Hydraulic Ram Pump - No motor needed

ncclaymaker

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Ram pumps have been around for many decades and are popular for two main reasons:


They need no external source of power -- the force of moving water gives them the power they need.

  • They are extremely simple, with just two moving parts.
  • The basic idea behind a ram pump is simple. The pump uses the momentum of a relatively large amount of moving water to pump a relatively small amount of water uphill.

To use a ram pump, you must have a source of water situated above the pump. For example, you must have a pond on a hillside so that you can locate the pump below the pond. You run a pipe from the pond to the pump. The pump has a valve that allows water to flow through this pipe and build up speed.



  • Once the water reaches its maximum speed, this valve slams shut.
  • As it slams shut, the flowing water develops a great deal of pressure in the pump because of its inertia.
  • The pressure forces open a second valve.
  • High-pressure water flows through the second valve to the delivery pipe (which usually has an air chamber to allow the delivery pipe to capture as much high-pressure water as possible during the impulse).
  • The pressure in the pump falls. The first valve re-opens to allow water to flow and build up momentum again. The second valve closes.
  • The cycle repeats.

The delivery pipe can rise some distance above both the pump and the source of the water. For example, if the pump is 10 feet below the pond, the delivery pipe might be up to 100 feet above the pump.


You can see that the one big disadvantage of a ram pump is that it wastes a lot of water. Typically, only about 10% of the water it consumes actually makes it up the delivery pipe. The rest flows out of the pump as the water builds momentum.

This would be great to fill LARGE containers with water to use with high banking where water is inconveniently located. Put a few containers in series and let them fill overnight. This should get around California reg's, as it is not a motorized device.

youtube.com How Does a Hydraulic Ram Pump Work , go from there. There are plenty of videos available on this subject. I cannot list them here for possible copyright issues.

Google "ram pump".


ram_pump.JPG ram_pump_01.JPG
 

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Goldwasher

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the volume of water moved basically makes it useless for mining.
 

Tesorodeoro

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the volume of water moved basically makes it useless for mining.

Water is pumped up the hill to a reservoir/tank above your mining area...you shovel material into long sluices then go home...sometime in the middle of the night, a valve is tripped and the perfect amount of water is released washing your material...next day you pick the nuggets out and load the sluice boxes up with material again. It’s been done before.

Perfect plan...what could go wrong ; )
 

et1955

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These pumps have been around for a while, very inefficient and also very noisy, the sound of thump, thump constantly is extremely annoying. Alternative is if you are on placer claim with a good flowing river, build a waterwheel connected to a water pump to deliver the water you need. The only reason I mention this is that there are rivers that you cant run a sluice because the river runs flat yet they flow, I am working a water pump that will work off a water wheel, good challenge.
 

Goldwasher

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Water is pumped up the hill to a reservoir/tank above your mining area...you shovel material into long sluices then go home...sometime in the middle of the night, a valve is tripped and the perfect amount of water is released washing your material...next day you pick the nuggets out and load the sluice boxes up with material again. It’s been done before.

Perfect plan...what could go wrong ; )

a lot.
 

N-Lionberger

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I built one of those with my dad, it works well for keeping a tank of water full to supply our cabin.
 

Tesorodeoro

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Yes a lot, what you describe happened to one of my claims it was an extremely wasteful operation.

A lot went wrong? I could see a larger percentage of losses, but I’m curious about what else went wrong.

I’m no advocating doing this, just pointing out that a small amount of water can and has been used for mining.

Legality is an entirely different matter. Nearly EVERYTHING can be viewed as illegal in some manner these days.
 

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N-Lionberger

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Lucky for me its a great way to not get the gold, they didn't use a ram pump though they dammed up a small stream. Using a ram pump to fill a tank to run a highbanker would work but you would be limited in run time. It might work if you are operating a rocker box.
 

Goldwasher

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First you dont fill the sluices and walk away...

It just does not work like that..

Second if you are not adding material to the flow..after the first "load " of gravel is washed out..you are not moving/washing more material... A ram pump can fill a resevoir sure... but if the resevoir cant be refilled in pace with the water being used..it's pretty pointless.

A sluice ten inches wide requires at minimum 30 gpm to run 1/2 i9nch material...

have fun with a small resevoir that refills at 300% less than the output from full.
 

