Air Lifting

SteveB · 2005-10-11T21:07:47+00:00

I want to lift water about 20 feet from my truck to the storage tank on the second floor of my cabin.I used to be a commercial diver, and have used many types of "airlifts." This is a device where a suction is created by venturi-ing air into a line in the direction you want it to flow. In real underwater conditions, the air expands as it rises, increasing the suction power. It really sucks up whatever is in front of the nozzle.I was playing with the idea of buying a pump that I could pump water from my truck tank up to the storage tank of the cabin. (This is just for winter use. In the warm months, there is a water system.) I am running into the problem that a lot of them just don't have a lot of head pressure. And they cost a lot. And they require special plumbing connectors. A small compressor would not have to put out a lot of air to lift the water in a 1/2" line and get it to rise up. The bubbles will push the water up and rise automatically.Anyone else ever done this? Venturiing is a good way to make suction devices for all manner of applications, and they are really safe because they just use air or water.Steve

Oct 11, 2005 41 Replies

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m4rcone 20 years ago

You mentioned several things in your original post, seemingly interchangable. Airlift:

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My prediction is that the 'airlift' method will not work, and that the venturi method *may* move some water all the way to the top, but will not give you a nice stream, but rather a spray of tiny droplets (think "airbrush").

Which method do you plan on using?

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Harry K 20 years ago

I haven't used the word. A venturi operates on the principle of a reduced section of pipe (in this proposed system) with an air injection (or water) mounted so the nozzle is in, or just before, the reduced section. A jet pump works on the same priciple, pump a bunch of water up the pipe to draw more water into the stream. I actually built a "mud" siphon of plumbing parts to clear siltation from a smal irrigation pond, used water for the moving from the irrigation pump for the motive source.

Harry K

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