Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: vancook on December 20, 2009, 05:23:01 PM
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Ok so I was hoping to make a pump with some directions I found online but I found the staff at home depot to be completely useless and was not able to purchase parts for construction.
So my question is has anyone here made one and where did you go for your parts? plumbing supply shop? etc.
Or have any of you bought them at a store?
any help would be appreciated
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I've made 1 out of pvc pipe before. Pretty easy however you may want to find some metal tube instead, my pvc was fire sprinkler pipe I got for free but being thicker doesn't penetrate the ground super easy but worked fine, a bit heavy but that's not much issue. I would imagine a thinner pvc would work as long as it's strong enough to stick in the ground.
You will need pipe, a I think around 2" with a T piece for a lower handle, and then a smaller pipe to go on the inside with a L for the pump handle, a 2" cap to hold the smaller pipe from moving around much and most important a pipe blocker thingy for 2" pipe
The pipe blocker I got from some wholesale pluming store and the pipe,well free.
I'd try to see if the od of metal pipe matches the id of plastic fittings unless you can find metal T's and L's.
The online instructions should guide you the rest of the way but if not just ask.
And it may be cheaper and easier to just buy 1 unless like me every thing was free, but I don't know what new cost.
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thanks,
my biggest problem at rona/home depot was they wouldnt sell any short cuts of pipe. 20 only very large lengths and they lacked the test plug to buy. They pvc they had was very thick as well, which Im told makes it difficult. Do you know anywhere they sell pumps?
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If you go to a scrap metal place and see if they have some. i got some material from them before and it was pretty cheap. If you try metal shops (PNJ Metals) they have lots of metal material there and they will cut the length you need. And i would use aluminum over steel, oxidation/weight. Hope that helps.
Drunker
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what area are you in? I can likely steer you to a plumbing store that would be helpful....
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I would try a muffler shop as well. Thin wall anti-rust metals would be perfect for that. I've never made one but seen guys on the beach suckin em up.
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what area are you in? I can likely steer you to a plumbing store that would be helpful....
I live in south vancouver close to the burnaby border and work downtown
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Just made myself one last weekend - about $45 in parts.
I also checked at Home Depot and they didn't have many of the parts necessary.
I never could find a 'test plug' like shown on the websites.
I ended up with a fully PVC unit that was threaded on the end and screwed into the plunger.
I called around and Berry's has a stainless one for $100.
Another bait shop I called (Maple Ridge?) said $115 for stainless.
Have been hoping to try it out but the tides have been wrong all week.
Tomorrow looks promising.
Check YouTube for videos on how to operate the pump.
They are frequently called "Slurp guns".
Here's the plug that I used.
Note that the adjustment is inside the larger pipe.
I left the cap on the top of the larger tube unglued so that I could remove it for adjustments.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/BCfisher/testplug.jpg)
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yeah i've watched the videos and bookmarked the parts list and directions, unfortunately when i went to buy the parts I couldn't find them...I wasn't going to buy bits and pieces here and there.
I'm guessing I'll need to find a plumbing store
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I made mine out of scrap copper works great
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Go buy one at Berry's for $100. It sounds expensive, but it will last a long time. I paid $90 for mine 15 years ago and it's still going strong.
With the Alvey pump I can get my 50 shrimps in about 10 minutes, which is a bonus in frigid weather. $90 for 15 years of use averages out to $6 a year. It comes ready to use. You don't have to waste any time looking for parts to build one that may or may not work (or last). The last thing you want to do is to drive out to Boundary bay or white Rock to find out your pump doesn't work.
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I bought mine down in the states for $25. I was going to make my own but for the price I figured why bother.
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I bought mine down in the states for $25. I was going to make my own but for the price I figured why bother.
what store in the states did you find one? I'm probably going to bellingham next monday for the day
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for some reason I havent' been able to post - not ignoring you honest!
For the plumbing stuff just go to or call EMCO - wholesaler but will sell over the counter retail and will have it all in stock www.emcobc.ca I believe is the website. They won't sell cut pipe tho - you can go to irly bird or timbermarts or standard building supplies used to sell plumbing I haven't been there in years.....
BUT - for what it's gonna cost AND the time AND the useablility of home made vs storebought and for the cheap price of the US one, I'd go storebought without a doubt.
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I picked up a clam gun from Army and Navy a few years back. I've got one of those Alvey pumps which I don't use anymore. The clam gun is bigger, with no moving parts and works like a charm.
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what store in the states did you find one? I'm probably going to bellingham next monday for the day
Couldn't tell you. It was from a small store down in Oregon.
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I picked up a clam gun from Army and Navy a few years back. I've got one of those Alvey pumps which I don't use anymore. The clam gun is bigger, with no moving parts and works like a charm.
I havent seen those at army and navy..but I will have to ask the next time I'm there. how did you like the alvey pump?
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The Alvey is 2" in diameter whereas the clam gun is 4" wide. I find it too much work rinsing it off and getting the sands out between the rubber washers. The gun is only an aluminum tube with a hole at the top and a handle. Takes only a few seconds with a hose to get all the sands out.
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buy a metal one
I always out fish the pvc guy's.
remember not all holes are created equal, some are definably better then others.
they need to be sucked out in the direction of there dig, or they will all have broken backs and wont last the night.
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thanks. I am going to look into a metal one. Probably heading to bellingham on sunday and I hear Big 5 sells them.
Do the shrimp tend to burrow on an angle? show i dig a little out first to see which way the hole is going?
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don't dig, you only suck holes in the ground. when you walk around, water will push up threw the holes.
don't suck the holes with mounds.
when you suck a good hole, water will suck in all surrounding holes and you will hit a jack-pot with 3-4 shrimp with one pump.
You should average around 15 per half hour. In a good spot you can easily double that.
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ah ok, thanks for the tips.
Im going to have to invest in a metal pump
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vancook I have been pumping bugs for over 30 odd years buy far the best pump is the alvey pump. you can spend alot of time and energy making one that may work or not Clam guns are easy to make but do not work in shallow areas plus they are very hard on your back. My alvey lasted me 30 years and thousands of sandshrimp untill i left it leaning up against a parrking meter last year.
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hey Vancook
If you come out to White Rock I can give you some pointers, and try it out.
I like to go out with 8' or less tide.
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I hit White Rock this evening - must have looked funny with my gear and gumboots to the "strolling crowd".
All I got were small clams - tossed them all back to deeper water.
I think the tide wasn't out far enough as it was only 20 yards from the high water mark.
Probably another 40-50 yards to full low tide.
I've pretty much figured out that the holes with small mounds are the clam holes.
Should I just be looking for level holes or should I look for holes that squirt water when I step near them?
Sounds like they are at a specific distance from the shore?
I noticed more holes in general started popping up the further the tide went out (till it got dark).
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When I pump at White rock I usually go just as the tide is pulling out. I don't walk out far, maybe just 40 to 50 feet max from the edge of the beach. I look for a small pools of water and place my Alvey where the holes are and pump away.
I can't tell you if the mounds are clam holes or not. When I get clams I move away from there and pump other holes. The beauty of the Alvey is that I can pump lots of holes quickly to determine where the shrimps are. When I find the right holes I get nothing but shrimp, three or four per hole, and I get my limit in very little time. Good luck.