Help for water ideas

[Bassy]

Hey everyone, I need any information any of you can give me regarding this:<br /> We have a spring that runs all year about 10 gal/minute. Our garden is getting quite big and we're trying to get away from using the well water for watering it. We want to use the spring water to water the garden which is about 50 yards away. We don't want to use electricity if we don't have to. Does anyone have any ideas as far as solar or hydro powered ways of getting that water over to that garden? We've thought of storing it in some kind of water storage tank and taking from there. Just all sorts of ideas, but nothing that sets itself from the others. Just trying to skip the "reinventing the wheel" stage.<br /> I'll take any ideas you have. <br />Thanks ahead of time.<br />Bassy

 

[achris]

Re: Help for water ideas

The 'ancients' used windmills.

 

[Bassy]

Re: Help for water ideas

Yep, thought of that,Chris. Thanks.<br />Bassy

 

[Link]

Re: Help for water ideas

Hi Bassy<br />Ok I'll let my blonde roots show here and ask a stupid question..by chance is the spring just a little higher than your garden? PVC pipe would work. <br />Or a very small trench going lower towards the garden with pipe burried in it letting gravity do the job.<br /><br />Just a Blonde moment here

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Help for water ideas

My father-in-law has the following set up for his small spring.<br /><br />A small paddle wheel charger that charges a car battery, the car battery powers a small pump (bilge type). The pump sends water to a holding tank near his house. <br /><br />The success of this system is of course dependent on the spring water flow and the distance/head to the tank.<br /><br />He bought the entire kit from an 'alternative power' supplier. It is fully automated, it switches off when the tank is full. The water pressure from the tank is determined by the height of the tank - plenty for the garden.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[Ross J]

Re: Help for water ideas

Good ideas, here's another. Look up "Pelton Wheel" on the net and see if you can use any power from that to work a timed irrigation system.<br />Ross

 

[Bassy]

Re: Help for water ideas

Link- The spring is about 30 ft. below the garden. Not a bad question.<br />Dunaruna- Great reply. Alternative Power search came up with lots of helpful stuff.<br />Ross- Great search. That's getting closer.<br /> Thanks to you all. We're feeling better about this project.<br />Bassy

 

[EdW]

Re: Help for water ideas

Do a search for " hydraulic water ram ".

 

[12Footer]

Re: Help for water ideas

Can you use gravity if you plumb from the spring higher?

 

[aspeck]

Re: Help for water ideas

Manual energy? Have all kinds of foot pumps in Ghana, look like a cheap "Stair Master". You get your exercise while it pumps the water. Serveral of the larger farms use them to transport water a long distance. Would that be something you are interested in?

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Help for water ideas

ditto aspeck,<br />how about an old fashioned hand pump?

 

[one more cast]

Re: Help for water ideas

as EdW says,if the spring water is flowing a water ram might work and can be built out of common items found at a hardware store.and they are really cool to watch. cha clunk,cha clunk,cha clunk.

 

[rwise]

Re: Help for water ideas

Bassy<br />just hook a bicycle to a diphram pump then charge people to ride it! Its a health thing you know. Just kidding, some good ideas here though.

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Help for water ideas

http://www.mcs.drexel.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Screw/SourcesScrew.html <br /><br /><br />This is a site for an ancient design called the Archimedes screw. If you can make one they do work but not terrible efficient... You could drive it with a water wheel in the middle. <br /><br />OMC, where did you see a water ram? I would imagine the valving would be somewhat complex.. Is that one of those units with three pistons, two smaller on the outside one big on the inside and working like a boxer engine?

 

[one more cast]

Re: Help for water ideas

Pointer, The water ram I seen was made of pvc pipe and the valve was a bath tub plug and it was used to supply water to house. I'll see if I can find some info on it. EDIT: Here is one that is just a little different then the one I seen. HOME MADE RAM BASSY, once you get one of these rams going they just keep on pumping until you stop the input water.

 

[Bassy]

Re: Help for water ideas

Ah ha!! A water ram!! That's it! Thank you!!!<br />Bassy

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: Help for water ideas

If you have enough Sun, then why not a solar panel that produces power to run a solar volume pump. <br />Better still are windmills that supply water to a tank of a stand (that gives you pressure).<br />Both are quite common here.<br />Cheers<br />Phillip

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Help for water ideas

Bassy,<br />omc really got my interest and I started looking at the process of how these works. Very cool and guess what not too expensive. You can buy one delivered to you for less than $200.<br /><br /> http://www.eastex.net/billt/blram.htm <br /><br />A little technical perspective:<br /><br /> http://www.animatedsoftware.com/pumpglos/ram_pump.htm <br /><br />If you need help in the area or need some parts give a call over to Joe or Dave at CPS pump in Sparks. They may refer you but they are very knowledgable and helpful. They are primarily electric pump guys but have lots of other things that might assist.