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Step 9Pump Installation
Now that you've got a rather aggressive looking collection of PVC bits, it's time to make it do something. You'll need to attach the stand pipe (the long section of 1-1/4" pipe) to the 1-1/4" union with cement, and then decide how you want to hook the other end to your water source. My first method was a chopped up milk jug. Honestly, I just wanted to see this thing pump some water.
My later design was to mount a shower drain on the other end of the stand pipe, and fix that to a styrofoam cooler that I had cut a matching hole in. The cooler served as a collector for the pipe, and it all worked pretty well. In more permanent installation (to be completed in the coming spring) I'll attach this shower drain to a board that can be fixed in the higher water supply, and things will be good.
Gather up a garden hose, your stand pipe, and your pump, then drag all of this out to your waterfall or what have you. Bring a friend or two. They help in the setup, and maybe you can win the bet that "you can pump water above the source without electricity, gasoline, diesel, a bicycle, or a bucket while they watch."
At this point you can probably figure it all out on your own, but you'll need to get the water flowing down the stand pipe, which you've connected to the main pump, and then up through the swing check valve. On to the next step for theory of operation, troubleshooting and tuning.
When you install this permanently (or semi-permanently), you'll want to find a good place to anchor it to, probably not in the stream. Place it as low as possible, but keep in mind that if the stream were to flood and / or a tree to wash down it, it would take your nice little pump off with it.
Also, for those in the northern (or far southern) latitudes, you won't want this to be running during the winter. Water could potentially collect inside the pressure chamber and freeze, causing you problems (untimely death of pump). But experiment as you feel fit.
The video here is playable using Quicktime. Presently, you have to save it to your computer, and change the extension (bit after the long strange file name) from .tmp to .3gp. I'm sorry it's being difficult, maybe someday I'll set it up with an embedded player, but right now I'm short on time. It shows the pump working, with narration by yours truly. Gives you an idea of what it sounds like standing in the water right next to it, and also has a close up of the swing check valve working.
My later design was to mount a shower drain on the other end of the stand pipe, and fix that to a styrofoam cooler that I had cut a matching hole in. The cooler served as a collector for the pipe, and it all worked pretty well. In more permanent installation (to be completed in the coming spring) I'll attach this shower drain to a board that can be fixed in the higher water supply, and things will be good.
Gather up a garden hose, your stand pipe, and your pump, then drag all of this out to your waterfall or what have you. Bring a friend or two. They help in the setup, and maybe you can win the bet that "you can pump water above the source without electricity, gasoline, diesel, a bicycle, or a bucket while they watch."
At this point you can probably figure it all out on your own, but you'll need to get the water flowing down the stand pipe, which you've connected to the main pump, and then up through the swing check valve. On to the next step for theory of operation, troubleshooting and tuning.
When you install this permanently (or semi-permanently), you'll want to find a good place to anchor it to, probably not in the stream. Place it as low as possible, but keep in mind that if the stream were to flood and / or a tree to wash down it, it would take your nice little pump off with it.
Also, for those in the northern (or far southern) latitudes, you won't want this to be running during the winter. Water could potentially collect inside the pressure chamber and freeze, causing you problems (untimely death of pump). But experiment as you feel fit.
The video here is playable using Quicktime. Presently, you have to save it to your computer, and change the extension (bit after the long strange file name) from .tmp to .3gp. I'm sorry it's being difficult, maybe someday I'll set it up with an embedded player, but right now I'm short on time. It shows the pump working, with narration by yours truly. Gives you an idea of what it sounds like standing in the water right next to it, and also has a close up of the swing check valve working.
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