Unplugging Dredge Hose

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easy goer
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Unplugging Dredge Hose

Post by easy goer » Wed Feb 21, 2024 11:08 pm

How do you do it? First summer dredging, not a lot of plugs but enough. How do you remove them? Had to unhook the hose and drag it out to dry land one time to clear it. No fun with an 8" dredge hose!! I have a few ideas myself but my experience is extremely limited.

Fire away!!

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Re: Unplugging Dredge Hose

Post by Geowizard » Thu Feb 22, 2024 12:00 am

Easy goer,

Unless you are expecting a GOLD nugget larger than say two or more inches, use a guard on the nozzle to prevent large rocks from getting into the hose. A guard can be fabricated using several different methods. Weld it yourself from appropriate size bar stock or have a welder fabricate a 2" mesh guard. Smaller screen mesh can be banded around the nozzle with a hose clamp or series of hose clamps.

One other remedy is not using a longer hose than needed. A long hose will sag and load up with rock.

I hope that helps! :)

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Re: Unplugging Dredge Hose

Post by chickenminer » Thu Feb 22, 2024 3:49 am

Hey Kevin,
How did it go last summer? Other than plugged hose! Are you going to be banging away at it this coming season ?
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Re: Unplugging Dredge Hose

Post by gabbie » Thu Feb 22, 2024 7:13 pm

use a rubber mallet thats what i use a few taps usually releases the plug
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Re: Unplugging Dredge Hose

Post by Joe S (AK) » Thu Feb 22, 2024 7:33 pm

Me too on that rubber mallet, Gabby.

I have found that sometimes a couple of smaller pebbles will also jam together to make a plug-up. Rubber hammer and light Rat, Tat, Tat will re-arrange the little pebbles to wash through. If it is a toggle situation with a single rock the jarring often frees it.

Yeah, my "Mighty 2 inch Shop Vac with an Attitude" sometimes can be shaken loose --- because it senses my exasperation.

I often have used a long metal rod, a stick of electrical conduit, straight and peeled willow sapling or some such thing can often be a last chance save before wrestling that Anaconda onshore. ;)

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Re: Unplugging Dredge Hose

Post by Geowizard » Sun Feb 25, 2024 8:02 pm

The balancing act;

Prevention is the best solution...

Suction dredging requires a balance between "flow rate" and the "weight/volume" of the material being dredged.

It's a trade-off. Often times, a dredger will throttle back the pump to reduce the flow in the sluice box. On the other extreme, I have seen a dredger with a rooster tail shooting over the top of the sluice box! Flow rate is the secret sauce that keeps the material being suctioned flowing sufficiently in the hose! The throttle on the pump has to be controlled to keep material flowing sufficiently without too much flow in the sluice box. Not enough flow, the rocks pile up and the fun begins! :)

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