Dramm Syphonject
$23.00
| Weight | 0.5 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 11.25 × 5.25 × 6.75 in |
The Dramm Syphonject is the simplest way to feed while watering. It threads onto a garden faucet, a flexible suction tube drops into a bucket of concentrate, and the passing water stream draws concentrate in and dilutes it at roughly 20 parts water to one part concentrate. No electricity, no plumbing, no installation.
It works on a pressure drop created by water moving through a restriction inside the body, which is what generates the suction. The housing is glass-filled polypropylene — durable and corrosion resistant — and an external, replaceable check valve prevents water from backing up into your concentrate bucket.
Supplied with a Dramm 170 water breaker.
This is a hose-end tool, not a system injector. For a fixed installation that holds an exact ratio through changing flow and pressure, see our Dosatron injectors. The Syphonject is the right choice for spot feeding, small houses, propagation areas, hand watering and anywhere running a plumbed injector isn’t worth it.
Important: fertilizer and cleaning only
Do not use the Syphonject to apply pesticides, fungicides or poisons. Dramm restricts this product to fertilizer and cleaning solutions.
Never drink from a hose that has carried fertilizer or any other solution. Detach the Syphonject from the faucet when you’re finished. Follow all chemical manufacturer instructions.
What it needs to work
Nearly every Syphonject that “doesn’t siphon” is short of one of these. Check them before you buy.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Water pressure | 35 PSI minimum at the faucet |
| Flow rate | 6 GPM [SEE NOTE — confirm before publishing] |
| Hose length | 50 feet maximum |
| Hose type | Standard round garden hose, 1/2″ to 5/8″ |
| Hose end | Nothing restrictive on the end |
Hose length is the one people miss. Beyond about 50 feet there isn’t enough back pressure to drive the siphon, and the unit either stops drawing or weeps from the relief hole on the side.
Coiled and flat hoses will not work. Both are low-volume by design and cannot pass the flow the Syphonject needs.
Don’t put a Y-splitter on the faucet ahead of it. Most splitters restrict flow below the minimum and the unit stops siphoning.
Watch what’s on the end of the hose. A restrictive nozzle chokes flow the same way a long hose does. The included 170 water breaker passes enough volume; not every nozzle will.
Expect some pressure loss at the outlet. Creating suction requires forcing water through a small orifice, and reduced pressure downstream is the cost of that. This is normal operation, not a fault.
Mixing your concentrate
Because the Syphonject dilutes at roughly 20:1, mix your stock solution 20 times stronger than the rate you would normally apply.
For every gallon of water in your stock bucket, add 20 times the manufacturer’s recommended rate of fertilizer. One gallon of concentrate will deliver approximately 20 gallons of correctly diluted solution.
The ratio is approximate — here’s how to find yours
The 20:1 figure moves with your water pressure. Higher pressure draws more concentrate. Dramm recommends measuring the actual ratio with your own pressure, hose and nozzle rather than assuming 20:1.
To measure it, you need one container of known volume for the concentrate side and a larger one of known volume for the output.
- Mount the Syphonject on the faucet and connect your hose.
- Fill the small container with clear water and drop the suction tube into it.
- Put the hose end into the large container.
- Turn the water on and run until the small container empties.
- Measure how much water collected in the large container.
- Divide. If a 1 quart draw produced 5 gallons — 20 quarts — your ratio is 20:1.
Worth doing once. If your actual ratio is 15:1 or 25:1, your feed rate is off by 25% or more in either direction, and every application after that is wrong by the same margin.
Specifications
| Dilution ratio | Approximately 20:1, varies with pressure |
| Minimum water pressure | 35 PSI |
| Housing material | Glass-filled polypropylene |
| Check valve | External, replaceable |
| Hose connection | Standard garden hose thread |
| Maximum hose length | 50 ft |
| Included | Dramm 170 water breaker |
| Anti-siphon | Built-in, federally required |
| SKU | 12-DRM-SYP |
About the relief hole and the square insert
The square plastic piece inside the body is part of a federally required anti-siphon system. If supply pressure is lost, it vents concentrate out of the side hole rather than allowing it to be drawn backward into your water supply. It’s a backflow protection device.
Water weeping from the side hole during use means back pressure is too low — most often a hose over 50 feet, or supply pressure under 35 PSI. Shorten the hose or check your pressure.
How does it work, and what does it need to keep working?
Water moving through a restriction inside the body creates a pressure drop, and that pressure drop pulls concentrate up the suction tube. The water doing the work is the water being treated.