N-Lionberger

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Its nice to have lots of water pressure for the water heater after a long day mining in the cold, take a hot shower, put on some sweat pants drink a beer or two...
 

Ohiogoldfever

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There is no reason why these couldn’t be used if set up correctly. Maybe a guy has to build several. If you want to fill a large enough tank to get the work done. There will always be a guy who gives you a million reasons why something won’t work. Most of them won’t try because someone already told them not to. Enough work and it could get the job done.
 

Tesorodeoro

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First you dont fill the sluices and walk away...

It just does not work like that..

Second if you are not adding material to the flow..after the first "load " of gravel is washed out..you are not moving/washing more material... A ram pump can fill a resevoir sure... but if the resevoir cant be refilled in pace with the water being used..it's pretty pointless.

A sluice ten inches wide requires at minimum 30 gpm to run 1/2 i9nch material...

have fun with a small resevoir that refills at 300% less than the output from full.

I’m very familiar with water needs necessary to recover gold. The scenario I was familiar with was a man that was mining a small draw behind his house. He had the reservoir setup with a float valve. I’m not sure if he used a ram pump or if the drainage just flowed very little water. About every 24 hours (probably varied with the season), the reservoir would be dumped. Like clockwork...every day there was a mini storm. Material was washed and eroded.

I’m not sure exactly what his methods were (if he shoveled material onto bedrock, or if he used a sluice box.
This is not an operation, where you have a functioning sluice box in the typical sense. It’s erosion.
I’m positive the only gold that was easily recovered was nuggets. Additional processing would be required to recover concentrates, but much of the light material was eroded away (along with some of the lighter gold). I think he was in an area with nice nuggets and I’m told he found quite a few. It was not a commercial operation, just a way to recover some gold. You don’t need the reservoir to fill up as fast as the water is used.
 

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Tesorodeoro

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It’s much better to recirculate when you are dealing with small amounts of water (naturally flowing or pumped/transported).

Much of the best gold that is left is located in areas with limited water resources.
It takes imagination and ingenuity, but it can be recovered with just about any amount of steadily flowing water.

Unfortunately, I’m kind of used to mining with very little water flow.
I know of many places that I’d love to have just a pencil flow of steady water.
What would I do with such little amount of water that couldn’t possibly run a sluice box? It would surprise you I’m sure.
 

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Goldwasher

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There is no reason why these couldn’t be used if set up correctly. Maybe a guy has to build several. If you want to fill a large enough tank to get the work done. There will always be a guy who gives you a million reasons why something won’t work. Most of them won’t try because someone already told them not to. Enough work and it could get the job done.

I've lived off grid, lived by an aquaduct that used ram pumps. To transfer water uphill. SLOWLY

I've also been placer mining for 20 + years.

I'm not gonna try ineffictive slow going inefficient methods.

When there are known better options.
 

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Goldwasher

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I’m very familiar with water needs necessary to recover gold. The scenario I was familiar with was a man that was mining a small draw behind his house. He had the reservoir setup with a float valve. I’m not sure if he used a ram pump or if the drainage just flowed very little water. About every 24 hours (probably varied with the season), the reservoir would be dumped. Like clockwork...every day there was a mini storm. Material was washed and eroded.

I’m not sure exactly what his methods were (if he shoveled material onto bedrock, or if he used a sluice box.
This is not an operation, where you have a functioning sluice box in the typical sense. It’s erosion.
I’m positive the only gold that was easily recovered was nuggets. Additional processing would be required to recover concentrates, but much of the light material was eroded away (along with some of the lighter gold). I think he was in an area with nice nuggets and I’m told he found quite a few. It was not a commercial operation, just a way to recover some gold. You don’t need the reservoir to fill up as fast as the water is used.


well for "nuggets" I would go in with a rake and a minelab..

Be done with the whole spot in short order!!

Also you absolutely need the resevoir to fill as fast as the water is used. Or it is pretty dang pointless.
 

N-Lionberger

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I guess if you were running a small recirc system it might work as a means of replenishing some of the water lost from evaporation, wet rocks, spray etc...
 

Goldwasher

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I guess if you were running a small recirc system it might work as a means of replenishing some of the water lost from evaporation, wet rocks, spray etc...
yep that would be a good use.
 

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