Ram Pump Stand Pipe

In some cases it is not possible to get the needed feet of head to run a Ram Pump in less than 100′ of drive pipe. If you use a drive pipe that is longer than 100′ the pump will be slow and not very efficient. So how do you remedy this issue? Well you will need to use something called a stand pipe. Basically you install a pipe inline with the drive pipe that moves the source of your water closer to the pump. You will need to use a supply line and a stand pipe that are larger than the drive pipe. This larger size insures that the drive pipe will not use more water than can be supplied by the supply line. In this video I show you how to install a simple stand pipe and how it can effect your output.:

8 thoughts on “Ram Pump Stand Pipe

  1. Can a ram pump be used in as an aquaponic pump for a tank that holds 1900 lbs of water? The drive would be located at bottom of tank so as to supply pressure for flow of water to a grow bed. I have seen a vid with a ram pump working while submerged. This would be ideal if it could work submerged in 4′ of water.

    1. It is true that the ram pump will work submerged BUT the water feeding the pump must come from above the water level the pump is in. Say you have the pump in a large tank, The drive pipe must come from above that tank. Another tank or spring above the tank. The reason the pump does not work inside a tank with no outside source is because there is no flow. …. Also remember that the ram pump is a lossy system. You will lose 60-90% of the water pumped.

  2. I feel a standpipe is what I will need. it will help me gain feet of head.
    1- if I go with the 1-1/4 ram pump and 100 feet of 1-1/4 drive pipe you state that the supply before the stand pipe needs to be bigger [lets say 2 inch] and that the standpipe also needs to be bigger so should that be 2 or 3 inch?…and keep it open at the top I assume?
    2- where should the standpipe be placed? Near the ram pump or at the other end 100 feet away?
    3 seems to me the idea of this standpipe is to be bigger then the drive pipe and overwhelm the 1-1/4 drive pipe by backing water up into the standpipe thus raising the feet of drop.

    Is it possible to draw a sketch and send you a picture of it?…if so what email do I use?

    many thanks Seth

    1. It is a good idea to have the supply line and stand pipe at least twice the size of the drive pipe. I have found that keeping the supply and stand pipe the same size is fine. The larger pumps need to have the stand pipe at or within 100 feet. Any longer and the pump could stop. The supply line can be any length. It’s only job is to fill the stand pipe. The stand pipe is the new source that the pump will pull from. Feel free to send a sketch to : landtohouse@gmail.com

  3. i see now that the standpipe is at the beginning of the drive pipe Seth. So drive pipe is around 100 feet and the pipe to feed the standpipe will be 2 inch with a 2 inch standpipe…is that ok you think? Its not double of the 1-1/4 drive pipe but give me your thoughts.

    Is there a min or max [feet] on the feed for the standpipe?

  4. Hey Seth, looking for a little help. I just built my first ram pump. I’m getting my water from a culvert from a spring fed pond. I’m wanting to pump it about 450ft from the pump but I’ve only got about a 4 ft drop. My delivery pipe is 40ft long but only dropping about 12″ per 10 foot. The pump is working but not to the 50 foot height. I’m getting good water about 18 foot up through 275 foot of delivery pipe. Would a stand pipe help me? Where would I need to add the stand pipe if needed? Do I need to have a longer delivery pipe? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Rich

    1. Hello. With 4 feet of head pressure you should be able to get water up to 28 feet with the 1:7 ratio. You will need to get at least 8 feet of head pressure to have usable water at 50 feet. A stand pipe is only used when the drive pipe has to be longer than 100 feet. So if you can gain the extra 4 feet of head pressure you need within another 60 feet of drive pipe length you will not need a stand pipe. The horizontal distance of the delivery pipe does not matter. Only the vertical.

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