Solar Hydro Hybrid

Homesteading & Country Living Forum

Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
In this first shot I am taking this from the northwest area I expect to be somewhere close to the bank or edge.

20220823_125109.jpg
As you can see I'm moving the hump in the middle to the dam. The pond will go all the way across. The dam extends about 30 more feet to the right than what the picture shows. It's also going to get 4+ feet higher yet as I move all that dirt.

In the second shot I am standing on the dam just under the shade in the upper right corner of the first shot. But now instead of aiming south I'm aiming east northeast.


20220823_130532.jpg
If you click on this pic and look close on the left hand side you can see the oak and cedar tree together with nothing else around than a pile of topsoil to the left of that. If you look past those two trees you will notice the ground behind them drops way off and the pond is going to stretch farther up that valley behind them. I am thinking about making a cut around them to the left leaving them as an island in the pond. The height works out just about spot on to match up with the dam and overflow, almost as if it was planned that way. Which I promise I didn't do on purpose. They just got left because they were larger than everything around them. What do you guys think?
 
Last edited:
Biggkidd said:
In this first shot I am taking this from the northwest area I expect to be somewhere close to the bank or edge.

View attachment 93039
As you can see I'm moving the hump in the middle to the dam. The pond will go all the way across. The dam extends about 30 more feet to the right than what the picture shows. It's also going to get 4+ feet higher yet as I move all that dirt.

In the second shot I am standing on the dam just under the shade in the upper right corner of the first shot. But now instead of aiming south I'm aiming east northeast.


View attachment 93038
If you click on this pic and look close on the left hand side you can see the oak and cedar tree together with nothing else around than a pile of topsoil to the left of that. If you look past those two trees you will notice the ground behind them drops way off and the pond is going to stretch farther up that valley behind them. I am thinking about making a cut around them to the left leaving them as an island in the pond. The height works out just about spot on to match up with the dam and overflow, almost as if it was planned that way. Which I promise I didn't do on purpose. They just got left because they were larger than everything around them. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
That is a great idea!

One draw back would be it reduces the volume of water in the pond.

Form over function?

Your original goal was hydro but how much?

Ben
 
Well making the island would actually increase the volume otherwise it will be banks edge about where the tree trunks meet the ground. By putting the cut around it to the left will probably increase the volume by a large back yard type pool at minimum.

As far as hydro power goes I have no idea on possible power yet. There are a LOT of variables that will decide that. This isn't likely to be a one shot and done type of project. First I want to get this pond up and working then see about heights for a possible second pond and or pumping from the creek as water storage system. One step at a time.
 
So I might have uh er um guesstamated a little off on my pond's dimensions! Oops! ! !
I got out a tape measure today and measured across where the top of the dam will be. Anyone want to take any guesses as to how long the dam will be?
 
Biggkidd said:
So I might have uh er um guesstamated a little off on my pond's dimensions! Oops! ! !
I got out a tape measure today and measured across where the top of the dam will be. Anyone want to take any guesses as to how long the dam will be?
Click to expand...
20' per tree in the background in the image you shared... 150 yards?

Hmmm?

Ben
 
Close enough works for any project like this. You know the kind, the kind that just kind of springs up out of thin air. One day your doing one thing the next it turns in to something else entirely. That's much how this project has gone.
 
@Neb You do realize what this does to the expected size of the pond don't ya? This started off as well maybe something like you know 50x50 or so and now we are talking more like 200x? ? ?
 
How are you reinforcing the dam to keep it from getting water logged and flowing down stream?
 
This isn't a creek or anything it's just storm / hard rain catchment. The dam is at least thirty feet wide at the base and it's packed down clay.
 
Got another few hours working on this today. The water level has dropped at least 6 feet over the last several days. But I think my siphon may be starting to clog as it's slowed way down. I even added another 75 feet of hose thinking I might have run out of drop to pull a good siphon with. IDK Next time I need to move the siphon hose out of the way and work on that half of the dam. I think I've gone as far in this direction as I want to go until I get everything back level or even all the way across again. I've brought the west half up at least a foot above the east side now.
 
Looks like the area I can't cut with the D4 or the backhoe is part hardpan and part is a softer type of rock. I got a few samples I want to try and figure out what they are. It's a couple types of rock there, some is almost white and rather soft and some is grey and harder and the hardpan stuff also seems to be of a few colors.

Found out I can drill down in it every couple inches and drive a chisel. Then beat it every direction until some thing gives and pieces break away. Only getting 2x3 inches or so at a time but it's progress none the less. So once I get the drain extended I can get back to work on the dam.
 
Considering I've been draining water out for weeks hopefully I won't need an additive to make it seal. I'm using almost all red and orange clay for the dam. Magic one of my daughters dogs went for a swim several times again today. I think she thinks the pond is her personal property, she even tries to chase all the frogs out. First GP I've know that likes to swim.
 
No work got done today. However I did get my daughter to run the grade rod around so I could get a better idea of where the banks will end up when the pond is full. Trying to see where I want to do what to get the most water storage. My thoughts like always are the deeper and larger the better. Deeper because the water stays cooler and doesn't evaporate as fast. Larger because more surface area equals more water. I think my island idea may go by the wayside in favor of more surface area increasing the volume. Basically I would be taking the dam another 4-6 feet higher which will put those trees under the surface. Providing the pond fills of course. lol While this will not greatly increase the surface area it will greatly increase the volume held.
 
Biggkidd said:
No work got done today. However I did get my daughter to run the grade rod around so I could get a better idea of where the banks will end up when the pond is full. Trying to see where I want to do what to get the most water storage. My thoughts like always are the deeper and larger the better. Deeper because the water stays cooler and doesn't evaporate as fast. Larger because more surface area equals more water. I think my island idea may go by the wayside in favor of more surface area increasing the volume. Basically I would be taking the dam another 4-6 feet higher which will put those trees under the surface. Providing the pond fills of course. lol While this will not greatly increase the surface area it will greatly increase the volume held.
Click to expand...

