Gold Hog Piglet Pump Questions

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n01d3x

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Apr 24, 2015
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I just bought a Gold Hog Piglet and have been looking into pump options for it. It is an 8" wide sluice. Doc recommends a 3100 to 4500 gph pump. Obviously a gas pump would be best, either a 2" semi trash or the Honda WX15. If I end up with a claim somewhere I may get a 2" semi trash and just leave it on the claim, depending on location. To be honest I want to be as quiet as possible. I have read through all of the regs for CA (where I am) and like other members here, I feel hi banking is legal here. However, with the legality even being in question, I would rather not even have to defend my position. This makes me want to be as quiet as possible. I will be packing everything in an out every time, probably 2 miles max, more like 1 mile. Here's where I need some advice:

A 3700 gph 12v bilge pump is rated at 16 amps. At 8 hours of run time I would need a 128 ah battery. Also, at 16 amps, 12v I would need around 200 watts of power. My thinking is that on a good day, a 200 watt solar array would power the pump by itself. I could add a much smaller battery just to help the solar out. Or I could get a 100 watt solar array and go with a medium size battery. I am going to be in canyons and I don't want to have to solely depend on sunlight, just supplement with it. So basically I am looking for the best medium, between battery and solar, considering weight as an obvious issue.

Also I realize I don't need to run the pump the whole time. I can stock pile dirt and only run the pumps when needed. I don't want to have to do cleanouts every time I stop and start. Supposedly starting and stopping isn't that big of deal with the gold hog mats, but that kind of still scares me. I'd rather gear up like I was going to run it all day even if I didn't.

Thoughts??
 

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Trash pumps are super heavy. bilge pumps are only really good for in or right next to creek operations and cannot produce enough pressure to dredge with.
 

I'm kind of confused about generators, I can't figure out what size I would need. I thought about that briefly and then figured it would be just as noisy and heavy as a gas powered pump. I don't plan to do any dredging and would definitely have to set up pretty close to the river's edge.

Edit:
The pump is 16a, so 16a x 12v is 192 watts. Am I correct in thinking any generator that also supplies 12v and is above 200 watts would work? Most of the generator I'm seeing that supply 12v are pretty low on the amps for 12v. Like 12v @ 2.5 amps. Looks like I'll need something over 2000 watts in order to get 12v @ 16amps?
 

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Ok, I guess I should've done more research on my own before posting so much lol. As I stand now I am looking at running a 120v 1000 watt generator, connected to a 120v battery charger, connected to my pump. Where I'm stuck now is what size battery I need to run this way. To run my 16a pump straight off of a battery I would need a 128ah battery to run for 8 hours. But now with the generator and battery charger I'm assuming I could go with a MUCH smaller battery. I can't figure out how much smaller I can go. I'm thinking I would essentially be running my pump straight off my generator with the charger and battery as just a way to do this. I have no idea how to figure this part out and can't find anything to help.
 

Like all Hondas, my little wx15 is very quiet and I run a 2.5" dredge with a specially designed eductor setup or my 12" high banker with no problems.
I doubt you would gain anything except a tired back by hiking in a generator and battery system that is going to be making the same noise. Beside that, the wx15 weighs in at about the same as a small battery alone.
If you're still concerned about noise then you can always look at piping the exhaust thru an additional external muffler to go even quieter.
 

I'm going to go ahead and go with the wx15. It's expensive but there is nothing that comes close to it's weight\output ratio. You're right, I doubt a generator is much quieter than the wx15 if even at all. Also, the places I mine are all in canyons with descent size rivers running through them. I doubt anyone would even be able to hear the pump unless they were right upon me. I couldn't find the tank capacity and how long it runs on a tank, does anyone know?
 

Honda WX15 Model Info | 1.5" Lightweight Water Pump | Honda Pumps

Specs:
Fuel Capacity 0.20 gallons. That seams a little low?
Run time @ Max Discharge 0.9 hours. Most people dont run it full bore so probably 4-5.