This only works if the hose end holds back pressure. Without it, the unit stops drawing concentrate and water weeps from the relief hole on the side of the body. Supply pressure at the faucet is not the same thing — you can have 55 or 80 PSI at the faucet and still get no draw if nothing downstream is creating resistance.
Minimum requirements: 35 PSI supply pressure, 6 GPM flow, a round garden hose 1/2″ to 5/8″ no longer than 50 feet, and a non-restrictive end fitting such as the included Dramm 170 water breaker.
Can I use it for pesticides or fungicides?
No. Dramm restricts the Syphonject to fertilizer and cleaning solutions. Use properly rated application equipment for pesticides and fungicides.
Can I use the Dramm Syphonject to sanitize an RV fresh water tank with bleach?
No. The Dramm Syphonject is not suitable for sanitizing an RV or camper fresh water tank. It carries no drinking water certification, and filling a tank through an open fill port gives the unit no back pressure at the hose end, which is the one condition the siphon needs in order to draw. Instead of pulling your bleach solution it will weep out of the relief hole on the side of the body. For the correct dose and procedure, follow the guidance published by your coach or tank manufacturer.
Is the Dramm Syphonject safe for potable or drinking water?
No. The Dramm Syphonject carries no NSF/ANSI 61 certification or any other potable water listing. It is a garden and greenhouse fertilizer injector, and Dramm’s instructions state that you should never drink from a hose that has carried fertilizer or any other solution. We do not recommend it for RV or camper fresh water systems, cisterns, wells, livestock waterers, or any other application where the water will be consumed.
Can I run bleach or chlorine through the Dramm Syphonject?
For cleaning tasks only — never for treating water that will be consumed. Washing down benches, floors, pots, and equipment is fine. Sanitizing a drinking water tank is a different job, and the Syphonject is the wrong tool for it (see above). Flush the unit with clear water after any chlorine use, and detach it from the faucet when you’re finished.
Why isn't it drawing up fertilizer?
Almost always flow or back pressure. Check three things: hose longer than 50 feet, a coiled or flat hose instead of standard round hose, or a restrictive nozzle on the end. Any of the three will stop the siphon.
How long a hose can I use?
50 feet maximum. Longer runs don’t generate enough back pressure to drive the siphon.
Can I use a coiled or flat hose?
No. Both are low-volume and won’t pass the required flow.
Can I put a Y-splitter on the faucet first?
Not recommended. Most splitters restrict flow below the minimum the Syphonject needs.
Why does my water pressure drop when I use it?
Suction is created by forcing water through a small orifice, so reduced downstream pressure is inherent to how the unit works.
Is the ratio exactly 20:1?
No, it’s approximate and shifts with your water pressure. See the measuring procedure above — it takes ten minutes and tells you your real ratio.
Can the Dramm Syphonject deliver one measured dose into a tank of known volume?
Not reliably. The Syphonject is a proportional injector, built to hold a rough 20:1 ratio continuously while you water — delivering a single measured charge into a tank is the opposite job. You’d have to mix your dose into four or five gallons of stock solution, then time the bucket running dry against the tank reaching capacity. And since the ratio itself shifts with water pressure, even that method isn’t precise. If you need a fixed ratio that holds through changing flow and pressure, look at a plumbed injector such as a Dosatron instead.
How do I test whether the unit itself is faulty?
Connect it directly to a building faucet with a standard round 1/2″ to 5/8″ hose and nothing on the hose end. Put the suction tube in a container of water and turn it on. If it siphons in that configuration, the unit is fine and the problem is elsewhere in your setup. If it doesn’t siphon, contact us.
What's the difference between this and a Dosatron Fertilizer Injectors?
The Syphonject’s ratio varies with water pressure; a Dosatron fertilizer injector holds the ratio you set regardless of flow or pressure changes. The Syphonject threads onto a faucet for around $23; a Dosatron installs in your supply line and starts around $500. Use the Syphonject for hand watering and spot feeding, a Dosatron where accuracy across a whole range matters.
What should I use instead of a Syphonject if I need to inject a sanitizer?
A plumbed injector rated for the duty, not a hose-end siphon mixer. If you’re treating water at any scale — a fleet of coaches, a barn, a livestock watering system, or an irrigation line that also carries a sanitizer — the equipment has to match both the chemical and the potable or non-potable status of the line. Give us a call and we’ll help you scope it.
Does it come with a nozzle?
Yes, a Dramm 170 water breaker is included.
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