Tips and set up….
Always do a DRY RUN at home BEFORE going to the field. Hook up everything and PRETEND you’re at the creek. This will show you what you’re MISSING… and what’s not working. Do not run your pump dry for more than 15 – 30 seconds if you do start it. Remember it’s just practice but we can’t tell you how many times this has saved trips.
Most people want to set up their unit first, then their pump.
Always position your pump and hose first, It’s just a tip we’ve learned over the years.
It’s easy to move the mini, a pain to move pumps and hoses.
Bring a roll of “duck tape” or Gorilla tape with you. Trust me.
We use it for everything, but some of the plumbing fittings are not glued and may want to shoot off while running. Once set up, put a piece of tape around joints to hold them in.
Don’t overpower it with water. If you’re using a large pump, make sure you have flow reducer / ball valve. About 3000 – 4000 gph seems to make the unit run really well.
Start with your main sluice about 9 degrees, then play with the pitch based on your water flow. MAKE SURE you read this tuning article: Tuning Your Sluice
It will REALLY help.
If running an extension, really try and reduce the flow speed by lowering the pitch. Maybe about 6 degrees. We want it really quiet.
Rocks larger than 3-4″ might not fit through the back opening. Remove them or wash them by hand in the box.
The angle of the header box really varies with each person. We like to have larger rocks JUST make it out the back. Watch the videos and Doc talks about the header box angle and wash time. DON’T try and get clay balls to break down in the header box. Most clay balls take 20 minutes + to break down. If you want to break them down, treat them differently.
You CAN connect a flay flat hose directly to the header box, however this often results in kinking of the hose. Getting a 6 foot piece of spa hose or dredge hose to go from the header box to the lat flat hose makes a BIG difference. Just make sure… you have the right connections. (male female thing)
When you shut down, TILT the whole unit and slowly drain the water off the mats. This will LOCK all the gold in place. Then lift ONE side of them mats. This will release the tension. Then slide them out directly into a tub. Then wash as shown in this VIDEO.