Pumpless Highbanker

[Island_Hunter]

Where I live we are not allowed to use gas or electric pumps in the river. I was wondering if anyone has tried to create water pressure without one?

I have no idea if this will work and have some scrap materials to experiment with. This is what I was thinking...I have a wide metal office garbage can that I am going to cut 2x4" holes into the bottom of. In each hole i will attach a sink drain. So the garbage can will then have 2x1.5" spouts coming out of the bottom of it to run hoses to a header box.

I work a pretty big river with lots of heavy flow. I would wedge the can in a channel between two rocks and let the pressure of the river push on the ports on the bottom of the can. The can would be around the same level as the header box, so it would be pretty level, not trying to push up hill.





Im no artist as you can see and I dont have a clue if this will work or not

 

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[Island_Hunter]

I guess I should mention that I would need enough water to run a 10 stream sluice with gold hog's scrubber and razorback mats.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

This is old and proven technology. Old timers built long toms and used to divert the rivers. Picture a 100 foot sluice where anywhere along the legnth you could shovel into. Urs is a small version. The key will be preventing surging wile shoveling

 

[Hard Prospector]

If the drainage is steep enough and with the right hose diameters and lengths, you could use gravity to assist the water volume and pressure needed for the header box. Refer to "gravity dredge" for ideas.

 

[detectingarizona]

it is what the old timers used to do, use gravity for their sluices

 

[wagbert]

Ram Pump

Howdy,
I saw a "Ram pump" in use years ago. It worked pretty well. I'm not able to tell you exactly how the things work, but try "googling"
Ram Pump. I just did and got pages of info. Hope this helps.
Good Luck,
Phil

 

[Terrible - One]

I think using something like a jet flare in reverse would allow you to build up water pressure. I've been throwing the idea around in my head. Probably won't be long till dredging is illegal in oregon. We're going to have to get creative

 

[Terrible - One]

If you have enough pipe you could supply a highbanker from upstream

 

[Island_Hunter]

Here is the inflow tank that will be in the current, upstream. Connected to the outlets will be 1.5" bilge pump pipe running 24' down to where my stream sluice is setup.

If I get enough pressure I will make up a header box with grizzly bars for faster feeding.

 

[63bkpkr]

Nicely done, simple and solid! The more water you can coax into the head will help though possibly the pipes will restrict the pressure. Then again, the old monitors had huge pipes at the top and small (in comparison to the large pipes) outputs that washed mountains away. I was thinking more along the lines of an earlier post of say a 20' to 100' of 3" id hose coming into your unit especially if there was like a 10' to 15' drop from the point the water enters the hose to where it comes out.

Hey you've got a good looking unit give it a try. Appreciate hearing back from you how the experiment goes, thank you.................63bkpkr

 

[rgecy]

You should use bigger pipe at the intake box and go down in size as you get closer to the highbanker. Depending on the height above the highbanker or what is considered the 'fall', you maybe surprised at how much pressure you can build up with this method. This is how they did hydrolic mining back in the old days!

Good luck,

RGecy

 

[Ammonhotep]

My first thought was also a ram pump, as mentioned above.

There are also simple, highly efficient foot pumps. That turns into a buskers show, though.

-Ammo

 

[Hoser John]

Go larger and then go smaller as it pumps up the psi greatly. Every foot of drop increases your psi,in the realm of 1 psi for every 5 feet of fall. EZ to do with solid pipes also-4" sewer pipe is perfect as flanged for connecting. Try to find a high pressure spot with 2 big rocks close together and stream forced inbetween. Gravity rocks my dredging world,that's a pic of a 4" system-John

 

[Island_Hunter]

I bet that works awesome! Unfortunately the grade of the river is quite minimal,but fast flowing. I am just hoping to stuff the box in between some large rocks where there is heavy flow pressure.

 

[63bkpkr]

Island_Hunter, nice looking place! Yes, fast water with shallow down hill angle. Will be looking forward to your comments after you've tried your box!................63bkpkr

John,
That looks like a 'hoser' picture. How long was that run? Looks like it would have afforded some high pressure.

 

[Hoser John]

30' of 4",coupled to 15' of 2 1/2' with 18 feet of drop and ouch ,it'll bite a bit. Hope your healing up ok Herb,all the best bud-John

 

[wa-au-nut]

Don't think that would work for anything other than devirting water without some drop.You would need to use a female adapter where the tail pieces are because the tail pices are Tubular pipe size not IPS. They are different. you would need to lose the cross pices in the basket strainers. Something like that would work great setting up a sluice in slower water but as a highbanker it would not work.