Ram Pumps: Water Management Without Power

Okay, so you're off grid, or you're lessening your dependence on utility companies, and you want to move water.

Would you believe me if I said there's a way to do it without any kind of electric energy?

Hydraulic ram pumps are a relatively new technology, only just over 200 years old. It requires no power but the kinetic energy of flowing water. It uses something called the "water hammer effect" to create the pressure needed to push water uphill.

This photo is a great example of how a ram pump system can work on a homestead.

Ram pumps are so reliable, they can continuously pump water for literally hundreds of years. In the UK, some ram pumps that were installed in the 1800s survived as late as 2004.

A traditional hydraulic ram has only two moving parts; a spring or weight loaded "waste" valve (sometimes known as the "clack" valve), and a "delivery" check valve - making it cheap to build, easy to maintain, and very reliable.

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