A couple of years ago I built two ram pumps and installed them in the stream near my house. They pumped water for the garden for a few months during spring and summer. I’m okay with the fact that the pumps are just useful during part of the year, but didn’t really like damming up the entire stream for my installation, seemed rude towards wildlife.
So this year I returned with a longer tube and just took the water from further upstream. I have only about 70cm head. I haven’t really measured the height I’m getting, but it’s more than the first year and enough for what I want to do.
My installation in the stream is very simple: fence post hammered/wedged into the stream bed, pump tied to it with wire. Everything wobbles a tiny bit. Might return and solidify that later, but I love it when stuff is so simple that I can just throw it into the stream and it works. After a while of pumping by hand it just runs. Variations in water height might stop it as it sits low in the water. Will report back tomorrow.
This is for a reservoir IBC and washing tank outside the kitchen. I’m thinking about adding a solar heating panel in there as well.
The image is of a smaller kid-sized pump that I want to turn into a demonstration model to take to markets and fairs.
Exactly, I’m working with just 60cm head, which is on the lower end of it working at all. Maybe next year I add another 100 m of tube to reach a spot where the pump can sit outside the stream.
If you have been diving into ram pumps before, I’m curious if you have found any infos about one thing I haven’t had time to research or experiment with: does the distance between the two valves make any difference in terms of efficiency?
I am by no means an expert on ram pumps, but I would guess no. The impulse valve and the air-chamber are the more likely places for optimisation.
I have really only had a look at them out of personal interest because they are relatively common in the area I worked during the disaster relief after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. To my knowledge the ones I have seen were based on the design found in this classic manual.