Self Starting Siphon

[JamesP]

What sort if witchcraft is this?!

 

[Big G]

Wow! Smart TV - oxymoron?

 

[alanbetiger]

Pretty cool! Too bad we can't upscale it to really work for large volume water changes. Capillary action only works with small diameter tubes (depending on the liquid). 70 gallons would take forever out of a straw!

 

[CNDReef]

Also look at how high up on the rim the water has to be to work

 

[LJLKRL05]

I made a U shaped piece of PVC for my water changes that I hang over the front glass. It has a valve on the external piece that is lower than the end of the pipe that goes in the tank. If I close the valve before I put the suction end in the tank, when I open the valve it auto starts the siphon.
I did not realize it would do this when I first made it but was pleasantly surprised when it did!

 

[Crabs McJones]

That is some Chris Angel stuff right there!

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Ahh physics and fluid dynamics, glad I made it through those classes in undergrad without pulling my hair out haha

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Pretty cool! Too bad we can't upscale it to really work for large volume water changes. Capillary action only works with small diameter tubes (depending on the liquid). 70 gallons would take forever out of a straw!

Depends on the head pressure of the larger water source and how deep you place the input point of the tube. I imagine you could do it with a 1" piece of pipe on something like a 75 or larger gallon as long as you had enough vertical space to invoke the siphon.