Williamson ram pump

Updated video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Z-idnIM6M

A very simple but effective water pump that uses the energy of a large amount of water falling a small height to pump a smaller amount of water to much greater height.
200+ year old idea, 16 year old video, new website at http://williamsonrampump.co.nz/
put up in time for the NZ Agricultural Field days.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• water
• ram
• pump
• inertia
• hydrostatic
• pressure
• howstuffworks
• engineering
• physical
• science

[UniversalExpanse]

i suppose if you added a water generator in-line and feed the water back up to the reservoir it probably stop?

[zl3cat]

@UniversalExpanse It's not a free energy machine. You could get the same effect (with more moving parts) by using a waterwheel in the stream to drive a pump. It's just taking the energy of a large amount of flowing water and using that to pump a much smaller amount of water at high pressure.

[D4nnyTh4B0y]

Brilliant

[ductonius]

Interesting design. Thanks for posting the video.

[d00m5]

Advantage number 4: You can install it yourself.

Classic haha

[spentacle]

It's not pressure or force, it's the MOMENTUM the water builds up that does the work. Clearly stated in the video that a portion of the water is pumped up to a higher level. We had two of these on the farm for 40 plus years, made by Blakes Hydram.

[PumpManufacturers]

excellent

[alexpositivecharge]

i dont understand.

[biela0399]

@jayjay87571

This pump doesn't need electricity to run, just a water reservoir in the top of a hill.

The force of the water going down does this motion on the valve.

[candr]

@josephnz2000 Not really the water is what powers the amount pumped up, and you don't want to stop the flow anyway, just use it.

[candr]

@jayjay87571 Its the pressure of the water droping from a height creating pressure to pump it on up. As long as water runs it will pump a percentage of it to a higher point. Its not free energy, you need to keep it up and parts will wear out, but you can keep it running for years if you take care of it. As I stated earlier, the one we had lasted for decades before I was born (1936) and until it was replaced by an electric pump in the 1950's.

[candr]

@twinman009 Our farm had one until the mid 1950's I don't know how long it was there before, I was born in 1936 and it was old when I first saw it as a child. Granted you keep it cleared and repaired, but it did a good job pumping the water to the cow watering tank.