Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Boom Boat Rev2

LOL It's funny how fast some people realize how indispensable us Yankees are!

Nice job guys and good info. Not sure about the Yankees - I thought they lost the World Series!

Ha! The jokes on you. You lost 79 cents while you were fired.

HA!!

It's done. No caustic chemicals going thought the aluminum pump housing, and very easy to disassemble and stow. I cut out a 3/4" slit of a PVC tube so that the hose remains rigid, and it lets me see the chemical flow easier.

I'm not sure what's next.

Have you tested it yet?

Kelly, no, not yet. I've been told that I'm late on planting our potato and onion plants. My boss wins.

LOL!! Bosses don't always share the same priorities, huh!
I only ask since I've attempted similar venturi-induction systems in the past - with lackluster success.
Anything coupled to the terminal end of the ribbed-hose (downstream of the black venturi/inductor device) will likely create a restriction (i.e. back-pressure), potentially compromising the venturi's function - and often resulting in pumped-water diverting backwards through the chemical-induction hose.
A venturi's induction-vacuum requires lower downstream pressure relative to the upstream source. The low-pressure differential on the downstream side of the venturi inductor is what produces the vacuum on the tangent chemical-hose.
I hope your setup works, but I'm concerned that might not - assuming you're discharging into a transom-mounted hose-arrangement - as opposed to no terminal hose-attachments.

Kelly, be patient with me. I may have to break my thoughts over a couple of posts, but I will add them all to this post.

As I said, I don't take this boat off the property, and living in a rural area, and I don't mind helping neighbors with pond issues. For those smaller cow tanks, I use the regular 25 gallon tank with a 12 volt pump. I also have a 60' heavy black chem hose with an adjustable stainless steel gun. The hose and the gun weren't cheap, but they've lasted years with good care. I've also stocked close to 400 adult LMB to my neighbors as well.


Kelly, I appreciate the issues you brought up, and yes, I sat down and tried to correct the issues you mentioned as well as I could with the first round. I haven't tested this run yet, but I'll test it using a 50 gallon tank for clean water. That would test for clean water leaks. Using this siphon, there's only one hose fitting in the boat that could leak chemicals. The chemicals coming out of the tank is on a draft, and no pressure is on it. That worked well on the old rig, and it stayed clean as well.

The 2 clear ribbed hoses you see are ribbed on the outside. The inside is smooth, and they weren't cheap either, so I kept them for this round.

Over the years I ran over the first kit, there was only one "burp", or restriction. What was an initial issue was the sometimes high viscosity of the chemicals I was adding to the tank. For some reason, 3 gallons of diquat with 2 gallons of Captain wouldn't always flow evenly when I turned down the venturi control. They didn't seem to be thick, but my solution was to fill the rest of the tank with water, and that worked well. The added water let me open the control up, and all went well. The venturi connection was exactly 11 inches under the tank, and mother nature also added help with the flow. Landscapers use the same venturi system I use with the liquid fertilizer on the ground, not elevated. Much like siphoning gas out of a car to a gas can on the ground, the gas ran up out of the tank, and then down out of the gas neck to the ground. That's exactly how this works. I also add a bilge pump to the tank to keep the water and the chems mixed evenly. That was my initial thought, and I wound up keeping the chemicals to no more than 5 gallons per run.

OK, break time.

I truly hope your setup works as intended. I'm very interested in your test-trial results.
The concept is ideal; with no on-board mix-tank and what is effectively a closed-system that minimizes potential applicator-exposure. A true win-win in for both efficiency and safety.
My efforts with a similar system didn't pan out as I hoped. Adding any type of downstream restriction; such as a fire-hose nozzle or connecting to smaller dropper-hoses, caused the pressure to equalize throughout the system's piping - which disabled the venturi-inductor's "draw" from the concentrate-reservoir.
Should your venturi fail to draw fluid from the concentrate-reservoir (while the downstream ribbed-hose is coupled to the transom-mounted dropper-hose boom), maybe try disconnecting the ribbed-hose from the boom's tee-feed - since that would be the point of a potential restriction - and then see if induction from the concentrate-reservoir is achieved.
Yes, those ribbed suction-hoses are indeed pricey (often $4-$6/ft). They're typically used where the fluids within are under a vacuum rather than pressure. The integrated ribs prevent the hose's collapse under a vacuum.

I agree with Kelly, I will be interested in the test results. Very clean looking work there Dreamboat Annie!