My ram pump/gravity water system (pic heavy)

[Gravytrain]

I've had several people ask me how to set up a gravity water system powered by a ram pump. I thought it might help someone to see how I've set mine up.

I was going to put this in the rotational grazing sticky in the cattle forum, but I thought other applications may be applicable. I don't go into detail about ram pump construction as there are ample resources on how to do that, although I'd be glad to help anyone who has questions.

My farm lies at the bottom of a small mountain. My pastures run along the road and extend about a half mile from my barn. There are several small streams that run off the mountain and onto my farm, but only one is spring fed originating close to my farm (reducing the chance of contamination) AND runs continuously year round. This spring originates about 30 yds. above my farm before it runs under a culvert pipe under the road.

If this point was the highest point on my farm I could just fill a tank from this point and gravity feed the rest of the farm. Unfortunately, the point at which the spring-fed stream hits my farm is about 30' below the highest point of my pastures. I built a ram pump to capture this water and pump it uphill to a 1200 gallon poly tank that rests at the highest point in my pasture. From here I can gravity feed all of my pastures:

I catch this water with the bottom of a 55 gallon drum. This is the top of the "head". This flow is 12-15 gallons/minute minimum year round.



The water flows into a full 55 gallon drum. Whatever water the ram pump cannot utilize spills back into the stream.



The flow is strained as it enters the drum. The water looks dingy because I had just wiped some sediment off the strainer.



This is what I pulled out of the strainer today. In the spring and summer I clean this out once/week. In the fall when leaves are falling I clean it out nearly daily.





The flow runs down a 1 1/4" pvc pipe (drive pipe) to the ram.



The ram in action:



You can just make out the tank under the tree. This picture was taken about 8' above the pump and just about level with the top of the head.



The delivery pipe (3/4" black plastic water pipe) runs back up the side of the stream to the fenceline and over to the tank.



The hose on the left is the connected to the delivery pipe. The hose on the right is the overflow that runs about 35' to another stream that doesn't run all the time.

[Gravytrain]

The overflow and a shot of the only pasture on the far side (south side) of the tank.



This is the flow that the ram delivers to the tank 24 hours/day and 7 days/week. The only time I've had a problem with the flow stopping is during the fall when leaves plug either the swing check valve or plug up the strainer because I haven't cleaned it out often enough. With 1200-2400 gallons of reserve, it's not the end of the world if the ram stops for a couple of days, although I don't typically let this happen.



Out of the bottom of the tank are a master shut-off valve and one on the left supplying the south pasture and the one on the right supplying the rest of the farm. I use 1" water pipe to supply water from the tank.



A view to the north showing most of the rest of my pastures. That is my barn in the distance. The water line runs from the tank along the fence line all the way to the barn.



A shot of the water line running along the fence line in the paddock that my cows are in. I do not bury the pipe because I blow the lines out before winter, and if I want to add valves or make repairs I don't have to dig them up. At gate crossings I run the pipe through 1 1/2 inch black steel pipe.



This is a shot taken from the pasture next to the barn. I am going to run the end of the water line into another 1200 gallon tank right next to this post to double my reserve capacity.



There are five cross fences the separate different pastures. A line runs down each of these cross fences with valves every 150'. The main line that runs along the road also has valves every 150'. This distance corresponds to the approximate width of two paddocks. When I rotate the cows or pigs I move the water tank every other rotation.

[driftwood]

cool pics,,,,,,,,that's what you call get her done....

[Studhauler]

I like picture heavy post; thanks.

[Bret]

I am glad to stumble on to this work of art and function for sun, water, soil, cows, gravity, vision and follow-through.

[Patchouli]

That is nice all around cows, pasture and water system.

[meanwhile]

Very nice!

[Harry Chickpea]

Excellent work and I especially applaud you on a homemade ram that works. 30' is a good rise.

I don't know if it would be worth it to you, but where the water comes out of the culvert you could make a self-cleaning stainer. Take a five gallon plastic pail, put your pipe at the bottom, cut it at a 60 degree angle somewhat like this:

Cover the cut area with taut fiberglass window screening and allow the water to flow over the screen. whenever there is a gully-washer, the screen should clean itself of debris.

[Gravytrain]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Excellent work and I especially applaud you on a homemade ram that works. 30' is a good rise.

I don't know if it would be worth it to you, but where the water comes out of the culvert you could make a self-cleaning stainer. Take a five gallon plastic pail, put your pipe at the bottom, cut it at a 60 degree angle somewhat like this:

Cover the cut area with taut fiberglass window screening and allow the water to flow over the screen. whenever there is a gully-washer, the screen should clean itself of debris.

I built one for my buddy's hunting camp last year that delivered ~135' of lift. He gets over 20 gpm supply flow and I used a 2" drive pipe and ram fixtures. The only time it seems lift is an issue is when you are limited on your head fall or seriously limited on flow.

