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Pumping lime slurry

Lime Slurry Distribution

Last fall, approximately 22 tons of ag lime (consistency of sand) were delivered to the waters. The delivery used gravity in a slurry through 220' of 2" PVC, limited to a single location. Uptake has been slow due to the isolated area. The suggestion was made to distribute it better to cover more area.

Pumping Options

The idea is to use a trash pump to distribute the lime slurry. The goal is an inexpensive pump that can lift 40'+ and still have strong flow to move the pile once it's delivered. Success has been achieved with a trolling motor prop washing the pile, but the plume does not distribute far.

Alternatively, using 5-gallon buckets to hand scoop and distribute the lime from a boat is also an option.

Alternative Methods

Using 40-gallon tubs on the back of an ATV or on a boat to disperse the lime in the middle of the lake is another method. A tarp on a tilt trailer can also be used to dump the lime into the water.

Pump Experience

One person used a pump to spread lime throughout the pond by dumping the lime at the edge and spraying it with the pump and hose. A strainer was removed from the intake hose because it kept getting stopped up. The occasional rock was sucked up, but other than that, it worked great.

Pump Considerations

A semi-trash pump is being considered. The cast iron impeller and volute should mean it will last to distribute a slurry. A 1/4" mesh across the end of the suction pipe could keep the trash size below the maximum. A 2" NPT to 1" NPT reducer with a 1" nipple about 12" long could be used for the nozzle.

A trash pump is considered better for ponds. A 3/8" or 1/2" strainer is recommended. Making a custom nozzle from PVC pipe with reducers is suggested to tailor the nozzle.

The wear items are the impeller, volute, and mechanical seal. The full trash pump likely has thicker castings to withstand impact of rock strikes and chew debris. With lime, abrasive wear is the main concern. Screening is recommended due to the occasional gravel stone.

Duromax Pump

Good luck has been reported with the Duromax pump, spreading 15 tons of lime with it and sucking up many rocks with zero problems. A 1/4" screen stayed stopped up, so it was removed.

Northern Tool Pump

A Northern Tool Honda-powered 2" semi-trash pump was purchased with a 4" screen. The plan is to put a 4" end on the 2" pickup tube. Water samples will be taken before and after redistributing the lime.

Nozzle Design

Shooting the water would help distribute it even better. A short "wand" of 2" PVC at the end of the 2" discharge hose is being considered, capped off with a 2 to 1 reducing coupling, with a few inches to a foot of 1" pipe for containment and velocity.

Suction End Setup

A screen with 1/2" holes is being used. A 4 to 2 reducing coupling fits right in the end. Adding a 4" straight coupling for more of a "scoop" is being considered.

Revised Setup

The screen was flipped around to sit back inside the 2-4 adapter. Nozzles were built using 2" to 1-1/4" and 2" to 1" bushings, with a length of schedule 80 PVC and porting work to improve the flow. The 12" length of pipe should help the discharge distance.

Lime Introduction

It will be interesting to see what methods work best to get the lime introduced into the suction. Agitation may be needed, especially if the lime pile has been in the water for a while.