Submersable hozelock water butt pump problem

[chefgage]

Afternoon everyone. I have set up a hozelock pump in my water butt to pump water through a hose pipe to a load off adjustable water sprays. The system works perfect apart from when the pump stops the water continues to flow due to the siphoning effect of the plants being lower that the water level in the water butt.

To solve this problem you can buy an inline anti siphon valve. Another method is to have a 90 degree elbow at the top of the water butt with a small tube into it to create a venturi effect thus halting the siphoning.

I could of couse try both methods but i have read that hozelock have a solution to the problem. I have contacted them but they have not got back to me yet and me being a impatient sort was wondering if any of you have had this problem or have had contact with hozelock who then have advised?

[Bigmallly]

Have you a higher point that you can hang the hose from?

[Bill HH]

Have you a higher point that you can hang the hose from?

With all due respect I dont think that would help, once a syphon effect is happening it will still pull water up higher than the pump. I guess an anti syphon valve is the only cure.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Sorry Bill water won't run up hill without help. If you have the open end higher than the upmost level of the water it cannot syphon.

I water using a hosepipe and gun, does your have an on/off trigger, that should stop the problem.

[Bill HH]

Far be it from me to argue with a respected plumber and perhaps I didnt make it clear enough but water will rise above the water in the tank but not if the outlet is higher than the tank. the pull of the water going down to the outlet sucks the water up from the tank. In this case the outlet must be lower than the tank or he wouldnt be getting a syphon action. The pump is purely to set off the initial flow.Yes a tap would stop it syphoning.In this case the op says the plants are lower than the tank and so water will run to the jets and in fact its just flow not syphoning unless the hose at some point rises higher than the tank. That got very messy but I hope you can see where I am coming from.

[chefgage]

Thanks all. I was going to bite the bullet and spend 10 whole english pounds ! On a anti siphon valve but the 'likes to fix it myself' mentallity i have wouldnt let me. Anyway the bit i found about the venturi effect is what hozelock recommend. They have now emailed me with the instructions on what to do. It involves fitting a separate small pipe into the highest point of the pump pipe oulet and attaching this pointing down towards the water level. This small pipe must always be above the water level. When the pump stops the weight of the water just above the pump will try to fall back, normally it wouldnt due to the full pipe siphoning but because there is a way for air to be introduced into the pipe via the small pipe the siphon is stopped.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Bill your not arguing with me, your agreeing with me ..............if the open end is higher than the water level it cannot syphon. I think that's what BM was getting at, raising the open end not a loop in the pipe.

[Bigmallly]

Yes that's what I meant Potty but you & Bill got a bit technical for me.................

[fishpond]

To save any problems later with a bodge job(butt draining down), spend the £10.
Or http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Washi...182/zoomImages.

[chefgage]

To save any problems later with a bodge job(butt draining down), spend the £10.
Or http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Washi...182/zoomImages.

Might still do that but will try what hozelock recommend as I have all the bits anyway

[greenish_fingers]

Hozelock advice

Hi all,

I found this thread really useful but still couldn't get my head around what the solution was so I emailed Hozelock and, bless 'em, they got back to me with a simple one-page pdf that explains everything. Trouble is the attachment limit on this forum is 19kB for a pdf So, here's the basics:

1. Pierce supply hose at its highest point above the water butt using a 2799 Hole Punch.
2. Connect a short length of 4mm Hose to a 2778 Straight Connector.
3. Press the 2778 Straight Connector into the supply hose.
4. Secure 4mm hose to the Supply Hose using cable tie or similar, making sure that the 4mm hose cannot be submerged below water level.

The diagram they sent really helps, but basically you're putting a narrow hose into the main hose using a straight connector then tieing it to the main hose so that it faces down into your water butt. I assume there's some leakage when the pump turns on, which obviously then goes back into your water butt, but that when the pump turns off the air can get in through the narrow hose to break the siphon. Will give it a go and let you all know whether it works.