permaculture

[steved@ncatfyv.uark.edu (Steve Diver)]

An article in Cooperative Farmer (Southern States
cooperative), October-November 1993, featured the Rife Sling 
Pump.  It fits the description of a duckbill pump that I 
was looking for exactly.  Unfortunately, no address or 
phone number was listed. 
  
Selected text: 

"In tests the Rife Sling Pump has lifted water up to 82
feet, or delivered water over a mile from a stream." 

"It is completely mechanical and operates without
electricity or fuel.  The power to drive it is provided
by flowing water.  A wind-powered version is also
available."

"There is only one moving part, the swivel coupling, and it
is water-lubricated.  All parts are non-corrosive and
designed to withstand a high degree of stress. There is 
virtually no maintenance." 

"The sling pump is anchored with the supplied anchor wire to
a stake in the water.  The water flow rotates the pump body,
forcing air and water through the pump - via a swivel
coupling - into the feeder hose and from there either to an
intermediate storage tank or directly to the place of
consumption - in a pulsating flow. 

"Water pumped by the sling pump can be used for household 
needs, irrigation, ponds, and gardening.  It is especially 
useful in aerating stock tanks and fish tanks since it pumps
half water and half air."

FYI, here are the web sites with Ram Pump info: 

  http://www.grove.net/%7Eatlas/

  http://www.ecocentric.com/prof/eco/ram/html

  http://www.animatedsoftware.com/pumpglos/ram_pump.htm

  http://info.lut.ac.uk/departments/cv/wedc/papers/thomas2.html 


Steve Diver wrote: 
 
> I found some web sites with hydro ram pumps, but I seem to 
> recall something in Permaculture International a few years
> back about a "duckbill" hydro ram pump.  
>
> My understanding of hydro rams are that they operate by 
> the fall of water (from a pond downwards), whereby the 
> ram pump can then push the water uphill.  It operates off the 
> force of gravity.  
> 
> The duckbill, as I recall, will work in a streambed and function 
> off of the lateral movement of water.  Thus, you could place
> a duckbill pump into a flowing steam and pump water uphill. 
>  
> This is different from a regular ram pump whereby a drop in water
> requires an elevation change and therefore the building of
> a dam in a streambed to achieve a change in height.  
> 
> A nearby remote watermelon/veggie patch in the Oklahoma Ozarks would 
> benefit from a duckbill and I need some info and a supplier.