Siphon Systems Updated - 01/15/17 08:36 PM
Here are some links to: siphons, siphon overflow systems, and temporary siphons. All ways to remove water from a pond without a pump.
This comment from our member ‘Snrub’: ""There is some confusion of what constitutes a siphon system and a bottom draw system.
You can have a bottom draw type overflow without it being a siphon system and you can have a conventional pipe overflow that goes into siphon mode. I have the latter.
But most people seem to lump the two terms of siphon and bottom draw together as if they are mutual. They are not. They are two independent attributes that are often combined in a system but can also be exclusive.""
From this thread:
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=461951#Post461951
Pond Siphon
http://ponddampiping.com/syphon1.html
8” Dia pond drain siphon pictures, instillation and working principles.
Starting a siphon, burping a siphon, siphon problems.
Siphon Info
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=374619#Post374619
Economical Temporary Siphon
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=398806
Temporary Siphons with long distances often use FERNCO flexable connectors.
Installing Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxodyJP_Di0
Here is a link to a couple Big Box Stores who have numerous types of rubber pipe connectors:
http://www.homedepot.com/b/Plumbing-Pipes-Fittings/Fernco/N-5yc1vZbqpfZ4hs
https://www.lowes.com/pl/Flexible-pvc-fittings-PVC-pipe-fittings-Pipe-fittings-Plumbing/4294820991
youTube example of temporary siphon 2” with fill fitting (clean out) and valves. Shows fill process. Note the fill fitting is at the high spot of the siphon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rgpRJ1xCeM
Related comments of siphon owner.
If your total INLET and top tube is 10 feet long, you need 20 after it (down draining side) to work good,.
Use a valve to keep water from going back into the pond while you fill the pipe, UNLESS you put a T-Y at the corner of your pipe that heads down hill, and put a clean-out cap on the top of the T-Y fitting, then you can just pour in water from there and it will run downhill into the pipe without losing much water back into the pond, a T-Y fitting is much cheaper then another valve to close it off into the pond, the more downhill pipe you have , the better it will start the siphon. I recommend having at least double the length of pipe that would be in the water, out of the 30 feet of mine. I had just under 15 feet across the dam and into the water, if you do not you will have problems getting the siphon going, and a weak flow, resulting in slow drainage, and elevation plays a role as well, if you do not have much elevation, I would recommend a longer pipe on the drain side, the difference on my elevation was probably 9-10 feet from where it pulls water into the pipe and spills out on my siphon. That’s a rough but close guess, so if you do not have the elevation, you have to have the longer pipe on the outlet side to use the weight of the extra water in it to help pull it through properly and continue to drain at a good rate. If you have the 12 ft under water, and if the 50 ft of pipe is on level ground up to the point of drop, I feel you won’t need 62 feet of outlet pipe because your only pulling the water up 12 feet, if you can fill the 50 ft of piping from the corner where it drops into the pond, all the way to the outlet valve, with all the length of empty pipe, It Should work, BUT it won’t start, if you were to just fill the outlet ( Drop ) pipe only, unless you had double the length. SO if you have two valves, one up top where pipe goes into the pond, and one at the end of outlet, and use a clean-out T to fill all that pipe, cap the clean-out after filling, and grab a buddy to help start it, as soon as you crack out the outlet pipe, your buddy will have to open the top valve as well, to get it going.
4” corrugated flexable plastic pipe siphon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4JmX4gHUiQ
4” PVC Siphon with fernco connectors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yim18B4WW1c
6” PVC Siphon rubber pipe connectors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lXl7tdJ7iY
Self starting siphon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SEv_GxAo70
Starting a 10” drain siphon.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=229997
Air Vent Question.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=338635
Clemson siphon spillways
http://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2846&context=all_theses
Siphon not working and solutions
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=407977
Anti-Vortex baffle for pond drains
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=283820
Drain Options and Controlling Flow.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=462016&#Post462016
Siphon Explained and Set Up
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=414930#Post414930
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=99802&page=1
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=99802&fpart=2
Website for pond drains including siphons and accessories
http://ponddampiping.com/
http://www.easywayplastics.com/page/page/1471815.htm
Strainers to Prevent Clogging of the Siphon
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=394741
Bing’s simple 2”-2.5” dia slow siphon. (This was from an earlier Achrive Post that was created by Theo Gallus. The post was shelved due to several problems.
