access to water question

[Stacykins]

Rosepath I would love to know more about the syphon you have. I have been trying to find one in the hardware stores for years, where did you get yours?
It's kinda hard on me to bail out a swimming pool and the area around the pool gets too soaked that way, so I have been using a two hose method to get water suction going into a hose, but that's a bit of a hassle. A syphon seems like the perfect lazy person's answer. Can you connect yours to a hose so the water can be drained into a garden or where ever?

You can find a goodsiphon with a rigid end that does the 'sucking' at a pet store in the aquarium section. They come in all sizes, and are very useful for 'spot cleaning'. For example, I used to keep all my aquariums with breeding fish bare bottomed, so I could just just siphon away any detritus like fallen food, dead plant matter (the plants I had required no soil/anchor), and whatnot.

 

[ChristineR]

You can use any sort of tubing to make a syphon. That's actually a good idea to drain into the garden.

Rosepath I would love to know more about the syphon you have. I have been trying to find one in the hardware stores for years, where did you get yours?
It's kinda hard on me to bail out a swimming pool and the area around the pool gets too soaked that way, so I have been using a two hose method to get water suction going into a hose, but that's a bit of a hassle. A syphon seems like the perfect lazy person's answer. Can you connect yours to a hose so the water can be drained into a garden or where ever?

 

[Dances with Ducks]

ChristineR that's really neat!! Now I hope I don't sound stupid but I have to ask how do you use the hose to create a syphon? Just using regular hose could be perfect, I happen to have have some scraps from an old hose.

Stacykins I actually did see syphons at the pet stores, but I wasn't sure how I would get them attached to garden hosing, although I guess if I had long enough tubing it wouldn't matter if it was garden hosing or not. It was a little pricey but I was considering buying one to take to the hardware store to find connectors.

 

[ChristineR]

Uh, that's the tricky part. It might be hard to use a long garden hose because you'll have to get it started. To get it started (I've only done this with aquariums so the hose isn't very long), you put one end of the hose in the water, suck on the other end to get the water flowing, and quickly pull your mouth away before you get a mouthful of nasty water.

You'll need to run the water to a spot lower than the pool or it won't work. It might be next to impossible to use this method with a long garden hose. You can buy that flexible tubing you saw at the pet store for cheaper at Home Depot or a hardware store. It won't have the hard plastic end on it, but you don't really need it for this purpose.

ChristineR that's really neat!! Now I hope I don't sound stupid but I have to ask how do you use the hose to create a syphon? Just using regular hose could be perfect, I happen to have have some scraps from an old hose.

Stacykins I actually did see syphons at the pet stores, but I wasn't sure how I would get them attached to garden hosing, although I guess if I had long enough tubing it wouldn't matter if it was garden hosing or not. It was a little pricey but I was considering buying one to take to the hardware store to find connectors.

 

[slink1211]

We have 3 ducks and use a large kitty littler pan, a clear storage box (5 inches high) and a kiddie pool, all for our ducks to swim and splash in. They really like the kitty litter box the best in the winter. We give them water in a bowl with their food for drinking. I clean out the containers daily but the kiddie pool weekly, in the winter. They seem happy, clean and lay eggs almost daily.

 

[Hunter0704]

Ducks need a waterer, like the rubber waterer previously shown in another reply. This should be changed as often as possible daily...they love fresh water and it is healthier than old water full of food and/or mud to drink from. The waterer and pool if let set too long with not only get dirty, from the ducks dipping their heads in it and depositing excess food from their mouths, it needs to be cleaned with a brush at least once a week to keep parasites, etc. from collecting....thus can make your ducks sick. I use a larger rubber pool for my ducks to swim in and I change that water every other day...plus, I bought a floating de-icer for $14.99 and NO MORE ICE!!!! Well worth the small investment. I keep the floating de-ice in their pool since the waterer isn't large enough, so when the weather is in the teen's and their waterer freezes overnight, I know that they can at least get to water in their pool until morning when I give them fresh water in their waterer.

Ducks have to have water deep enough to submerge their whole heads which helps them to swallow their food and also for cleaning out their noses. If this isn't done, your ducks can die.

 

[aoxa]

I use plastic dish pans that you get from the dollar store. They are cheap, and I can replace them. They should be able to submerge their entire head (including eyes) in my opinion.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Uh, that's the tricky part. It might be hard to use a long garden hose because you'll have to get it started. To get it started (I've only done this with aquariums so the hose isn't very long), you put one end of the hose in the water, suck on the other end to get the water flowing, and quickly pull your mouth away before you get a mouthful of nasty water.

You'll need to run the water to a spot lower than the pool or it won't work. It might be next to impossible to use this method with a long garden hose. You can buy that flexible tubing you saw at the pet store for cheaper at Home Depot or a hardware store. It won't have the hard plastic end on it, but you don't really need it for this purpose.

Oh! Well I guess I'm not gonna do that with the duck's swimming pool water, way too gross!!! :0
Guess I need to go back to the pet store for a syphon and then Home Depot for tubing.
Appreciate the tip on finding cheaper tubing.

 

[ChristineR]

You have to do that with the syphons at the pet store, too. That's how you get the water to start flowing. Unless someone out there knows of a better/less gross way...? I suppose if you had some sort of pump or vacuum to get it started that would work.

You don't really need the hard plastic part. That's just used to clean the gravel in a fish tank. That's not really the "syphon." A syphon can be anything you use to drain the water. I think you're thinking that there's something special about the ones at the pet store. Here's the definition of syphon:

• siphon: a tube running from the liquid in a vessel to a lower level outside the vessel so that atmospheric pressure forces the liquid through the tube
  

Any tube that is air tight can be used as a syphon.

Oh! Well I guess I'm not gonna do that with the duck's swimming pool water, way too gross!!! :0
Guess I need to go back to the pet store for a syphon and then Home Depot for tubing.
Appreciate the tip on finding cheaper tubing.

 

[HSerChickLady]

Rosepath I would love to know more about the syphon you have. I have been trying to find one in the hardware stores for years, where did you get yours?
It's kinda hard on me to bail out a swimming pool and the area around the pool gets too soaked that way, so I have been using a two hose method to get water suction going into a hose, but that's a bit of a hassle. A syphon seems like the perfect lazy person's answer. Can you connect yours to a hose so the water can be drained into a garden or where ever?

We use a small bilge pump that my husband connects to a car battery to empty kiddie pools, lawn ponds, etc. Much easier to do it this way that to start a syphon hose with your mouth.