Sluices contain a series of riffles that makes this separation easier. After it passes through the header box, it move on to the sluice, where gold nuggets are separated out from regular gravel and rocks. Let’s go back to the gravel and other materials you’ve suctioned up.

Gravel and gold concentrates are diverted to the header box and sluice so they don’t jam up your pump. The pump is powered by water-the same water that you vacuumed up along with the gravel and other materials on the ground. A single gallon of gas can last upwards of four hours! Your suction dredge’s engine is powered by gasoline to maintain suction and keep all the parts moving. This is where the gravel goes to be sifted through the riffles of the sluice, leaving only gold behind. The header box of a dredge is attached to the sluice and is designed to dampen the water flow so as not to overwhelm the sluice.

When water, gravel, and gold are sucked up through the suction hose, everything makes its way in the direction of the water pump and the header box. A 4-inch model is popular due to its combination of portability and high capacity-these babies can vacuum up a great deal of gravel! The diameter of your dredge’s suction hose ultimately decides how much gravel and water you can suck up into your dredge. Suction gold dredges work similarly to high-powered vacuum cleaners, but with a few extra steps to filter out the gold you’re after. Suction dredges come in a variety of sizes let’s look at the popular 4-inch variety. Let’s learn more about the parts of a suction dredge that make it so powerful, and how they work together to find gold in gravel. Wondering how 4-inch suction gold dredges work? Look no further than Northwest Detector’s handy guide to the suction dredging process. Whether you’re a seasoned prospector or starting a brand-new hobby, you’ve probably heard about suction dredges before. Thankfully, the methods used for finding that gold have advanced far beyond simple panning by hand!Ī suction dredge is a powerful tool used by many prospectors to sift through shallow waters in search of gold. While the gold rushes of the 19 th century may be long gone, hobbyists still look for gold in river deposits and gravelly banks. Gold prospecting has a long and storied history. Treasureseeker Series ( E-TRAC, Safari and Explorer series. Anti-Interference Series ( SD/GP and GPX detectors.

Portable dry dredging tools