs those mud holes everywhere ( he does a great job), but you have a beautiful spring and creek feed pond which has clean water that you can see, your pond looks sweet, hopefully you can keep the siphon clear and flowing and you should have a big ice rink this winter…so you can work on your slap shot!

[@mikecox3659]

Always enjoy seeing an accountant in gum boots ... all the best from Arkansas!

[@jimjensen1414]

I *KNEW* I would see Doug in there, and there he was... !!! ha ha THANKS, good work, Jim in Jax, FL

[@chrissinor3145]

This is what I suggested on your ram pump video... great minds think alike. Only issue will be if you are draining your creek supply too fast and get air in the system.

[@MikeCris]

You might want to consider installing an intake basket to keep debris out of the pipe.

[@Maxim.Teleguz]

How to you clean the intake portion then

[@WeberMentzel]

@@Maxim.Teleguz You shouldn't have to because of the intake basket.

[@markpowell4701]

Adam, I'm glad to hear Doug in the background, as you couldn't won't a better assistant. All the best in your endeavors.

[@selkirkwildlife9426]

This is really fantastic videography! Been there, done that! But you have all the tools with you and left out the 20 trips back to the barn/house and truck rolls to the hardware store. :)

[@troyhummon7978]

🥰 SO glad the siphon worked GREAT for you! But don't you have another buried line to the pond. Even if it's smaller, you could tie them in parallel for more Pull-Power thus more total flow 👍😎

[@blackjackuk79]

Good vid love the pond updates.... be good to see the creak inlet noe the pipe is running of that pool it's in keeps up with the siphon.

[@brianperry4754]

You could use a hybrid of the two pumps. You would just need to put a couple of isolations in the hydraulic pump, so that once the discharge pipe is full you isolate the pump. The swing-check valve would prevent backflow down the hill. Once the mass of water is flowing downhill to the pond there will be a suction generated in the stream. You may need to build a larger pool to place the suction hose/foot valve.

[@peterscott7384]

Great work Adam. Great help filming Doug. Another great video. Hopefully this will bulk up the pond.

[@johnkirby6547]

Really good news, hopefully it works out for you long term. Maybe a screen filter box on the pickup and a ball valve on the top to winterize the pipes.. Glad you tried it out and it works.

[@frankward67]

I never knew I could be so interested in a pond. LOL The pond episodes have been great, highly enjoyable.

[@petramundo]

Awesome! cant wait to see how it works out over the weeks.

[@DIYMyWay]

That’s a huge improvement, Adam! It should get your pond level back to normal before long. As another viewer suggested, a filter basket at the end take will keep debris from plugging up the plumbing. Thanks for sharing!

[@robwhite2282]

Very cool brother. I love the simplicity of the siphon. It’s amazing to see you employed over such a long distance

[@chriscmoor]

You should consider a rough stone dam of a couple of feet and a weir on the intake end. It will buffer against fluctuations in the stream flow and possibly breaking the siphon.

[@davidgmillsatty1900]

As I mentioned on his last video, I have had success using bags of saccrete to make a spillway (better than a dam since there is no erroding out at the bottom of the dam from a waterfall). Really simple to lay bags of saccrete next to each other and let the concrete harden in the bag. And they seem to do a good job of self sealing. Build up as many courses as you like moving the bags upstream to make the spillway. You can pull off the paper and plastic after the concrete hardens or just leave it to erode away. And it can be taken down and put back up. And the spillway will turn mossy and look really attractive.

[@deannemccollum8506]

I have seen people use a shop vac to start a flow, no need to fill the pipe just a valve at the point where the elevation is lower than the source where the vac can be connected.

[@webyankee6558]

Is the Shop Vac blowing or sucking? No No NO don't even go there.

[@samvalentine3206]

Great work! Very satisfying! I hope that little stream will give you enough water so that the siphon never stops! If you ever find it pulling more than it can supply, you can always close off the ball valve some. Hopefully that won't be needed. 👍

[@woodruffwoods]

Loved this video Adam. The ram pump was really cool and has its place but the siphon really seems to be the solution you needed. I hope you keep us updated on the progress. -Darrin

[@DudeRanchDIY]

Very cool systems Adam, both the Ram pump and the siphon. Never heard of a ram pump before. Hopefully that siphon will have the pond back to where it was or even more by winter for your ice activities!

