Soak Hole Pumping.

Soak Hole Pumping.

Where this idea originally came from we will never know, it is now lost in the dim misty shadows of time. It has been around so long I can remember the old chaps using this system when I was a boy. Now that is going back a bit. But I hope you will gain a bit of information from my tale.

It was a few years ago now, Dry hot and not a drop of water in the creek I was working. Bugger I was in a pickle right enough but this is what I had done in the past and this is what I would do now. Finding an area to work in the right place is the trick! It must be at the end or beginning of a large pond or pool, you then dig down on the lowest side of the pond or pool in the creek bed to find the water. As we know when a creek is dry on top there is a 90% chance that there is sub surface water not always but there is most times.

Pump size is important you can only work the little inch pumps with any success, the 1&1/2 inch pumps are two strong even at idle and will very quickly take your water away. Your foot valve filter must also be in top shape or you will suck up sand and bust the pump shaft. {You got to watch that} The depth of the soak will depend on the amount of water you find also I found your hole needs to be a few meters long. The deeper your foot valve is the better and try to run the water back into the pool or pond this will prolong your working time.

Cheers JB 14/3/2011

G'day James 101,

Indeed, I once was faced with the same type drought situation only on a smaller scale, on the side of the mountain in a tiny, dry streambed with tasty Gold nearby. All I had was a pan, a classifier, a bucket, a sucker bottle and a trowel. Digging down as far as I could with the trowel I was able to find the water layer, and with a lot of bailing I was able to finally fill the bucket. Firmly placing the classifier into the 20 litre bucket I was able to eventually fill the bucket with water. Scooping the trowel into the source hole for my gold material I was able to slosh the water in circles within the classifier. As more classified material entered the bucket, water was forced out. After quite some time the full bucket was ready for panning, and the trowel then brought the water to the pan.

As you correctly mentioned, in dry situations it still is possible to find a way to work.

KA mate yep it works indeed.
Cheers James 101

An old tip but a goody.

This is the creek, dry as a bone.



But underneath the water is flowing.



This hole held enough water to run the pump for about fifteen minutes, before we had to stop and let it fill up again.



Once the water was pumped out it was dig like crazy before the hole filled up. Look at that lovely clay bottom.

Cheers
Fly Dirt

A lot of clay there, how long was it before the water filled again?
Thanks,
Uncle Bob.

The hole filled up in sections, with each overflowing into the next, and took about 1/2 hour before we had enough water to pump again.

The time wasn't waisted though. Once the hole was empty, it was all hands on deck filling the buckets with dirt, getting into the crevices etc, before the water returned.

Cheers.

Wow! Flydirt I can see why you have people jumping your fences !! nice ground!!