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  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Ram pump rules of thumb
  • Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 14:16:19 EDT

The main garden here is on a hip, a sort of plateau, and some 50' away and
20' feed straight down is the smallest of the three streams on the place.
During most of the year, I can very slightly empound the water in a catch
basin
with a 2" pipe at the bottom and get a solid 2" of water falling some 30".
In
the past when I was using one of those centrifuge pumps with an IC engine to
lift the water to the garden (or to hte cistern 400' away and 35' higher), I
used
that 30"'s of head on the 2" pipe to create an intake manifold for the pump
which made it work even better.

After destroying the third Briggs engine (because we hate each other and we
know it), I swore them off. The quantity and drop of the water begged for a
RAM pump so I researched all the cheapie PVC plans and seriously considered
two:
one using a homemade chatter valve and one using a brass swing check valve
for the chatter valve.

This summer the drought was devastating for the garden, so I dreastically
reduced the size of it and eyed that water 20' below very seriously. I got
out
my plans, made a materials list, and went shopping. Zogs! I stay on the
farm
far too long at a time! Just the two check valves for a 1 1/2" pump body
would run more than $70! Not to mention the other pipe and fittings, most of
which I had but would still have to purchase more.

In the mean time, the dry took its toll on the creek. It was still flowing
but not enough to operate a RAM pump. The two other creeks, although
diminished, still had plenty of volume (they average 15' wide) , but they are
much
farther away from the garden.

While in the plumbing section of TSC hoping to find a break on the parts, I
noticed a made in China small cast iron pitcher pump for $30. It is supposed
to lift water 25'. It was try this, buy yet another pump with an IC engine,
or
let the garden bake.

The main garden is a 100' circle and I've reduced my activities to the
central 50' for this season. I mounted some cedar stumps in the center and
mounted
the pitcher pump on that. I ran 1" PVC 70' (not the closest but the most but
the best route) and then 20' down to the creek.

No go. It gurgled and sputtered but no water.

So I put a foot valve in the creek and that did it. With a rather casual
swing of the pump I can get two gallons a minute. With precise watering and
LOTS
of mulch, that's enough.

Now, I am a big fan of RAM pumps and I am going to follow through with my
plans to make a couple and put them by the bigger creeks as an auxilliary
source
of water. But I include my tale to show that there can be even simpler and
cheaper solutions as well. For now my manual pump is doing fine and my fall
garden is really looking good ..... diminished, but good.


It has also burned in the fact, which we all know but sometimes it isn't such
a reality, that you can only have as much garden as you have water. Of all
the factors in raising your own food: mulch, compost, nitrogen, sunshine,
etc.
it is water the most dictatorial and absolute.

Amusing myself by using all the irrigation I want, all I am willing to arm up
out of the creek, a patch of Silver Queen corn that I planted exactly 30 days
ago is now shoulder high and getting ready to tassel and make that final
shoot upwards. It has cut two weeks off what I'd have expected without
unlimited
water.




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