wondertuckian
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- Mar 4, 2015
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That sounds great, 'til you try to locate a good used one within 500-700 miles. So, realistically, it's either I build one, or buy a new one, and a new one aint in the budget.
I"ll chime in on this since I have built a lot of PVC jet's in the past. A PVC jet will hold up for many years of use as long as it is built and used properly. Winner58 mentioned the Vortxrex Dryland Dredge jet which has been out there for many years and I have seen folks on this site say they have been using them for over 10 years. I have built PVC jets from 1-4" sizes and put a lot of time on them also without any issues and I have purposely cut them open to inspect them for any damage. I would never built a PVC log jet with a single side entry since the effect would smash all the incoming gravels against the sidewall and likely cause damage quickly. Building an infinity jet or multiple jet design is a must and you rarely get a jam caused by a rock flip and the gravels don't wear into the sides like a jet log. PVC does become brittle below freezing, so taking precautions is necessary if working in freezing conditions and if you have to clear a rock jam be a bit more careful and don't just take a rod and smack it with everything you have. I have never broken a PVC jet yet. All that said, Wondertuckian your jet has some major design issues. The dimension between a 3" and 4" sch40 pipe only leaves 1/4" of area for water delivery and you will lose massive psi trying to make a transition and feed the jets. The stage up from 3" to 4" at the outlet will diminish the suction unless the volume of jet feed is greater than the difference between the 2 dimensions. This technique works well to improve suction when using low pressure pumps which need more volume vs psi to do the amount of work required to create suction and I do this when using bilge pumps.
I fully agree that if you have never owned or operated a dredge in the past, you should buy a used dredge! You are getting a lot of great feedback from folks with experience in this and you need to ask yourself a question.
Is you goal to go dredging or spend a year learning about how not to build equipment from trial and error.
If you start with a decent used dredge you will gain tons of experience using it and understanding how it works and how to tune it and gain a basic understanding if you want to build one in the future. The worst scenario is to build a dredge without any experience and try and tune it in when it's not even in the ballpark of good recovery. The amount of aggravation is not worth it and can ruin what you expected to be a fun day on the river.
In the time it took to write this, this thread went downward fast.
Inside diameter of a 4 inch schedule 40 Tee and OD of 3 inch pipe is just shy of 1/2 inch, not 1/4 inch. So the area in sq. inches is more than the 2 inch hose I plan to feed it with. Is that enough room? Have no plans to run in cold weather, so brittleness of PVC shouldn't be an issue. Only other question I have is orifice size, do I base that on the 3 inch inlet, or the 4 inch outlet?
WT, way back when I decided I could no longer live without a dredge, I too wanted to build instead of buy. We've all been there. The key to being a prospector/miner is to think outside the box.
I went out and found someone in my town looking for extra help, he offered $8 per hour x 20 hours per week whenever I could get time. It was winter... I had time. Removing many feet of snow, soaked with rain, from roofs is not an easy job!
By spring I had saved nearly $1200, but I found a 2" Garrett dredge for $200 so I stashed the rest and watched the local ads for a long while. About August that year I found a 3" dredge for $800 and sold the 2" for $400 since that's what someone offered me for it. The following winter I paid $800 for a disgustingly gross 4" Keene [on ebay] that was used in the Patomac river and was covered with snot. Once cleaned she was purty and worked like brand new.
The lesson here is to invest your time to reach your goal. It won't happen overnight but with enough determination it could happen.
Remember though, very few have ever paid for a dredge in IL, with the gold they've found there.
Again, good luck.
Ive run my PVC jet from Dave "Vortexrx) Frank for 12 years or so and it still works fine! I just made one for my 2 inch dredge that I just built also. this is my 4th dredge that I built. PVC , ABS , aluminum makes for some light weight fun! and since I have a bad back this works for me! I like my dredges that I built! and they worked fine after I figured out what works and what didn't! and I do believe that it is cheaper and EZer to buy used but NOT abused , BUT in the same token , if used dredges aren't around where you live AND money is tight AND you have all the parts laying around collecting dust AND you are willing to keep working at it until you got it to work right , then go ahead a build it your self! I would have been out there actually getting gold rather that going back home to redo some part that DIDNT work right! Its your choice................................
Ive run my PVC jet from Dave "Vortexrx) Frank for 12 years or so and it still works fine! I just made one for my 2 inch dredge that I just built also. this is my 4th dredge that I built. PVC , ABS , aluminum makes for some light weight fun! and since I have a bad back this works for me! I like my dredges that I built! and they worked fine after I figured out what works and what didn't! and I do believe that it is cheaper and EZer to buy used but NOT abused , BUT in the same token , if used dredges aren't around where you live AND money is tight AND you have all the parts laying around collecting dust AND you are willing to keep working at it until you got it to work right , then go ahead a build it your self! I would have been out there actually getting gold rather that going back home to redo some part that DIDNT work right! Its your choice.