[@HometownAcres]

It’s moving in the right direction now

[@Macrosill]

2,563,200 gallons per year at 12 seconds per gallon.

[@stizzack]

I’ve lost 1.8 million gallons of water from my 4.5 acre pond from two weeks of blazing heat high humidity in Ky. I have a creek about 100 + yards away I could also use. If have to carry it up 25ft or more elevation

[@PineyGroveHomestead]

That's great Adam! We don't have a spring to siphon from but in a short rain burst yesterday, we captured enough run off water with our gutter system and other capture methods to raise our 1/3 acre pond 2". The things we do for our ponds!

[@dale5898]

Great video. Awesome land .All good things to you and yours!

[@Gerald.69]

We have a gas powered 2 stroke water pump that looks like a mini generator, with standard garden hose fittings. We always did this method when filling our pond from the lake. Turn it on full blast, let the air purge, then quickly unscrew the intake and throw it in the water with a bolt around the end as a weight. we then would take the metal filter thing it comes with and put it on underwater fast

[@stantilton2191]

Looking at ram video's. The farm i bought had two old hand dug wells on the river bank. I'm hoping to use a ram and just drop down from them and then across to the garden. Lift should be less than 15 feet. Wish me luck. Thanks for the video's.

[@tkskagen]

I reccomend that you replace the Cap with an Additional Ball Valve so when the temperature drops, you can drain the Siphon Open the "top of the hill Valve" to stop the siphoning action to drain the water, that would keep the FREEZE from damaging the Pipes and Valves! To help the "Feed End" filter it with a $0.99 Nylon Stocking to keep the smaller debris out. Unless filtering is not "warrented" on this project...

[@superchuck3259]

The pipe being used looks like the type that can handle being frozen. But you are right, he will need to deal with things being clogged. Also he needs to deal with flooding of the creek. Likely best thing is just turn it off and move it out of the way. My point is while the water seems free, it does take some effort, time, work and money for materials.

[@nevillenewman2785]

TK Skagen, I would add that he would need to force open the intake check valve to drain the line from the Tee down to the intake in the creek. With that intake pipe running so steep, it shouldn't take long to drain. There's no point in risking a freeze split in the pipe or a blown check valve.

[@boelwerkr]

About filling up the pipe. Prepare a bucket with a pipe and valve at the bottom. Hang up the bucket and connect it to the T. Fill the bucket and open the valve. This gives the air a place to escape and you can add water easily. There is a story an Italian friend told me. People where very proud to have a natural spring in the middle of his hometown. But one day, without any indication why, the water stopped. They started to investigate the problem and it turned out the "spring" was a siphon build over a near by pass to a lake on the other side of the mountain range. The ceramic pipe was destroyed after the road over the pass was rebuild. The hole system ran for over 300 years with so little overview that it was forgotten. 🙂

[@tjjewell4115]

Ingenuity works every time, good job Adam.

[@ClintsHobbiesDIY]

Good job Adam. Hopefully between the siphon, fall rain and less evaporation it will be full for ice skating this winter.

[@stevekucharek7299]

Use a little heat on that hose when connecting to barbed fittings, plus the hose is softer when you tighten the clamps and makes for a better seal.

[@scottloutner5253]

As a suggestion. Get a propane torch. Blow the heat inside the poly pipe just to soften it. Then, insert your fittings and hold steady for a minute. That let's the barbs seat into the soft poly for a positive seal. The double clamp it. Clamps should be opposite or opposing.

[@S_and_S_Farms]

That’s great & should help solve your pond issues! 🤞👍

[@jimhoge3252]

You might need to excavate out a small reservoir area in the creek and filter the inlet. Hats off to you and whoever suggested this idea! Should help tremendously

[@jeremyderksen1712]

Wow awesome video. Thanks for the education. Lots of hard work are finally paying off for you

[@kevinsmeltzer8053]

You need to give us a look at that sweet bridge across the creek! Congrats on 100K subs!

[@lesliegurley1057]

I would use a closed tank of some type instead of the IBC container. Then once it is full and the supply line is full you would not need to fill the line going to the pond. It would make working on the system easier.

