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Hydraulic Ram, Bruzaholm Works type W5
During one of my walks along the Persberg canal I went to the side outlet channel past the waterwheel installations for Storgruvan in order to photograph the remains.
On my way back I passed a depression in the ground where something was sticking up from the leaves and moss that I first thought was a tree stump. As I had no tools with me, I dug a little with a stick and realized that it might be the upper part of a hydraulic ram.
A few days later I returned and dug it out, which turned out to be a hydraulic ram manufactured by Bruzaholm Works. I contacted OMYA to make sure it was acceptable to recover it, since I found the ram within their industrial area, and after cleaning it I planned to display it in the small museum in the community hall at Yngsvallen.
The impulse valve is made of brass and, after cleaning and adding a little oil, it still seems to function perfectly.
The delivery valve, mounted inside the pressure chamber, is made of cast iron with an associated gasket. Whether leather or rubber was originally used as a gasket is difficult to determine. I have installed a rubber gasket so that the function of the valve can be demonstrated and the operation of the hydraulic ram more easily understood.
The pressure chamber has been damaged by frost and a piece is missing, and thanks to this it is possible to see how the delivery valve operates.
The ram was supplied with water from the Persberg canal through an 8-meter-long 2½-inch iron pipe. The head of water was approximately 2.5 meters.
Torbjörn Nordwall
May 2024