Bing says: Hopefully you will get lots of advice on how to do this (siphon). Following is my method that I have used several times including this past fall. There are lots of faster ways to do it, but I lower the level of my three acre pond about six feet in 3 weeks or so. If you need to do it faster you may want to try another method:
For years I have used a somewhat simpler method of syphoning. I have several lengths of 2 or perhaps 2 1/2 inch green plastic hose that I buy at farm supply stores. My pond is about three acres and when I draw it down in the fall I am in no particular hurry to drop the lake level.
It might take me three weeks or more to drop it four or five feet.
I attach a brick and a one gallon jug to the lake side end of the hose and, with one person standing on the dam, and another on an opposite bank or in a boat pull the hose out into deeper water. The reason for the person on the bank is to make sure the lakeside hose does not get pulled into the lake. If you don't have help you just stake one end to the bank so it isn't pulled into the water.
With the brick and jug, the hose is underwater but not on the bottom where it might pick up muck and stop the syphon. If you have someone on the bank they make sure the hose enters the water and fills rather than floats. If no one helps you all you need to do is make sure the hose goes underwater as soon as it is the water by forcing it under a heavy object. If you have a concrete block with holes in it and run the hose through it as it goes in the lake you won't have a floating problem.
When the hose is all the way in the lake and full of water, I put an adjustable plug we get where we get the hose and then pull the full hose over the dam until I am sure the dam side hose is lower than the lake side hose.
I then merely open the valve and let the water flow. I monitor the lake level each day and when I have removed as much water as I want I just pull the dam side hose up the back of the dam until the elevation breaks the syphon.
It may take a little longer than you have time for, but it often drops a couple of inches a day when the lake is full and then 5 or 6 inches when the level is down. The most I have dropped the water is about six feet in my pond which has 18 foot depth in spots.
At times I have started two of three shorter syphons and that really draws it down.
All together I have probably spent less than $150.00 for hose, clamps and plugs.
Bing
This comment from our member ‘Snrub’: ""There is some confusion of what constitutes a siphon system and a bottom draw system.
You can have a bottom draw type overflow without it being a siphon system and you can have a conventional pipe overflow that goes into siphon mode. I have the latter.
But most people seem to lump the two terms of siphon and bottom draw together as if they are mutual. They are not. They are two independent attributes that are often combined in a system but can also be exclusive.""
From this thread:
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=461951#Post461951
Pond Siphon
http://ponddampiping.com/syphon1.html
8” Dia pond drain siphon pictures, instillation and working principles.
Starting a siphon, burping a siphon, siphon problems.
Siphon Info
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=374619#Post374619
Economical Temporary Siphon
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=398806
Temporary Siphons with long distances often use FERNCO flexable connectors.
Installing Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxodyJP_Di0
Here is a link to a couple Big Box Stores who have numerous types of rubber pipe connectors:
http://www.homedepot.com/b/Plumbing-Pipes-Fittings/Fernco/N-5yc1vZbqpfZ4hs
https://www.lowes.com/pl/Flexible-pvc-fittings-PVC-pipe-fittings-Pipe-fittings-Plumbing/4294820991
youTube example of temporary siphon 2” with fill fitting (clean out) and valves. Shows fill process. Note the fill fitting is at the high spot of the siphon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rgpRJ1xCeM
Related comments of siphon owner.
If your total INLET and top tube is 10 feet long, you need 20 after it (down draining side) to work good,.
