How to Siphon Using a Garden Hose

Garden hoses can siphon liquids.

Siphoning is the act of moving liquid from one place to another using a tube. The trick of siphoning is to get liquids to flow up into the tube against the force of gravity and then down into the desired drainage location. You can use almost any type of tubing, even a garden hose. Although the traditional method of siphoning involves sucking water through a tube to get it flowing, there is another way to siphon liquids through a hose.

Things You'll Need

• Garden hose
• Faucet

Instructions

1. Insert one end of a garden hose into the water or liquid that you want to remove.

2. Screw the threaded end of the garden hose onto the bottom of an outdoor water faucet by turning it clockwise until it is secure.

3. Turn the handle on the faucet slowly counterclockwise and wait until the hose fills with water. You can have another person go to the location of the liquid and watch for a flow of water out of the hose, or simply allow the faucet to run for one full minute.

4. Stop the flow of water from the faucet by turning the handle clockwise until it stops.

5. Unscrew the hose from the bottom of the water faucet by turning it counterclockwise. When you have detached the hose, hold it in an upright position so that the water does not spill out.

6. Walk to the location that you want to drain the liquid to and set the hose down making sure that it is at a slight downward slope. The liquid will begin to drain out of the first location, run through the garden hose and come out in the new location.

Tips & Warnings

• You should always siphon flammable liquids and chemicals into containers and dispose of them at hazardous waste disposal centers. Do not drain these liquids into the ground or sewer drains.

• Do not reuse garden hoses used to siphon hazardous materials.

References

• Build Eazy: Garden Pond
• The Rain Well: Gray Water Tips from The Rain Well

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Land and Sky Community Network: How to Drain a Waterbed