Operating requirements of the B & L Ram are few and simple, but essential and must be known: i.e. A. Amount of water needed per day. B. Amount of flow from the source. C. Vertical fall from source to the ram pump. D. Lift or vertical height to discharge. E. Distance from source to ram. F. Distance water has to be delivered.
HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU NEED? The following table list estimated amounts of water needed per day for a variety of home and farm uses. Figures represent requirements for MAXIMUM consumption during hot summer weather.| Each person per day - all purposes. | 50 gal |
| Each horse, dry cow or beef animal | 12 gal |
| Each milking cow | 35 gal. |
| Each hog per day | 4 gal |
| Each sheep per day | 2 gal |
| Each 100 chickens per day | 4 gal |
AVERAGE AMOUNT REQUIRED BY VARIOUS HOME AND YARD FIXTURES
| Each shower bath | Up to 60 gal |
| To fill bathtub | 30 gal |
| To flush toilet | 6 gal |
| To fill lavatory | 2 gal |
| To sprinkle ¼” water on 1000 sq. feet of lawn | 160 gal |
| Dish Washing Machine - per load | 3 gal |
| Clothes Washing Machine - per load | Up to 50 gal |
DETERMINING AMOUNT OF
FLOW
The amount of flow your source offers can be measured fairly accurately by allowing water to run into a bucket of known volume (a one gallon bucket) while timing the rate of fill accurately to the nearest second. It may be necessary to build a small dam in the creek or spring to make it easier to catch water to fill the bucket. Keep in mind; the rate of flow from the source may less during drier times of the year. A 1” ram needs a flow of 3 gallons per minute, while a 2” ram may require 3 to 5 gallons per minute.
DETERMINING VERTICAL FALL
Having an adequate fall for the water from the source to the ram site is a very critical requirement. One of the easiest methods for calculating fall is to use a carpenter’s level fastened securely to the top of a board cut to a specified length...5 feet makes it easy to read. (See diagram below)