Use a valve to keep water from going back into the pond while you fill the pipe, UNLESS you put a T-Y at the corner of your pipe that heads down hill, and put a clean-out cap on the top of the T-Y fitting, then you can just pour in water from there and it will run downhill into the pipe without losing much water back into the pond, a T-Y fitting is much cheaper then another valve to close it off into the pond, the more downhill pipe you have , the better it will start the siphon. I recommend having at least double the length of pipe that would be in the water, out of the 30 feet of mine. I had just under 15 feet across the dam and into the water, if you do not you will have problems getting the siphon going, and a weak flow, resulting in slow drainage, and elevation plays a role as well, if you do not have much elevation, I would recommend a longer pipe on the drain side, the difference on my elevation was probably 9-10 feet from where it pulls water into the pipe and spills out on my siphon. That’s a rough but close guess, so if you do not have the elevation, you have to have the longer pipe on the outlet side to use the weight of the extra water in it to help pull it through properly and continue to drain at a good rate. If you have the 12 ft under water, and if the 50 ft of pipe is on level ground up to the point of drop, I feel you won’t need 62 feet of outlet pipe because your only pulling the water up 12 feet, if you can fill the 50 ft of piping from the corner where it drops into the pond, all the way to the outlet valve, with all the length of empty pipe, It Should work, BUT it won’t start, if you were to just fill the outlet ( Drop ) pipe only, unless you had double the length. SO if you have two valves, one up top where pipe goes into the pond, and one at the end of outlet, and use a clean-out T to fill all that pipe, cap the clean-out after filling, and grab a buddy to help start it, as soon as you crack out the outlet pipe, your buddy will have to open the top valve as well, to get it going.
4” corrugated flexable plastic pipe siphon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4JmX4gHUiQ
4” PVC Siphon with fernco connectors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yim18B4WW1c
6” PVC Siphon rubber pipe connectors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lXl7tdJ7iY
Self starting siphon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SEv_GxAo70
Starting a 10” drain siphon.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=229997
Air Vent Question.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=338635
Clemson siphon spillways
http://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2846&context=all_theses
Siphon not working and solutions
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=407977
Anti-Vortex baffle for pond drains
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=283820
Drain Options and Controlling Flow.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=462016&#Post462016
Siphon Explained and Set Up
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=414930#Post414930
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=99802&page=1
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=99802&fpart=2
Website for pond drains including siphons and accessories
http://ponddampiping.com/
http://www.easywayplastics.com/page/page/1471815.htm
Strainers to Prevent Clogging of the Siphon
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=394741
Bing’s simple 2”-2.5” dia slow siphon. (This was from an earlier Achrive Post that was created by Theo Gallus. The post was shelved due to several problems.
Bing says: Hopefully you will get lots of advice on how to do this (siphon). Following is my method that I have used several times including this past fall. There are lots of faster ways to do it, but I lower the level of my three acre pond about six feet in 3 weeks or so. If you need to do it faster you may want to try another method:
For years I have used a somewhat simpler method of syphoning. I have several lengths of 2 or perhaps 2 1/2 inch green plastic hose that I buy at farm supply stores. My pond is about three acres and when I draw it down in the fall I am in no particular hurry to drop the lake level.
It might take me three weeks or more to drop it four or five feet.
I attach a brick and a one gallon jug to the lake side end of the hose and, with one person standing on the dam, and another on an opposite bank or in a boat pull the hose out into deeper water. The reason for the person on the bank is to make sure the lakeside hose does not get pulled into the lake. If you don't have help you just stake one end to the bank so it isn't pulled into the water.
With the brick and jug, the hose is underwater but not on the bottom where it might pick up muck and stop the syphon. If you have someone on the bank they make sure the hose enters the water and fills rather than floats. If no one helps you all you need to do is make sure the hose goes underwater as soon as it is the water by forcing it under a heavy object. If you have a concrete block with holes in it and run the hose through it as it goes in the lake you won't have a floating problem.
When the hose is all the way in the lake and full of water, I put an adjustable plug we get where we get the hose and then pull the full hose over the dam until I am sure the dam side hose is lower than the lake side hose.
I then merely open the valve and let the water flow. I monitor the lake level each day and when I have removed as much water as I want I just pull the dam side hose up the back of the dam until the elevation breaks the syphon.
It may take a little longer than you have time for, but it often drops a couple of inches a day when the lake is full and then 5 or 6 inches when the level is down. The most I have dropped the water is about six feet in my pond which has 18 foot depth in spots.
At times I have started two of three shorter syphons and that really draws it down.
All together I have probably spent less than $150.00 for hose, clamps and plugs.
Bing