[Tfug] *Way* OT... :>

[Bexley Hall]

Hi, Jeff,


--- On Mon, 7/7/08, Jeff Breadner <jeff at breadner.net> wrote:

> Google's results are filled with this device, it looks
> to be pretty 
> cheap from many retailers.
> http://www.shammysolutions.com/site/1618064/product/100-26

Yes, I already looked at google and didn't see anything
similar to what my memory recalled.  I also suspect these
products are intended for "attended operation" (i.e.,
require some help to get started)

> Also, wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphon)
> implies that if 
> you have a tube with one side, or maybe the whole thing,
> filled with 
> cotton, then then the "wick effect" will pull
> water up above the crest 
> of the hose, after which the regular siphon action will
> keep water 
> flowing out.

Yes, if you've ever left a towel draped over the edge of the
bathtub you know this effect!  :>  Likewise, a tea bag steaming
for too long in a cup of water!

>  The downside of this is that the water flow
> will never be 
> as fast as that from a similarly-sized empty tube.  Might
> this hose from 
> your childhood memories have been stuffed with cotton or
> some similar 

No.  The device I remember was nothing more than a clear
semi-rigid plastic tube.  All I recall was the odd shape.

> material?  Was water flow slower than expected?  Did it
> take some time 
> for the water to start flowing on its own?  Any of these
> might indicate 
> that the shape of the hose had little to nothing to do with
> it's 
> siphoning action.

I think the peaks were at different heights such that when the
water level rose to a point above the "first" peak, the flow
of water *down* that first bend was sufficient to pull it up
over the next bend... or something like that  <:-(

If I had some tygon tubing I'd go play in the sink  :>
Trying to experiment with a garden hose is much harder. :<