I have a Harbor freight 2". It wouldnt be hard to take the engine off the frame its on and make a stand/handle for it to make it a LOT lighter. Im sure someone has done it. Anyone got a link? I'll do it after this post.
Any who, its heavy, but i think at less than $200, its a great deal. Especially for us starters. I have a 1.5" inlet to 2" suction hose at about 20' of hose and level and slight incline(no more than 2 feet) it still does ok, havent had to turn it full bore yet. probably because i keep my angle to a minimum :)
Its also somewhat quiet.. I have an 8" trommel i run it with with 10" wide sluices with hogmats, and it never gets pasts 1/4 throttle. Great on gas. I believe its just under or over a gallon 1.1?

That being said, I've also ran it off a deep cycle battery. My electric motor pulls 20amps at full stop load which it hasnt done yet, so im guessing its taking about 10-15 amps. Battery lasts a good 5 hours before it starts slowing down. Deep cycles are heavy, and depending on what you get, $$$. I think I picked mine up at walmart or something for around 140? Maybe 120. And if you bought a solar panel.. a decent one to power a battery would be over 100 anyway. BUT, you're right in the silence department. I feel my engine doesnt run hard enough, or loud enough for me to worry too much. Most places I'm at actually has road traffic and i'm invisible to the road, so those people driving, cant really hear my engine unless they stop, get out, wonder over to the creek(a good 300ft through brush) and get close. Hell.. I can barely hear my engine when im shoveling and hearing the rocks rattle down my tailings chute :icon_thumleft:

edit: sorry.. as per your last post... i think you've made a good choice XD
 

I have a Piglet and a WX15. Check the legality of gas-powered equipment where you plan to work...they're illegal almost everywhere I planned to use it.

I've had a USFS Ranger sneek up on me while I was recirculating into tubs using a 3700 GHP electric bilge pump and battery. This ranger told me I was right on the edge of what was legal and, had I been using a gas pump or discharging tailings into the stream bed, there would be a big problem. So be careful here in CA! I was very lucky to have done some research beforehand.

Also, I think your battery run time may need to be revisited. You don't want to run a battery down to 0%, even if it's deep cycle, so you should essentially double your Ah numbers, or cut your run time by about half. Check out this calculator https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/tools/calculator-sizing-a-battery-to-a-load.html
There are similar calculators out there for solar panels.

That 3700 gph bilge pump works GREAT on the Piglet, btw. Even with a 2-3 hour run time, you're going to run plenty of dirt, or kill yourself trying. Recirculating is a big PITA because you have to move all of the dirt at least twice. Three times if you dig up a large pile of pay ready to shovel in, which you will have to do in advance in order to conserve battery power. A Piglet with the extension seems to handle around 1.5 yards per hour, at least with the extension, and that's a lot of dirt for one person to move in 60 minutes. It might handle more but that's the most I've been able to put through in an hour after digging it all up. I was worked! If you're recirculating, there will be a lot of starting and stopping to clear tailings if you don't have a partner or two.

I use a 38 Ah Optima yellowtop designed for a Prius. At 26 lbs, it's light enough to pack a mile to where my gear is stashed. Most of my time is spent creating a stockpile of a yard of pay and then it takes about 45-60 minutes to run that dirt with someone else on tailings duty, either shoveling out of a tub or lifting buckets of fine tailings. It's enough juice for a morning of work, but not much more. I keep a 30 watt solar panel hooked to the battery when working, but I'm not sure how much it helps.
 

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Hey Hamfist!

Can you tell me what the part number is of that 38 AH Optima Yellowtop battery you have? I would like to get that exact one.
Thanks
Beav
 

I don't think there are any regs in CA that it would be ok to run an electric pump but not gas. I'm pretty sure the grey area is whether or not you can use any motor period. I have seen nothing that tells me I can't highbank with a motor here in CA. I'm not creating a significant disturbance or using a significant amount of water. I'm also not discharging directly into any creek or river.
 

