Need Tips for 6 Dredge

[RustyGarrett]

Need Tips for 6'' Dredge

Hello everyone, I am new on this forum and not very good in english.

I would like to get some tips from more experienced people to increase production of my dredge.

I pump sand at around 15 feet deep with a 6'' pump and a wooden sieve wide by 1.2m to 6m long with grass carpet to about 5 degrees inclination . I clean the carpets every hour of work.

Initially, the pump was riding at full speed , but the productivity was very bad. After some research I reduced the flow of the pump to the minimum and since production increased, but it is still not enough.

I am looking for tips that could help me improve my production. Optimal flow, tilt the screen, type of carpet, etc.
It rolls 18-24h a day, 6 days a week, so i'm looking for things that not require too much maintenance.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

 

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[Oakview2]

Can you post some pics and give us the country you are working in, types of material you are dredging, clay, gravels, sand, any blacks sands ect. They are many on here that given this info can probably help you

 

[Hoser John]

What type of jet are you using to produce the required suction-power jet or suction nozzle. Also from your description you are using a trash pump as a good high pressure close tolerance pump does NOT work better at lower speeds,just trash pumps as then cavitation sets in and your water just goes around and around as way too much back pressure. Tried to keep it simple english but hard to do. Please post pump info as to make,psi,gpm and jet,then help abounds--- John

 

[RustyGarrett]

We dredge yellow sand very gravelly. Rock from 0 to 3 inches. We find black sand When we clean riffs.
For the jet i'm using suction nozzle i guess. Something like this : http://www.goldgold.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/12inchnozzle1.jpg
I'm using a chinese 30hp motor with a centrifugal pump. Unfortunatly, I don't have spec for the pump about psi or gpm.
I'm dredging in Africa. I'll got some pictures next week.

 

[Hoser John]

That is the suction nozzle tip. Then your using a power jet which is much better as no hose connected to nozzle. You are using a massive engine with a poor pump and/or a lousy jet to produce suction. What size hose goes from the pump to your powerjet? What size is your suction hose as looks HUGE in that picture. A simple 4"/5" dredge would easily suck up them tiny 3" rocks at 15" with the proper jet and pump. 8-10 hp required is all on a close tolerance pump. Any pics would REALLY help to assist you. Go to proline.com to look at pictures and gain info on what you seek. Hope your finding lots of gold as dangerous place to be at this time. Stay safe-John

 

[RustyGarrett]

The hose as 6''. Proline.com is unavailable for now. Here's the only pictures I have for now.

 

[Hoser John]

OMG your dredging in zero visibility so now I know why that horrendous nozzle setup. Can't be any harder, more dangerous conditions to work. That current looks BAD too. Yes that huge belfry style trash pump is not a good pump for a dredge-but where your at all it takes is a few modifications to help. Your header box is way to high off the platform. Height kills your pressure big time. If you lower that box closer to the deck your suction will increase. Wish I could see a picture of your powerjet as that's where the magic happens. Do you have any pics of it?? Lower the pump a few inches in the water closer to water level,same with the box as each and every inch that unit has to lift the water up and out of the water with cobbles is a huge feat. Big huge flaps within your footvalve assembly give trash pumps trouble also,just yet another thing to slow you down. Each little item wrong adds up to a huge loss in pressure. You definately are one tough fella as your conditions look absolutely horrendous-tons a oro puro to you-John

 

[Reed Lukens]

It doesn't look like he has a power jet... need a pic of the box running. Does the material go through the pump?

 

[RustyGarrett]

I don't really have problem with my pump. My problem is more about the sieve.
What would be better about the angle, type of carpet, rifles, etc. I'm finding gold the size of sand grains.

 

[mike(swWash)]

Hello RustyGarrett,
Your English is better than mine so don't feel bad.
A picture of the gold would help a lot. Size matters, sorry it's an American joke.
The size of the gold will give us an idea of what to put in the sluice. A wood sluice works as good as any metal and grass carpet works good but there are a many better things for small gold.

 

[Hoser John]

I was just thinking of the gas costs where your at as lower means you can run slower,equipment lasts longer with much less stress and recovery skyrockets. To answer questions need a pic of box dry and then working as Reed asked as information is dependent on what is seen in action all else just bs and blue sky. Want to help but hands tied without more information-Hope you have a Merry Christmas and find poundage--or kilos of oro puro-John

 

[Hoser John]

Just looking to see what I could see yet again in your picture and OMG that compressor you are using looks like a oil lubricated unit and they KILL YOUR LUNGS oil filter or not you've atomized the lube oil.........John

 

[Gelmac]

I agree John, in that picture it really looks like the regular compressors used for inner tube Auto tyres , not good for human breathing . Oil lubricated and carbon monoxide fumes . Very nasty.

I read somewhere that in the Philippines they use Air compressors out of Auto Air conditioners , but forget where . These are not oil lubricated.

 

[Gelmac]

Rusty where are you located in Africa?

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

You might be over sized on intake diameter. Smaller sucks harder and plucks the higher density things, on the top wider lets them drop out. You could even set up a top side system where the heavies drop before the pump.