Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Siphon questions

I have a small 1/4 acre dug pond with no dam. With the recent heavy rains my pond is overfull and for now I'm looking for a temporary fix. How big of a drop do I need for a siphon to work?

If I put a pvc intake (maybe 3" size) into the pond and have it rise a couple of feet over grade (fill cap will be at top) will this work if the outtake is only about a foot lower than the water level?

On the down side of the fill cap (towards the outtake) can I use a 2.5" hose? I'm not in a huge hurry to bring the water down and I have plenty of this hose available already. Will the length of the discharge hose matter?

Will I need a trap on the outtake side?

The pond is only stocked with minnows, will they get sucked out? How can I prevent this?

If siphoning doesn't work I can set up my submersible pump and pump it down but I'm still worried about the minnows getting sucked out. Should they be in deeper water now that the weather is cooler or will they be attracted to the intake?

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

Are you sure you want to drop the water level? Personally I prefer to go into winter with the water level high.

I would think as long as you are lower on the out take you should have flow if you siphon is set up right, but I'm no expert on using siphons to drain ponds.

One thing you might consider. I have used sump pumps to drain ponds and as long as the outtake line is lower than the pond the water will still flow out when the pump is shut down. Albeit at a lower rate.