Wasn't sure which forum to ask this question in but found other ram pump threads here so ...
My property consists of almost 6 acres split roughly in half diagonally by a creek. The creek is variable in its rate of flow depending on rainfall and us keeping our dam from leaking. There is a a rise of about 35 feet from the south creek bank to the southwest
fence line with the north side of the creek relatively flat with only about a 9 foot rise from creek to north
fence where the house is located.
The creek has banks ranging from 10 to 14 feet high which makes it at the very bottom of the property. And this is our challenge. It has very little vertical fall to it.
Enough that it will move a leaf downstream but not enough that I would ever consider setting up a
water wheel.
We have two smaller rain catchment tanks, one at 550 gal and the other at 225 gal. If we get enough rainfall, the tanks stay relatively full and we are fine. However, if we have years like this one where we didn't get any water for over 4 months and only 1/3 of our spring rains, we are hurting.
But we have the creek which holds water year round if the dam isn't leaking, with a slow flow. And I know how to build a Ram pump. But how do I create an intake area that will give me enough drop to make it work? Could I run a pipe to a
bucket with an outflow at a higher level maybe in series to gain the needed height? Or somehow build a catchment pool to one side that is slightly elevated to the level of the creek?
I know, I'm kind of asking for the impossible here but if anyone can figure out how to make the forces of nature work for me, it's going to be someone in
permaculture.
