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T O P I C R E V I E W
Jen
Posted - Jun 15 2007 : 1:56:16 PM Since irrigating our garden/orchard may be taxing on our spring water supply (and electricity costs) in the summer heat, we're going to try a Hydraulic Ram Pump. Here's what it is, how it works, and where you can learn more:
Hydraulic ram pumps are a time-tested technology that use the energy of a large amount of water falling a small height to lift a small amount of that water to a much greater height. In this way, water from a spring or stream in a valley can be pumped to a village or irrigation scheme on the hillside.
Depending on the difference in heights between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe, these water pumps will lift 1-20 percent of the water that flows into it. In general, a ram can pump approximately one tenth of the received water volume to a height ten times greater than the intake. A hydraulic ram pump is useful where the water source flows constantly and the usable fall from the water source to the pump location is at least 91 cm (3 ft).
Since ram pumps can only be used in situations where falling water is available, their use is restricted to three main applications:
* lifting drinking water from springs to settlements on higher ground. * pumping drinking water from streams that have significant slope. * lifting irrigation water from streams or raised irrigation channels.
Ram Pump Advantages include:
1. Inexpensive 2. Very simple construction and easy to install yourself. 3. Does not consume petrol, diesel or electricity. 4. Minimum maintenance. 5. Pollution free. 6. Quiet pumping 24 hours per day.