Just letting you know what a ranger with a gun and a dog told me, way out in the middle of nowhere. Your mileage may vary.
 

Thanks for the heads up either way!
 

There is no law or difference...just Rangers that haven't been properly informed.

No Gray area a motor is a motor a pump is a pump. Gas electric doesn't matter. You can't ban one or the other...they haven't banned either.

They sure want you to believe so and spread the word.
 

Well, I took the Piglet out last weekend, ended up with about a gram and half. I almost killed myself hiking it out. Only about a mile, but uphill the whole time. With everything it's just to heavy to haul in and out by myself. I'll have to either find more accessible areas or bring someone along. It ran great and was a blast though!
 

Hamfist said:
I have a Piglet and a WX15. Check the legality of gas-powered equipment where you plan to work...they're illegal almost everywhere I planned to use it.

I've had a USFS Ranger sneek up on me while I was recirculating into tubs using a 3700 GHP electric bilge pump and battery. This ranger told me I was right on the edge of what was legal and, had I been using a gas pump or discharging tailings into the stream bed, there would be a big problem. So be careful here in CA! I was very lucky to have done some research beforehand.

Also, I think your battery run time may need to be revisited. You don't want to run a battery down to 0%, even if it's deep cycle, so you should essentially double your Ah numbers, or cut your run time by about half. Check out this calculator https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/tools/calculator-sizing-a-battery-to-a-load.html
There are similar calculators out there for solar panels.

That 3700 gph bilge pump works GREAT on the Piglet, btw. Even with a 2-3 hour run time, you're going to run plenty of dirt, or kill yourself trying. Recirculating is a big PITA because you have to move all of the dirt at least twice. Three times if you dig up a large pile of pay ready to shovel in, which you will have to do in advance in order to conserve battery power. A Piglet with the extension seems to handle around 1.5 yards per hour, at least with the extension, and that's a lot of dirt for one person to move in 60 minutes. It might handle more but that's the most I've been able to put through in an hour after digging it all up. I was worked! If you're recirculating, there will be a lot of starting and stopping to clear tailings if you don't have a partner or two.

I use a 38 Ah Optima yellowtop designed for a Prius. At 26 lbs, it's light enough to pack a mile to where my gear is stashed. Most of my time is spent creating a stockpile of a yard of pay and then it takes about 45-60 minutes to run that dirt with someone else on tailings duty, either shoveling out of a tub or lifting buckets of fine tailings. It's enough juice for a morning of work, but not much more. I keep a 30 watt solar panel hooked to the battery when working, but I'm not sure how much it helps.
Click to expand...







Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Here in California I'm running the Gold Hog Piglet with the extension and a SEAFLO 16amp 3700GPH bildge pump. The battery I'm using is a Trojan Deep cycle 12V 30XHS 130AH.. it's a beast at 68 pounds!... That Piglet with the quiet 3700GPH is awesome! It's a great combination and works beautifully, like it was meant to be. I didn't want to make any noise drawing any unwanted attention to myself, I wanted to stay Stealthy and I am!... It's safe to operate the Piglet by turning the pump on and off when you have pay dirt to run. The Gold Hog Mats with the extension will hold the Gold!... I also us a tub at the the end of the extension just before I turn off the pump just as assurance to not loose any GOLD, but I gotta tell ya, those mats don't really have any Blow Out of Gold and material escaping the mats and flowing out of the sluice. I kept all of my tailings, I ran a half yard (Twenty 5 gallon buckets) of material through the Piglet and tested all of the tailings and I had 100% capture rate of Gold. I couldn't find one speck that escaped!... Knowing what I know now with my set up, and the start stop method to save battery power, I think I could have gotten by with a smaller, lighter battery like a group 27, and I may end up trying that.

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