There seems to be a sweet spot on the pressure setting to maximize flow for a particular lift requirement. On mine, since I'm only lifting about 30', I can get a good delivery (about 3-4 gallons/minute) at only 22 psi. My buddy's ram can only achieve .3 gallons/minute at 45+ psi. That's still not shabby at about 400 gallons/day.

As far as the self cleaning strainer...Is the pipe plumbed into the bottom of the bucket or does it just set at the bottom of the cut below the screen?

[Harry Chickpea]

Impressive. If you lived closer, I'd have you look at my creek. I tried making a ram but it was a bust. Anything continuous would silt up pretty fast though as a lot of the clay washes down the creek in heavy rains. I avoid pumping during those days.

On the washer, I'd pipe to the near bottom of the bucket. Your strainer obviously works, but I noticed you had it on the opposite end of the pipe that I would expect.

[jwal10]

Our city intake is a 6" PVC pipe in the bottom of the creek, dumps into a wooden box 2'x3'x2' deep with an angle on the top, covered with 1/2" stainless mesh wire. Angle lower, downstream. The 6" pipe to the waterplant comes out the bottom of the box, 3" off the bottom, right below the inflow pipe. Early in the season, the leaves float past the inflow pipe, later when they get soggy they settle and move with the flow of the creek. The intake is behind a concrete ledge so the water has to swirl back but the leaves stay in the main channel of the creek and most by pass the intake....James

[JoePa]

Just wondering - I have a creek that flows through my property - I would like to get water pumped up a hill and water my garden - the question I have is - how much drop does the creek have to have in order for a ram pump to work? - I can see a pump working when the water is coming from a place much higher than the pump but if it is only a small drop will it work - thanks

[Gravytrain]

Originally Posted by JoePa

Just wondering - I have a creek that flows through my property - I would like to get water pumped up a hill and water my garden - the question I have is - how much drop does the creek have to have in order for a ram pump to work? - I can see a pump working when the water is coming from a place much higher than the pump but if it is only a small drop will it work - thanks

3 feet will work if you have adequate flow. 5-6 feet should do whatever you need it to as long as you have an adequate tank and a flow rate of 3-5 gpm, which is barely a trickle. How much of a vertical lift?

[Gravytrain]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Impressive. If you lived closer, I'd have you look at my creek. I tried making a ram but it was a bust. Anything continuous would silt up pretty fast though as a lot of the clay washes down the creek in heavy rains. I avoid pumping during those days.

On the washer, I'd pipe to the near bottom of the bucket. Your strainer obviously works, but I noticed you had it on the opposite end of the pipe that I would expect.

I think the solution to silt would be to build a slack water holding tank similar to my full 55 gallon drum, install a large threaded clean-out plug at the bottom, and feed the drive pipe from the center of the drum. When silt builds up, unscrew the plug to flush the drum. I should have done the same with mine as I get a fair bit of silt too. I just disconnect my drive pipe and let the water flush out.

Yes, my strainer was an afterthought...I didn't leave myself enough hardware on the inside of the 1st catch basin, so it had to go in the second one. Oh well, it doubles as a minnow/crayfish trap.

[o&itw]

Why not put a piece of 1/2" x 1/2" welded wire. or 1/2" x 1" (rabbit floor wire), not hardware cloth which is too flimsy, over the top of the intake barrel at the culvert. You could tip the barrel or cut the top unevenly so that back is about a half inch higher than the front. I suspect it might keep your strainer cleaner and require less maintenance that way.

[JoePa]

Originally Posted by Gravytrain

3 feet will work if you have adequate flow. 5-6 feet should do whatever you need it to as long as you have an adequate tank and a flow rate of 3-5 gpm, which is barely a trickle. How much of a vertical lift?

I'm sure the flow is adequate - the vertical lift - I have to try and figure out about how high it is - off hand I'd say 50 ft - but I'm just guessing - I'll have to get a pole and get a better guess - thanks

[Dave S.]

You can also coil the drive pipe to increase effective head.

[bja105]

Where do you keep the cattle in winter? A barn, a dry lot?

How cold have you run your ram? At what temperature do you drain it? Has it ever frozen or broken in a sudden freeze?

[Gravytrain]

Originally Posted by bja105

Where do you keep the cattle in winter? A barn, a dry lot?

How cold have you run your ram? At what temperature do you drain it? Has it ever frozen or broken in a sudden freeze?

I rotate winter paddocks. The ram will run through the coldest weather, but the holding tanks will freeze solid. One could run the ram directly into a watering trough, counting on the moving water to keep it ice free. I drain mine when I move the cows to the winter paddocks. We had an early deep freeze in November that hit the single digits. The ram kept cranking, but I was afraid I'd split my poly tank, so I pulled the plug.

I have a stream that runs right next to my barn through 3 pastures. I run a foot valve at the top of the stream and run a line down to their water trough. Normally this running water keeps an opening in the trough, but this past winter I did a lot of ice breaking.

[JLMissouri]

Awesome, I would like to do something similar in the future.