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Bigred292
Member
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# Posted: 14 Jun 2016 23:22
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Hey everyone.
Fairly new member here.
Joined when I bought my camp. Had issues with 12v system but that seems to be fixed. Next issue - WATER
Got some advice here on building a ram pump for water supply. Looked it up- seemed like the perfect solution.
Watched videos, read countless threads, etc.
Built one.Tried it out, no luck.
Water comes in via 3/4 feed. Water comes out the rear discharge (flapper valve ) no problem.
Just doesn't build pressure. 3 inch tank has water noodle in it.
I tried and tried with no luck.
What am I doing wrong? ????
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Don_P
Member
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# Posted: 14 Jun 2016 23:51
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Is the flapper operating or just draining water constantly, it should be pulsing its discharge, ka-chunk-a, ka-chunk-a. Just wondering if it is sticky?
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Bigred292
Member
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# Posted: 15 Jun 2016 06:18
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No ka-chunk- just flowing constantly
Tried putting finger in to reset it with no luck
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Don_P
Member
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# Posted: 15 Jun 2016 06:39
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Is the "tank" waterlogged or is there a cushion of air charge... Getting beyond me but there is one at work, I'll ask for tips today.
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Bigred292
Member
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# Posted: 15 Jun 2016 12:52
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When I tried to get it going there did seem to be water going to the pvc "tank"
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Don_P
Member
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# Posted: 15 Jun 2016 20:45
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I got a pic of the one at work and got to talk with the owner a little bit. His thought looking at yours is the pulse might be getting lost in the plumbing. Maybe try disassembling and putting it back together differently.
I've attached a shot of theirs. Feed is coming from the right, through a shutoff then the flapper, then through a check, the tank, a drain, shutoff and output, all in a single simple line.
I had not seen this iteration with the blue tank, the old pvc column like yours was there. He was collapsing the noodle and waterlogging about weekly and is setting this air tank up with a Schrader valve for recharging the air cushion. The closed cell foam in the pvc tube was getting hammered to death in short order. He figured the pressure at one point and the tank was pulsing at about 75psi which was more than the foam could do... but each setup is different.
sorry, you're going through an intermediary that has a very basic knowledge but I think I'd first try assembling it in that simple straight line similar to the pic and see if that gets you anywhere.
There is some troubleshooting at the end of this document;
http://kdl.kyvl.org/catalog/xt7n8p5v8h6m_3/viewer?
Hope you can get it running, they are cool
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 18 Jun 2016 06:58
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My neighbor has been trying to build a ram pump.he has got it working but it still doesn't get water up the hill.we are gonna try a few ideas to improve it.right now the creek is nearly dry already.drought is getting close.
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jun 2016 14:51 - Edited by: bldginsp
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Red- how much height do you have between the ram pump and the inlet that feeds it? You have to have a fair amount of rise to get the water momentum up enough to cause a hammer when the flapper kicks.
Also your feeder pipe size looks small. Remember that the whole thing works by the momentum of the water coming into the pump. That momentum is increased by total head from the pump, as well as water volume (mass) falling toward the pump.
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Bigred292
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jun 2016 15:12
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Bldginsp-
Thanks for your reply- I was using materials that were left over at the cabin. The ram pump is constructed of 1 inch galvanized piping- the inlet hose that was left over is 3/4 inch.
The difference in height is probably 2 ft at best, and that's being generous.
Should I use the same size inlet pipe and pump size(1 inch)?
If I were to go with a larger pipe I could run it longer and get more height.
How much height should I need?
If I went with larger diameter inlet would that compensate for small height difference?
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jun 2016 15:55
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Not really sure, but I think that height should be the priority. I think I read that you need a good 10-15 feet head to make it work.
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Ontario lakeside
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jun 2016 17:08
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ram pumps will pump 7-1 under ideal conditions. 1 foot of fall (head) from inlet to pump = 7 feet of rise. the drive line from source to pump should be larger (approximately 30%) than the supply line from pump to tank.
even a very small amount of head will work but never more that 7-1. Air in the system is a killer, from the intake or any of the fittings.
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