Hi all, We used to run duel 2" ram pumps to a bladder type pressure tank using a weighted flap valve to control pressure relief. It worked well but we went to a well and electric pump system to reduce contaminants. I would know when the frogs were in the stream cause my whiskey would turn my water black! I still run one ram to keep my fire pond full. It is very continuous, except when a frog somehow gets into the pipe, or a bear decides to eat the pipe, or the flap valve wears out. As in all systems maintenance is necessary.
David Green In the Wilds of Northern California ----- Original Message ----- From: "davis ron" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 7:29 AM Subject: Re: [microhydro] Re: Portable Ram Pump: Good Idea! > May 20, 05 > > Dear Oso, > > Thank you for that well-considered reply regarding > portable rams. > May I ask how you learned so much about ram pumps? > It sounds as though you have extensive personal > experience. > I'm interested in understanding why the ram has > fallen into disuse since the 1950s. I found a paper on > this that seems very good > at:www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ > cv/wedc/papers/20/sessiong/thomast.pdf > > Ron Davis > > > > > --- oso954 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> --- In [email protected], davis ron >> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> > re a portable ram pump and drip system >> >> I foresee various problems with the concept for the >> portable ram and >> drip system. >> >> The first major problem is that attempting to >> pressurize a drip >> system from the down-hill side with a ram pump will >> seriously reduce >> the output of the ram. Secondly, your drip system >> will be almost >> impossible to balance. Bottom line, the trees at >> the higher >> elevations will never get enough water. >> >> Rolling up a complex manifold drip system is almost >> impossible and >> every time you do it generates leaks. If area B has >> a different plant >> spacingthan area A, the emitters or drip holes will >> be in the wrong >> location etc. >> >> I would look for a location or several locations to >> place water >> storage tanks at the uphill edge of the tree farm >> and layout my water >> system from there. The water system could be a drip >> system or other >> method. >> If using a drip system that would only run while the >> ram is pumping, >> these tanks could be as small as oil drums. If >> pumping times and >> irrigation times will differ, the tanks would have >> to be upsized >> accordingly. >> >> Your idea of using a flexible plastic tube or >> poly-pipe to supply >> various ram locations does have merit. However, I >> would get it up and >> out of the stream bed, as soon as possible. If you >> routed the pipe >> into the tree farm at an elevation about 0.5 meters >> lower than the >> inlet and followed that elevation, you might find a >> substantial >> number of trees below that elevation as you get >> further and further >> away from the inlet. These trees could be watered >> either directly >> from the tube(when rams are not in use) or a storage >> tank could be >> filled to be the water source for these downhill >> trees. >> >> With this method, you could place a ram at any >> location that has a >> good slope falling away from the tube. By placing >> your oil drum on >> the downhill side of the pipe, the system would be >> self-adjusting. >> The oil drum is about 1 meter tall, pipe 0.5 meter >> below original >> water level, the drum (as long as it is less than >> 0.5 meters lower >> than the pipe) would never overflow. No need for a >> float valve. No >> need for a tower. >> As long as you install a shutoff valve at the tube, >> you could move >> the ram, drive tank and drive pipe from one pumping >> location to >> another, if you wished to. >> >> Another benefit of maintaining the same elevation is >> that as you get >> further and further away from the original source, >> you should be >> gaining head as the stream and lay of the land falls >> away from the >> original high point source. You might be able to get >> 6-10 meters of >> drive head. With the tower system following the >> stream bed, you >> limited yourself to the 4 meter tower head. >> >> The one drawback to this method, (as compared to >> following the stream >> bed) is that you have to worry about the waste >> water. If you are not >> dumping it in a tributary stream or other natural >> water course, the >> waste water should be collected into a drainage >> basin and piped to a >> natural water course, to prevent erosion. >> >> You suggestion of possibly using a 3-4 meter drive >> pipe length is not >> advisable. The shorter drive pipes have a shorter >> frequency and it >> will limit the output of the ram (Quantity of water) >> and the delivery >> head. For your example of a 2 inch (50mm) ram with >> 4 meters of head >> you should use an 7.5 to 8 meter drive pipe as a >> minimum. >> >> One way of minimizing drive flow while maximizing >> ram output is to >> down size the drive pipe. A 50mm ram on a 37mm drive >> pipe will >> deliver more water than a 37mm ram would, while >> using far less water >> than a 50mm drive pipe and ram. >> >> I hope you find my comments helpful. >> >> Oso >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! 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