See here

https://www.google.com/search?q=vol...AoAEBsAEPyAEIwAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp
Estimating the volume of the pond as an inverted cone the the volume of the pond is proportional to the square of the radius ( 1/2 the diameter of the surface ) but only proportional to the depth of the pond.

Wider gives more volume than depth.

Loosing the island is going with function over form. That is staying on target. Getting it done before making it pretty.

?
Didn't you mention you have a stream you can use to drive a ram pump to fill the pond?


Ben
 
Neb said:
See here

https://www.google.com/search?q=vol...AoAEBsAEPyAEIwAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp
Estimating the volume of the pond as an inverted cone the the volume of the pond is proportional to the square of the radius ( 1/2 the diameter of the surface ) but only proportional to the depth of the pond.

Wider gives more volume than depth.

Loosing the island is going with function over form. That is staying on target. Getting it done before making it pretty.

?
Didn't you mention you have a stream you can use to drive a ram pump to fill the pond?


Ben
Click to expand...
Maybe that's an unknown at this time. I think I will be able to add some to compensate for evaporation.

One of the hillsides I'm working against is more vertical than horizontal, going up say five feet in water level will only increase the horizontal aspect of that side maybe 4-4.5 feet. So not much surface area change yet a whole lot of volume change in this instance. The other side is more typical where the surface area will increase by 15 maybe 20 feet all along that side.
 
Made some decent progress tonight hand digging through that spot for the drain pipe. Another 4 to 6 days like today and I'll be through it. lol Lets face it I'm not much count for work this hard anymore. Beating through rock & hardpan with drills, chisels, digging bars, and hammers is a younger mans game.
 
There for awhile I was working in fairly soft to medium hard rock and hardpan. Today I hit a vein of HARD rock so hard it's smoking a diamond tipped rock bit. It's drilling SLOWLY and breaking chunks out is even harder now! This is gonna take awhile. Brought a piece inside and looking at it in the light it looks like it's granite.
 
Biggkidd said:
There for awhile I was working in fairly soft to medium hard rock and hardpan. Today I hit a vein of HARD rock so hard it's smoking a diamond tipped rock bit. It's drilling SLOWLY and breaking chunks out is even harder now! This is gonna take awhile. Brought a piece inside and looking at it in the light it looks like it's granite.
Click to expand...
Where are you if I may ask?

Granite ?

Rockies?

Ben
 
Piedmont region of Va about 450' elevation in the foothills where I'm working.
 
Made another pretty good dent today. Another day or two and I think the end will be in sight. Whatever I am breaking out pieces of now is way hard and has to come off in much smaller bites which in turn means a lot more holes have to be drilled and much smaller pieces of rock busted / pried apart. I'm using a 3/4 or 1 inch bar and it's bending much like a damp noodle.
 
Biggkidd said:
Made another pretty good dent today. Another day or two and I think the end will be in sight. Whatever I am breaking out pieces of now is way hard and has to come off in much smaller bites which in turn means a lot more holes have to be drilled and much smaller pieces of rock busted / pried apart. I'm using a 3/4 or 1 inch bar and it's bending much like a damp noodle.
Click to expand...
I got one of these.


https://www.harborfreight.com/15-amp-35-lb-1-18-in-hex-lower-wall-breaker-hammer-64277.html
Light enough to move, destructive enough ro get work done.

Ben
 
Neb said:
I got one of these.


https://www.harborfreight.com/15-amp-35-lb-1-18-in-hex-lower-wall-breaker-hammer-64277.html
Light enough to move, destructive enough ro get work done.

Ben
Click to expand...
Nope arm strong time I will win. Yep hardheaded and stubborn as all hell. Gotta remember I had to learn to walk, talk and write twice in this lifetime already. Determination is one thing I have plenty of!

I will be taking a look at that and possibly getting one for another time something like this comes up though. lmao

I do actually have another option here on hand in the form of air hammers, but I am going to win the way I'm going just for the sheer pleasure of doing it... I could have switched up from day one but sometimes I just gotta do it the hard way to see if I still can.
 
Made an amazing amount of progress today. Only worked on it about an hour and did at least twice as much as I expected to get done in twice the amount of time. Maybe just maybe I am starting to get the hang of breaking rock this way.

Just wanted to mention some of the reasons I was trying not to use air tools. First and foremost breaking rock makes a ton of dust which reeks havoc on air tools and compressors. Second I would have to lug a minimum of a 30 gallon compressor within 100 feet of the work area. You need at least that much to get any kind of run time with a fair size air hammer. Even at that you could still only run the hammer about a minute or two at a time until you have to let the compressor catch up. After 30 or so minutes of that you need to let the compressor cool off for a bit, an air hammer draws a WHOLE lot of air volume FAST. Third that much compressor requires a lot of juice to run so that also means lugging a minimum of a 5,000 watt generator down there too. Yes I could have done all that and probably already be done but then there is the fact that I wanted to know if I was still able to complete this hard of a job. Granted I can only work on something like this or work this hard for about 2 hours in a day. Today I was only up for one hour after yesterday's two hours kicked my tail.

Anyway I think two more days of work will see me through and putting the pipe in.
 
Took yesterday off. Got back at it for an hour again this morning. Let me tell you the method you use makes all the difference in the world. Drilling about 9 to 12 holes over roughly 16 inches square and then breaking it up and out as a section sure seems to go faster than trying to take a cut 3 or 4 inches across that 16 inches by drilling 3 or 4 holes in that one row and breaking it away. Provided I can move enough to work late this afternoon I might just finish today.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top