Okay, let me tell you about this little experiment I tried the other day, trying to make a sort of water pump using just garden hoses. Had a bit of water pooling where I didn't want it after some heavy rain, and my sump pump was busy elsewhere.

Getting Started

First thing, I grabbed my two longest garden hoses. You know, the standard green ones. Figured I needed one to go from the water source (the annoying puddle) and another to reach the drain area, which was thankfully a bit downhill.

I also made sure I had a good connection to the outdoor faucet, thinking I might need it to get things going. Didn't have any fancy connectors, just the standard screw-on ends that come with the hoses.

Hooking it Up

So, I laid out the first hose, putting one end deep into the puddle. The deeper the better, I thought. Then I ran the other end over towards the drain. The second hose went from there, down the slope to where I wanted the water to end up.

Now, connecting them wasn't really an option without a proper male-to-male adapter, which I didn't have lying around. So, I decided to try the siphon method. This meant I needed to get the hose completely full of water first.

The Tricky Part - Making it Flow

Here's what I did: I took the end of the hose that was supposed to go into the puddle, and I hooked it up to the outdoor faucet instead. I made sure the other end, the one going to the drain, was lower than the faucet.

Then, I turned on the tap. Full blast.

I let the water run through the entire length of both hoses (I just held the connection point loosely together where the first hose ended and the second began, letting water fill the second one too). Had to wait a bit until I saw water coming out strongly from the very end down by the drain.

Okay, now for the crucial bit. Quick as I could, I turned off the tap. Then I unscrewed the hose from the faucet, trying hard not to let air in. Put my thumb over the end tight! Then I ran back (well, walked fast) to the puddle and plunged that end deep into the water, making sure it stayed submerged. And I took my thumb off only when it was underwater.

Did it Work?

For a second, nothing. Then... success! Water started flowing out the other end down by the drain. Not super fast, mind you. It wasn't like a real pump. It was just a steady siphon, pulling water from the puddle and dumping it where I wanted it.

• The key was getting all the air out of the hose.
• And making sure the end point was definitely lower than the start point.
• Keeping the intake end submerged was also super important. If it sucked air, the flow would stop.

It took a while to drain the puddle because the flow rate depends on the hose diameter and how much lower the drain end is. But hey, it worked! Didn't cost anything extra, just used what I had. It's slow, and you need gravity on your side (the source has to be higher than the destination), but for a simple way to move water without a motor, it did the job. Pretty neat little trick, actually.