Creating a Lake

Renze · Nov 19, 2006

Eddie when i worked at a major nationally operating construction company's workshop, i serviced Honda engiens on railroad tie bolt tighteners for about 5 months. Because these engines didnt have hour counters, the oil change intervals were decided based on visual inspection of the oil. brown was good, black was to be refreshed.

MarkV · Nov 19, 2006

Hi Eddie, just as a point of reference, we have a pond about your size that has been down about 3 ½ feet after a very dry summer here in N. Georgia. There was a front that came through last week and gave us about 3” of rain in 24 hours. It was the first real good rain we have had in months. With the ground already saturated the run off from that rain raised the pond 1 ½ feet over night. It really surprised me how much one good rain could affect the pond. Hope you get a couple of good ones before the holidays.

MarkV

P.S. Sure appreciate you taking the time to size your photo’s down so those of us on dial up can enjoy your projects.

Kyle_in_Tex · Nov 19, 2006

EddieWalker said:
Jamie,

I don't know this for a fact, but my understanding on gravity fed lines is the size of the hose determines how much preasure you have. I shouldn't matter if I have one gallon or 100, it should all be the same amount of preasure.

I was concerned that the longer length of hose and the automotive fuel filter was restricting the amount of fuel I was getting or creating air pockets. I don't know how that would work either, but since my problems started after I changed fuel tanks, I thought there was a connection.

Now that it's running good, I don't believe the fuel tank was part of the problem. I think it was just a lack of experience and knowledge on my part.

Thanks,
Eddie

Eddie, If I remember my physics right, elevation or difference in height between the original tank and the big one would cause the greatest pressure change. This is why municipal water tanks are built up in the air (and why your pump is having to work so hard on the suction side too "lifting" the water).

Keep on posting my friend, it is really cool watching it fill. Time lapse as mentioned above would be really cool....Kyle

TOMDUALLY · Nov 20, 2006

Eddie, why don't you make-up a large surveyors stake with a cement base and numbers large enough to read from the shore. Take it out about 10 to 15ft into the lake and set the base on the bottom with the measurement numbers faceing the shore. Then when you come out to check out the lake you can tell what the water level is at a glance instead of guessing at it. Just an idea. Tom

EddieWalker · Nov 21, 2006

Renze,

The oil was black. VERY BLACK!!! hahahaha

Mark,

When I dug my small pond, I went through months and months of small rains hoping it would fill. Than one night we got over 5 inches, which filled it right up. Then with the drought this year, it was way down. I decided to build a dock and drove my small tractor into it to drill post holes. The day after I had those posts set and the framing tied together, we got 3/1/2 inches in a few hours.

Odds are real good that in time, I'll get a big downpour and it will fill right up, but I'm impatient and want as much water in there as I can before Christmas. If it's still not full by then, I'll let Mother Nature finish the job.

Kyle,

Thanks for clarifying that. Would it make any difference in my application to raise the height of the tank? Or would it have to be dozens or hundreds of feet higher to matter?

Tom,

I've thought about sticking my plastic ruler in the dirt and watching it to see how much the water level rises. Right now it's just starting to cover the underground islands. When that happens, my surface area should be a full 4 acres. That's will be pretty constant for the next five feet of water except for the slope of the shoreline. I know that's still allot, but at least it's a constant. When everything is covered, I'll put it in and monitor the progress.

Thanks,
Eddie

CurlyDave · Nov 21, 2006

Would it make any difference in my application to raise the height of the tank? Or would it have to be dozens or hundreds of feet higher to matter?

You want the tank at about the same level as the tank that came with the pump. If the guys who built it knew what they were doing, the carburetor is designed for the static head that the original tank produced.

EddieWalker · Nov 21, 2006

Dave,

Thanks. The bottom of the Blazer's gas tank is just a few inches higher than the one that's attached to the pump. I don't think it's a significant difference and unless everyone thinks different, I'll leave it as it is.

Eddie

firemanpat2910 · Nov 21, 2006

Is that a fish "habitrail"? or a fishing lure catcher?

RobJ · Nov 21, 2006

EddieWalker said:
Dave,

Thanks. The bottom of the Blazer's gas tank is just a few inches higher than the one that's attached to the pump. I don't think it's a significant difference and unless everyone thinks different, I'll leave it as it is.

Eddie

I think you are ok. If anything this would force fuel past the needle seat and the engine would flood out. When you found it the tank would probably be dry and gas would be running out of the carb.

But I don't have any other thing to offer other than it sounds like some sort of fuel starvation problem. Unless there is a shut off (auto that is) for low oil a small engine will burn itself up with low or no oil. I've rebuilt quite a few that were running pumps all day and ran out of oil. Spun bearing, tossed rods, all sorts of neat things.