The self-filling siphon, and why can't it be done?

[Cloxxki]

What about a same-diameter, but really long spiraled tube for the (shorter) downflow? Lots of weight behind it, 1-dimensionally down the tube. If it's really long and heavy but low-friction, it might overcome the required vacume power to let water flow up otherwise?
The spiral would need a pre-fill, and afterwards the water would be flowing as long as air free water was fed from the source.
Pure theory, which usually fails due to some smart law of nature.

[Nabo00o]

What about a same-diameter, but really long spiraled tube for the (shorter) downflow? Lots of weight behind it, 1-dimensionally down the tube. If it's really long and heavy but low-friction, it might overcome the required vacume power to let water flow up otherwise?

Hmm, I am not sure, but I think this is when utilitarian's argument of hydrostatics comes into play.
Even though it may not seem like it, the water in the spiraling tube is resting on the tube itself, and most probably hydrostatic pressure is the only thing that will remain in the end of the tube. But, I know from having read a bit of Schauberger's work that spiraling tubes can posses the ability of lowering the resistance even more than a straight tube, even if there is more tube to travel through!
He did also find that copper tubes had the least resistance to flowing water, even less than glass.

Naboo

[broli]

What about a same-diameter, but really long spiraled tube for the (shorter) downflow? Lots of weight behind it, 1-dimensionally down the tube. If it's really long and heavy but low-friction, it might overcome the required vacume power to let water flow up otherwise?

I don't think this will work. It will be the same as a straight tube with the same height. Mathematically you can show this, intuitively you can feel that most of the weight would be canceled by the horizontal parts of the tube the water "sits" on.

Again you can use some sort of gravity analogy like you see below.

[Cloxxki]

Hmm, you have something there.
And spinning the whole system around the vertical inlet pipe exis, the output pointing out, will probably not help much either.

[Nabo00o]

Hmm, you have something there.
And spinning the whole system around the vertical inlet pipe exis, the output pointing out, will probably not help much either.

Hehe. Oh that will help, but that is a completely different subject! You are then using the centrifugal force of rotating water to push it, and to say the least it is interesting. Check this out:
http://www.energeticforum.com/renewable-energy/4202-bernoulli-principal-vortex.html
Nab