Mar 16, 2009 0
Draining the Swamp
This is the time of year that we learn what Buddy’s been up to in the backyard over the winter, and this year was worse than usual because there were no complete thaws to give me any opportunity for intermediate cleanups.
So as the temperature increased the backyard turned into an awful cesspool of standing water. I looked at it with dread, wondering how long it would take the sun to dry things up enough so I could get out there, wrapped in plastic, for cleanup duty.
But then I had an idea. I considered my inventory — a hose, a drill, a drill powered pump, and just enough intelligence to moderate the extremes of nature. I devised a plan. This was the perfect job for a siphon.
I ran the garden hose from the puddle in the backyard to the gutter in the street, which is about 2 feet lower in elevation, but climbing about 1 foot up in elevation as it traveled past the house. Using the drill powered pump (a great tool), I managed to start a steady flow of water. Once the water started flowing, I disconnected the pump and let gravity take over.
It was just a matter of time — about 2 hours or so, before the entire puddle in the backyard had drained. Looking out there this morning there isn’t any standing water at all.
Watching a siphon work is almost eerie. Checking each end of the hose, it doesn’t seem like water should continue flowing, but it does. If only I had caught it on film…
