I like your creative approach, however, it is unlikely that this would ever be feasible (based on my underatsnding of your situation). For a ram pump to work, you need the following, as taken from http://www.lifewater.ca/ram_pump.htm : "Hydraulic ram pumps are a time-tested technology that use the energy of a large amount of water falling a small height to lift a small amount of that water to a much greater height. In this way, water from a spring or stream in a valley can be pumped to a village or irrigation scheme on the hillside." So, unless this is your case, you may need to rethink. I assume your water source is your tap and that you are on a municipal supply? If so, you would be much better to just install a small pelton on your tap (better yet, bypass your pressure-reducing valve if you have one and take your water from the high-pressure side). Mind you, if you pay a usage rate for your water, this may not make sense. This also does not account for the net energy gain/loss if your municipal system uses pumps to create water pressure. It also doesn't account for the waste of water treatment on a non-drinking water use, but may give you some better ideas. Good luck, Ryan
honeycloverwine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hello All! I just want to say how exciting it is that this discussion forum is here for all of us to discuss microhydro possiblities! I have looked through archived messages and researched manufacturer websites and I am not getting to the route of my questions, so I will ask all of you kind and intelligent people: I have an idea of creating and upper and lower pool (Possibly inside my home! It has not been built yet) and incorporating the use of a ram water pump to bring the water from the lower pool up to the dammed / penstocked upper pool so that a waterfall is formed to create power with microhydro. Without the confines of existing natural rivers and variables out of my control is this possible? (here come the questions:) 1.) How high would the waterfall have to be? 2) How wide should the fall be? 3) How many gallons should the upper pool hold? 4) How many gallons should the lower pool hold? 5.) How long should the pipe to the Ram pump be? I think I am omitting some questions here, but hopefully you will get the idea of what I am seeking to know. I have read that a ram pump can pump a mm of 700 gallons per day and depending of variables of height and slope of the upward flow, and that depending on the size of pump, up to 16,000 gallons per day can be pumped. It seems to me that I would still require at least a 30 foot pipe sloped to the Ram pump in order to activate in the first place. This all very complicated to conceptualize. I really hope someone is inspired by what I am saying to lend me some real concrete assistance to my questions and confusion. Thank you very much, Angela New Hampshire, USA Does your company feature in the microhydro business directory at http://microhydropower.net/directory ? If not, please register free of charge and be exposed to the microhydro community world wide! NOTE: The advertisements in this email are added by Yahoogroups who provides us with free email group services. The microhydro-group does not endorse products or support the advertisements in any way. More information on micro hydropower at http://microhydropower.net To unsubscribe: send empty message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] SPONSORED LINKS Energy management Energy gels Energy conservation home Energy savings Energy Energy efficiency --------------------------------- YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "microhydro" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. --------------------------------- --------------------------------- Find your next car at Yahoo! Canada Autos [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back! http://us.click.yahoo.com/u8TY5A/tzNLAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Does your company feature in the microhydro business directory at http://microhydropower.net/directory ? If not, please register free of charge and be exposed to the microhydro community world wide! NOTE: The advertisements in this email are added by Yahoogroups who provides us with free email group services. The microhydro-group does not endorse products or support the advertisements in any way. More information on micro hydropower at http://microhydropower.net To unsubscribe: send empty message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/microhydro/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
