How Does a Siphon Work? | Ask This Old House

In this video, plumbing and heating expert, Richard Tretheway demonstrates how siphons work. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. What is a Siphon? A siphon is a tube that allows liquid to travel upward, above the surface of the origin reservoir, then downwards to a lower level without the use of a pump. How Does a Siphon Work? Richard shows how siphons are the basic principle that make toilets work, even if the water supply in the house was turned off. If you are without a pump and need to remove water from a tank, you can use short leg and long leg tubes to extract the water. Once you get water up the short leg, the weight of water in the longer leg of tubing pulls the water out completely. Where to find it? Richard demonstrated the principle of a siphon jet on a Glacier Bay toilet, though every toilet from every manufacturer operates using a similar siphon jet. Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://ift.tt/3jclZ3N About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. Ask This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home. Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/AskTOHTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/AskTOHIG How Does a Siphon Work? | Ask This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/