Water Ram Pump

Steven Lake
Steven Lake Solar Expert Posts: 402 ✭✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
http://www.clemson.edu/irrig/equip/ram.htm

Ran into this rather interesting article on making your own ram pump out of PVC parts. As such, I was wondering if you guys had seen something like this used for pumping water, maybe up to a cistern, or somewhere else. I saw it claimed that it's capable of pumping water out of a well and into either a barrel, or even up to a water system allowing it to be pressurized up to a given pressure, which is whatever you setup the system to be. (from what I read there's variable pressures the system can achieve based on ram and pipe sizes.)

I've never actually worked with anything like this, so I'm just wondering what you guys think of this as a green energy pumping solution, or worse case scenario, an emergency water pump.

EDIT: Ok, it seems I missed two key points of the article, one is that the pump is very inefficient (8gal in for 1gal out), and it also needs to be placed below the water pump. So not ideal, but it sounds like it could do for certain types of setups to provide a constant flow of water to a tank or storage medium.
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Comments

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #2
    Re: Water Ram Pump

    Ram pumps have been around for centuries (?)... and there are 100 year old pumps still running. Here is one Mfg. of them:

    www.riferam.com

    They can lift water about 10x higher than the drop (i.e., 10 foot drop ~ 100 foot lift).

    And, depending on the lift, they can be around 1% to 20% efficient water use (i.e., 10% would be 10 gallons of "waste" water to lift 1 gallon of water).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • CDN_VT
    CDN_VT Solar Expert Posts: 492 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Water Ram Pump

    "emergency water pump" , More like a main one for my Neighbour .
    Installed in the early dawn of the wet coast inside passage & still the same one working. This gent/family has been living this way since (guessing 1900's, B4 could be also possible)
    BC fish & wildlife tried to make a point(government know notch) , he has had more fish in his family "Named" creek for years ..so close you could touch, His livelihood is from the oceans..
    My Ranch is just beside his. I have learn't many things.

    Ram Water Pump
    http://journeytoforever.org/at_waterpump.html
    http://www.riferam.com/history/index.html
    http://www.lifewater.ca/ram_pump.htm
    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ram+water+pump&btnG=Search



    VT

    EDIT
    I can't figure out how to attach the way to build one.
    I posted some info links.
    after .5 hr. Forum problem.
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Water Ram Pump

    The trick for ram pumps is you need flow from some source, like a creek or a river. That way, there is no real waste or se, as you are not "using water" to pump, but merely capturing and converting the energy of the falling water to pump water,, like you say, 8 gallons of flow produces 1 gallon of pumped water as per your example.

    Tony
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  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: Water Ram Pump

    Built one many years ago and it worked great for watering the garden. Ran 24/7 when needed, and the hose position had to be shifted in the garden from time to time as each section became saturated. As was said, it requires a sloping fall of water. Water enters upper end of long (20 to 100 foot) straight, rigid pipe. Builds up speed of flow in the pipe, then automatic valve at the lower end of the pipe snaps shut and the resulting water hammer forces water under pressure through a check valve and into the delivery pipe. Once the water hammer pulse dissipates, the valves revert to their original states and the process repeats. Only problem I had was in the Fall, when tree leaves coming down the brook, would get in the valves, preventing proper operation. A quick cleaning restored operation.
    Unfortunately I gave it away some years ago :(
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Water Ram Pump

    When I learned about rams a thousand years ago, I thought about ways that I could harvest wave energy to do the same thing. Since I have no falling water, but lots of wave energy.

    Tony
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  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: Water Ram Pump
    icarus wrote: »
    When I learned about rams a thousand years ago, I thought about ways that I could harvest wave energy to do the same thing. Since I have no falling water, but lots of wave energy.

    Tony
    Perhaps wave energy to operate a piston pump :)
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