powerjet vs suction ??

[Mr.Excavator]

New to the hobby and wanted to get pros and cons to each before I buy one. Powerjet or suction

 

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[Goldstar1]

Welcome to dredging . It really depends on the areas that you will be working but basically if you are working an area with good water flow parallel to or upstream from your dredge a power jet is the best bet , better suction and less plug ups. If you are working an area that the nozzle will be out of the water for any time period at all, or working below the dredge where it would lose prime then a suction nozzle will save you from the rooster tail that can blast the gold out of the box. Also depends on your box set up , and size of equipment . A crash box is more forgiving if you lose your prime in the hose , and a suction nozzle is usually more reserved for smaller nozzles 4" and below .

 

[jsurddy]

A benefit of a power jet is that you have less hose to carry around. The hoses take up the most room on my dredge, but i use a sluice stand instead of floats.

 

[okbasspro]

Suction for shallow
Jet for deep
As mentioned above a suction nozzle can come out of water or suck air and you still keep your gold. If you suck air with a jet say adios to the gold.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Its possible to use a power jet above the water line for shallow dredging but boy is it a pain. With the dredge running you prime the jet log and hose by covering the opening in the header box with something anything, I used a piece of wood. Once the hose is all full of water away you go just don't pop the nozzle end out of the water. Without the jet log being full of water the spray from the eductor can and will scour your box and send your hard work flying all over the place. It will be a complete and utter battle if you have an old hose with any amount of holes in it. On the jet log you are pulling material through the hose, if the hose is above the water line any holes with suck air and mess with the prime. On a suction nozzle you are pushing the material through the hose so holes aren't much issue. I carry both kinds. If you have enough pump power they can be used together for sucking out deep holes.

 

[Mr.Excavator]

Thanks for the replies. I got a Suction . I live in Fla but also own a house in Ashe, North Carolina . Thought I may give a dredge a shot in the streams,

 

[njcommercialdiver]

sometimes i use both , i use a jet log about 5ft from the crash box and a power nozzle on my 3" standing highbanker to dredge with where i cant float a floating dredge, it helps get material up the dredge hose to the box (harder the further it is above the water) with a minimum of jamups. when im using both, its powered by a 3" in 3" out northern semi trash pump with a y splitter with 2in ends. im using it in Mineral Va this weekend on Contrary Creek so ill get some pics and post them after i get back sunday. i also use the same setup with my 3" crashbox sneak dredge