[@edwardpaulsen1074]

I really enjoyed the ingenuity and willingness to try out different methods as you found out about them and testing to get the optimal solution. It may not have all the "fancy" aspects of figuring out the details beforehand, but this is solid engineering and going through the iterations to make the best design for the circumstances. I will also recommend finding out about the "water rights" issue as you don't want that BS to bite you in the butt. Great video and I like the "down home" quality of the projects and execution!

[@waylonhartwell]

If you have an oil suction pump for removing oil from an engine or differentials or similar thing like that. I have a chamber one that I used to suck the air out of my pump for the lake and it works amazing and I believe it would also work well to start your siphon at the top by closing the ball valve at the bottom and sucking all the air out of the creek section

[@nancylucia5147]

Great job! Love your detailed vids with clear explanations. Good luck.

[@DirtRoadLife1]

Keep us posted. With fall rains that pond should fill! The hockey rink is gonna be a bit bigger this winter…

[@patrickdunne1150]

Hello from Chicago! Hope you give us quick updates every video, just to tell us how it's doing and maybe a progression of pics of the pond to see how it's filling up.

[@joesixpack8305]

Excellent improvement, Adam. Two questions: 1. How did you determine how to size your siphon system? Especially diameters of fittings and hose. 2. Is your creek a reliable source of water throughout the year? Given you've been dry and are siphoning 5 gals per minute I would say yes but this is only one snapshot in time.

[@superchuck3259]

The creek is flowing, it is not a pond. So it will not run dry unless you take more from it, than its flow rate. I saw the creek flowing in one of the pictures. It looked like about 3-4 times the rate of that hose into the pond. So not a problem. Also further down stream the creek might also pick up more ground water springs going into it. My point is, for this project, the creek will work. Only issues I could see are spring flooding messing things up or debris in the line.

[@joesixpack8305]

@@superchuck3259, It is not uncommon for creeks to run dry. I lived next to one about the same size as Adam's. Indeed, it would dry up once in awhile. That's actually more of a ravine than a creek. Adam said they've had a dry summer and that creek was still running so that's a good sign. But you cannot take one snapshot in time and make a definitive assessment.

[@greenidguy9292]

@@joesixpack8305 Neither of you answered the QUESTION!!!

[@jimputnam2044]

the bigger the better . We had a 2IN. hose we ran all summer when we had cattle and it was about 8 GPH.

[@superchuck3259]

@@jimputnam2044 Your last name being Putnam, You have counties named after you, must have some successful farming ancestors!

[@modelnutty6503]

plant a stick at the water edge to check progress I guess, looking good!

[@FlatCreekOutdoors]

Good luck. Hopefully some good fall rains will get that thing filled back up for you.

[@d.j.robinson9424]

Great job Adam. 👍👍💛

[@jeffwoehrle]

Love it! Well done.

[@sarcasmo57]

Pipes are always interesting.

[@concerncitizen8988]

That's a lot of water from a siphon. Awesome 👍

[@nicholaskeur]

Ram pump to the tote as a standalone, , use previously buried line o to the tote with a ball valve, tee in the creek side, when you need to start the syphon, open the ball valve to the tote, once pipes are full, close tote ball valve and no need for pump...

[@caleb8239]

Every state is different, but siphoning water from a stream could cause you legal headaches. My grandfather used to irrigate a few acres on our land by pumping out of a stream that flowed across our property, but our riparian water rights were seized by the state in the early 2000s. Now they'd fine or imprison us for doing such a thing. Hopefully you don't have that problem in your state.

[@superchuck3259]

"You will own nothing and be happy". Klaus - World Economic Forum. They are infringing on our rights. The silly thing is the government is the one that plunders and deforests and destroys nature. Since it is big enough to do so. Most people live with nature and take only from its abundance. When taking from that stream, you didn't get greedy and take it all. Just took what was needed to do irrigation. Governments would take the entire stream, put it in a pipe and send it to water treatment plants to give water to cities. Isn't that what the riparian rights are all about, letting that water flow into rivers that the cities use for water?????

[@NooneStaar]

What state are you in that did this?

[@DRAVENHOLD]

Sounds like Colorado

[@Isaacmantx]

@@NooneStaar I would bet it is one of the western states where water rights are much more rigid.

