new (to me) inverter score - Page 9

 

A toilet flapper valve won't handle the vaccume of this usage - the float will
collapse.
It needs to be something a little more solid.

 

A float can close a valve when the water gets too low. And open it when the
water rises. It can be very sinple.


Look at sump pump float switches. Simple, reliable, and cheap ($20?)

 

Have the intake valve pointing upwards

Find a ball a little larger than the intake valve

Make up a couple of floats that together are strong enough to lift
the ball up off of the intake pipe against the suction of the
siphon

Fastion a length of stainless steel chain to the ball

Place the first float on the chain at the point that you want the
water level to be to stop the flow into the intake

Place the second float above that point at the point where you want
the intake to open again

Build some sort of cage structure to hold the ball and both floats
in alignment above the intake.

Start the siphon.  As long as the water level is high enough to
float the bottom float, it will keep the ball off of the intake and  
water will flow.

When the water gets low enough to lower the ball onto the intake,
the water will not flow but the siphon should be maintained.

When the pond fills enough to float BOTH floats, the ball will be
lifted off of the intake and the siphon should start flowing again.  
(In this case the second float is providing the force supplied by
pressing down on the flush handle in a toilet.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com  **

 

I'm no plumber but I am the proud owner of three flushing toilets (after
years of using a composting toilet) and I *think* this is how the flapper
works: it is hollow and open at the bottom.  When you flush the toilet the
water runs out of the tank and also out of the flapper which means it is now
full of air so it floats keeping the tank drain open.  As the tank fills
with water so does the flapper causing it to fall thus closing the drain
hole.  I'm not sure what keeps it closed at this point because once again it
will be filled with air.  Possibly vacuum.  Also possibly one of mankinds
greatest engineering achievements  Maybe you could go to a gas station and
study one until the owner starts beating on the door asking you what the
hell you are doing in there.

 


Still very simple.  Starting with my caged ball valve, select a ball size that
isn't quite large enough to float against the suction.  Attach a second larger
ball to the first with a length of string, stainless steel wire rope or
whatever, the length of which is set to where you want the valve to open.

Starting with the valve closed, that is, the smaller ball stuck to the
opening.  The pond fills until the upper ball takes up all the slack in the
string.  It pulls the lower ball off its seat.  It floats to the top of the
cage where it remains even as the water drops.  When the level drops to the
point where the ball can be sucked onto the opening again, the flow stops.
Rinse and repeat.

It doesn't even have to be a string.  A long brass or stainless rod attached
to the lower ball and passing through the upper one would do the trick.  That
is the construction used by some industrial valves I've seen.  You can even
place the whole thing inside a perforated metal cylinder to screen out
sticks'n stuff.

Forget the toilet flapper idea.  Given how cheap they're made today, it'd end
up in your turbine nozzle in no time.  A flat piece of stock would work but
then you'd be complicating it again, requiring a second ball or other
flotation device.

I'm going to suggest that a simple hard plastic play ball will work for the
caged ball and any sort of play ball, perhaps one of those with the eye on it
to attach a rope to, will work for the larger one.  If a play ball turns out
not to be durable enough then a wide array of hard plastic balls are available
for industrial use.

John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com  <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
There are only 10 types of people in this world
Those who understand binary and those who don't.