Homestead mailing list

[Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>]

SISU! wrote:

> That sounds good to me, Bill.
> We have a dry creek that flows if we get enough rain, usually in winter
> only.  I have been looking on freecycle for an above ground pool to use
> as a artificial pond.  I don't have enough head or flow for a ram pump,
> so I snagged a submersible pump on sale a few years ago that is capable
> of pumping water up out of the creekbed and into such a 'pond'.
>  

> Bill Jones wrote:
>
>  
>
> > Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:
> >
> >
> >    
> >
> > > In the mean time, the dry took its toll on the creek.  It was still
> > > flowing but not enough to operate a RAM pump.
> > >
> > >      
> > This is another reason to have a holding tank to feed into the
> > downpipe of a ram pump, besides excluding sediment and bubbles.  You
> > can save up a day's water...
I should point out that this holding pond would need to hold the gross 
volume of water delivered to the pump, NOT the net volume received 
top-side.  So that makes for a pretty large pond (and thus rather wide, 
if the height has to low to squeeze into the total vertical drop).  On 
the plus side, if you're willing to start the ram twice (or even thrice) 
a day, you can get by with half (or a third) as big a pond.  So 
overcoming low flow is possible, but there's no way I know to overcome 
flatness of terrain, without the energy from free-falling water.  We 
don't have much flat land here.

Bill
S. Oregon coast