[@westbayoutdoors123]

It seems pretty harmless, but imagine 20 homeowners every mile siphoning water out of the creek, then out of the rivers they flow into. If they let him do it, they'd have to let thousands of other water users siphon water. Until the creek's dry. He's basically taking water from everyone downstream, also diminishing the value of their property. Imagine his creek was dry because the guys upstream did the same. He wouldn't be a happy hometowner.

[@williamtips8344]

Thank you .

[@KM_59]

Two thumbs up red flash

[@TakeNoneForTheTeam]

Could you put a Y fitting and run two lines from the top of the ridge down to the pond and achieve twice the flow? The weight of that water running down to the pond determines the flow rate, but one intake can handle 10x the current volume. Seems like it would work to fill the pond more quickly without running two lines the entire way. At least to get the pond filled a bit quicker leading into winter.

[@mitchjones2821]

This is big brain thinking right here. If the creek can support it he absolutely should do this.

[@superchuck3259]

Yeah, when he was running pipe downhill, digging the ditch, I thought, you will never regret running an extra pipe. It can always come in handy. Having that creek is such a blessing.

[@Mike-bj1jj]

That’s the ticket Adam! Good job!

[@ahowl7mx]

Now all you need is to add polymer treatment to your pond to stop water from leaking out the bottom. Its a powder you add and it sinks to the bottom and coats the basin.

[@garynicholls72]

Hi Gary here I think if you create a dam in the spring, this will create a bigger head of water that = more head = more pressure if you put the outlet at the bottom of the dam

[@danmooney7192]

The big question is: will the creek support that much of a drain or will it dry up?

[@LumberjackPa]

That was my concern as well. That creek looked less than adequate.

[@superchuck3259]

@@LumberjackPa More water is going down it then you think. Also it has been dry. So certainly the flow will increase. It doesn't look like the creek supports more than frogs or minnows.

[@CHMichael]

Water rights? Can you just divert water? This doesn't look that bad but you know - the next guy - up stream, taking all the water before it gets to you.

[@NooneStaar]

@@CHMichael There's probably still a lot going around the inlet pipe he has

[@superchuck3259]

@@CHMichael Did you see the other corrugated black 4 inch or so pipe that was just a trickle, the one coming from the spring? The spring on his land was giving about 10 gallons a minute in spring, but it was a seasonal spring and the summer dried it to a trickle. So that spring water did not have an upstream risk of someone taking all the water. Most likely the risk of all the water being taken from someone upstream is from governments coming in and diverting this to a reservoir for drinking or other irrigation water. But I agree, don't be rude and take all the water from the stream! But do know that ground water and other springs are adding to the creek the further down stream it goes.

[@gregwertheim3970]

You can take the spring out if the Foote valve and put it back on to prevent debris from getting into the line. Getting something caught in the line would really stink.

[@gextreme2381]

Nice work and awesome!

[@Michael-bu4ny]

Hi Adam, I always used a short riser (4 inches?) at the discharge end of a siphon to ensure no air was able to enter the line.. sort of like an 's bend' in your loo..

[@atesfamily2822]

If you put a valve on top of the check valve you can use the pump to fill the system. Once the water starts flowing you close the valve on top of the check valve and it will continue to siphon through the pump.

[@polvincompoundsadmin5402]

Woo hoo puts a siphon on you tube amazing!

[@OneEyeCustoms]

Man, that siphon really sucks! 😜

[@andrewsamanthamadison3320]

Dude you gotta do a week from now update! See how much more full the pond is! That’s insane flow!

[@superchuck3259]

Put a stick at the current water level. Or put a yard stick in the mud so we can see the levels over time. Fun project!

[@brotoss9687]

yeah keep us informed

[@mountainmama7823]

We have water rights to a large creek and I have been researching building a RAM pump to fill our pond but I am wanting the output to be much stronger. We use a 2.5inch fire hose hooked to a trash pump currently. It pumps water at a fast rate but we need something that can be pumping 24/7 with out having to fuel it. Can a RAM pump be made larger with the same concept if the water flow is available to meet the need of the larger pump? I haven't been able to find any videos on larger diy RAM pumps so any links to such are appreciated. Our creek is about 30ft wide and the shallows are 1ft deep so I don't see water flow being an issue. This is all new to me so appreciate any advice on such. Our 1 acre pond is about 20 ft uphill from the creek.

