Steel Pan 327 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Snow fall being so limited this year, I may not have the volumeof water to run my dredge system this coming season. Soooo, I'm going to switch over to Hoser's system of a siphon dredge setup.I'll be using a 3" siphon with a drop of aprox. 20 ft.Gonna go out to the claim in the next couple of weeks just to check out the water situation. Never give up! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
homefire 2,581 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hope you have enough water for that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sonoran Dave 2,139 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I would be interested to see how that turns out. Always seemed like a great idea. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
garimpo 2,296 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Think positive SP, if HJ says it'll work charge ahead! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hoser John 1,240 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) Fun n' the sun look Ma no motor-John Edited March 4, 2015 by Hoser John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Furness 1,513 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Can you say "Stealth Dredge"? Need is truly the Mother of Invention!Mike F Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steel Pan 327 Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 Hoser and I have had a few conversations, here, and the science behind the process is beyond a doubt, a perfect solution.There is a catch though,....Ya gotta have enough "drop" in your setup to get the syphon to work efficiently.I believe Hoser suggested to have at least 15 ft. of drop. I have up to 25 ft. of drop if I need it.Can you say "Stealth Dredge"? Need is truly the Mother of Invention!Mike FOr,... is "laziness" the "Mother of Invention"?think about it.... . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Furness 1,513 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 That Too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riverman 8 Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Have done it with as little as 3 foot drop with good results.Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steel Pan 327 Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 Have done it with as little as 3 foot drop with good results.MarkAmazing how simple the set up, yet can give wonderous results. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sonoran Dave 2,139 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 So...how much suction does that produce? Equivalent to gas motor and pump? HJ have you tried piping your water to the powerjet? Now that I think about it...IDK, that would require a loooong drop to achieve dredge pump level pressures. Maybe the siphon idea with the suction hose is better. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Ron 1,491 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) I used a siphon dredge for many years... I had about a 20 foot drop through a 2" pipe in to a fire hose in to a jet nozzle venturi ... Then into my Gold King 2.5" sluice box...That produced roughly 10 psi feed pressure and it sucked every bit as good as what was produced by my 3 HP pump ... I did it for the quiet, first of all, and also so I didn't have to pack gas down to my dredge site, which was quite a climb ...When I wanted to move I either pulled the siphon system up stream or added more PVC pipe to go down stream ... I kept the set up in place for years until a huge flood (January, 1997) wiped the whole thing out... Found as much or more gold with the siphon dredge as with gas powered ... And I loved working in the quiet of the Klamath-Trinity Mountains forest ... The only sound was that of gravel--and gold-- traveling through the suction hose! ... Try it, you'll like it! Cheers, Unc Edited April 9, 2015 by Uncle Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sonoran Dave 2,139 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Seems like a great idea. I really like the fact there is no motor noise AND you don't have to haul in gas. Perfect for ninja prospecting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Ron 1,491 Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Packing in 200' of PVC pipe was kind of a pain but I got it done and up running in about 2 days. And the Ninja mining is true, although I had my claim for 23 years and only had one problem with a trespasser who slipped in and stole my coffin hoist...The claim was very remote ... Cheers, Unc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steel Pan 327 Posted April 10, 2015 Author Share Posted April 10, 2015 Until this year, I have been using 300' of 3", coupled to 200' of 2 1/2", coupled to 100' of 2".That's 600 ft with a drop of aprox. 115' and developing aprox. 57 psi.Only need 30 psi to run a 3" nozzle but volumue is the key.At the end of last year I was running my supply dam dry after only about 10 min.It took over 20 min. to recover. Using JH's siphon the set up should be a lot more forgiving. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steel Pan 327 Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 After looking over the situation and the possibilities, I'm going to try using both systems torun one sluice box. The upper supply to the nozzle and the lower end dropping to the sluicebox some 20 ft below where I'm working.I don't see why the theory won't work. I'll set it all up for a test run soon. Ought to increaseefficiency by quite a bit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steel Pan 327 Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 O.K., over Memorial Day weekend I got in and really worked the system.I works GREAT! I use the 1 1/2" supply line from up stream to "hydrolic" the packed material around the larger rocks.Then, hook it back up to the nozzle and go for it.By "hydrolicing" the material first I can move almost twice the material that I would normally moveby using just the nozzle alone.By hydrolicing and combining the two systems I've increased efficiency and I'm havin' a freekin' ball. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Au Seeker 3,156 Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Ditto!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ARFLYBOY 1 Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Yeah I'm a big fan of pictures and videos. Nice work and great ideal. Simple is always the best way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steel Pan 327 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Sorry about no pics, my 'puter died and I'm having to use the one at the library. NO download ability. Y'all could always come up and "assist". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sonoran Dave 2,139 Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 If I had the funds for a side trip, I would take you up on that, just to see the dang thing work. Sounds great though...no noise black ops prospecting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riverman 8 Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 OK, here are a couple more pics from our setup. Of course, this year with all the streams drying up we might be using a shop vac. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steel Pan 327 Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Thanks for the pics Riverman. Looks like a dang nice place to work ....er...uh..play, Gold or not. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jim straight 187 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Rain Rain Rain don't stop we lotsa rain so we can go out and play Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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