[@26longlongtime]

I recently set up my pond. I use grid tied solar to run my well and circulation pumps. Its worth considering setting up a solar pump coming from your creek. No battery, just sunlight pumping. They sell kits for solar wells that pump all day to water cattle. Im sure some of those same parts can run a submersible or above ground pump. More upfront than a ram but more flow and reliability especially if you trash pump 2.5in. A ram will have a very hard time coming close.

[@Wild_Bill57]

Hasn’t that turned out to be a pleasant surprise!

[@you2tooyou2too]

Can you use the hydraulic ram on the outflow to the pond, to refill the priming tank?

[@JustinTen8]

Adam, could you please let Doug know that my neighbors house is for sale here in Silver Springs, Florida 😊. Not too far from Daytona Beach an excellent snow bird option. You guys are great

[@jmaus2k]

Run the output side all the way into the pond. An extra 10ft drop will speed it up more.

[@glennrager3684]

True, but when the level of the pond rises, the surface elevation is the determining factor.

[@stephan2357]

0:10 why not one of these? 1) floating solar panels 2)' shade balls' like LA did on their reservoir

[@mrjonesyyy]

Could always plant some tress around the pond, as well as plants along the edge. Or would that mess with the usage of it?

[@RetroRogersLab]

If you end up having to charge (prime) the siphon often you should look into a venturi charger. I imagine you could power the pump with a small 6 or 12 volt battery. Basically you shoot water into the pond feed and it pulls a vacuum on the stream feed and pulls the water up.

[@PurpleCollarLife]

That’ll help for sure!

[@BarredCoast0]

I would say that it might be a good idea to dam up the creek so you will have enough depth of water to siphon from. Just a thought.

[@timcope3115]

If your source is higher than your outflow you don't need a siphon action at all.Just stick your pipe under the water and it will gravity feed. There are miles of pipe strung out through out the mountains here. If you want more head pressure use rocks to back up your water source just a small bit and place your pipe as close to the bottom without clogging it and the additional water pressure from the more volume will increase your flow.

[@kmccontube]

Had a thought. If you were to add a tee upstream and downstream of your ram pump and tie those together with a ball valve, could you use the ram pump to start and then switch over when flow gets going?

[@erikcourtney1834]

Well if it ran that long then the creek has more than enough water flow. Wonder if it’s got enough for a larger line or maybe run a 2-3” siphon line to run when needed. Could just use it to get the pond full quicker then take it apart afterwards and leave the 1” line.

[@mattmiller220]

Maybe in the wet seasons you’ll want to move excess water from the pond to the creek, so you can use your water hammer pump to do that. 😅

[@BissellMapleFarm]

Well done, gents!

[@nikond90]

Nice work Doug!

[@pikachu5188]

Let's see that's 12sec. to fill 1gal. of water. Hmm !! 60min. ÷ 12 = 5 or 5gal. per min., or 300gal. per hour, or 7200gal. per day, or 50400gal. per week, or 2620800gal. per year. GREAT JOB TEAM !! 🐾 Montréal 🇨🇦

[@cherryfressh6188]

In this you can indeed just use gravity. Otherwise one can scale up your ramppump. I saw examples of this. Just scale up to industrial size. Not an one inch pipe but 10, 15 inch.

[@Sthilboy56]

Great 👍

[@RayTheMickey]

Build a small dam so you have a deeper are to pull from. I wonder if you are going to dry up the creek with the siphon?

[@ronwig7665]

Great video Adam, tell Doug hey

[@MrPholding]

Awesome video! I was wondering if a foot valve would work on a siphon. Can you tell me where you got black hose or post a link?

[@larrystrayer8336]

I have made several. The ez way is to put a pitch pump on the down hill side 1-2 ft of drop

[@YoungbloodFamilyFarm]

Adam, I am really happy for you right now! I keep watching my pond drop without an option until the weather changes. Nice upgrade

[@HometownAcres]

Thanks man. It is definitely a relief knowing we have meaningful water going back into the pond again

[@bobfitch607]

Great pick up Adam. Some rain with that hope you get to see the over flow work

[@HometownAcres]

I know. I’ve been waiting to get the pond to the overflow for a year now haha

[@derrikarenal3308]

you should submerge your discharge. Submerging it will prevent air getting back into the pipe (thus breaking the vacuum), creating an airlock condition.

[@richardlai465]

I wonder how's the pond doing now.