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

[utilitarian]

I know that utilitarian, hydrostatics is weird  (but it must be like that). But what I showed in the sketches was not like in the example you showed. The biggest point with this experiment on siphons is that the weight of water on the drain side doesn't rest on anything, so that there is nothing to hold back the weight of water and thus removes this from the normal hydrostatic scenario. Maybe you don't agree with this but that water has real weight, and the only thing holding it back is the counterweight on the suction side of the siphon.
This is the theory I am using.
Naboo

Oh you are right.  I did not see the image because I did not go back far enough in the thread.  This is not a funnel situation like I assumed.

This actually looks fiendishly clever.  But I think I know why it would not work.  The multiple pipes have to pull water from each other as well as from the main tank, and so you lose the presumed unbalanced effect, and water does not flow.

[Nabo00o]

@Alien509
Hmm, what is important here is that in order to increase the flow you need stronger suction, thus either flow could be increased or you could trade it of for a higher outlet, this is what I am doing and I think it is useful.
For one if this works the water would never stop running, secondly, a large container could be filled with water from a source further down.

@Utilitarian
Well you might have a point there, but I do not think it is impossible to overcome this problem.
If the design is made in such a way that all the negative pressure meets in one end and works together to pull the water intake I think it would work. Also, what about the scenario where you only use one pipe in and out, being wider on the outtake than on the intake? I'll see if I can't make some new sketches to eliminate the possible problems...

@broli
Yep. I was thinking of trying it seriously today, we got more than enough parts lying around here 

[Nabo00o]

Okey this was done quite fast.
Still when I think about it, it only seem to be a problem in the beginning when the water doesn't know which way to flow. What if we had a pump connected to intake which forced water and through and made it flow through all the other outlets? If we then quickly put the intake below the water-level again the momentum of the flowing water could possibly keep on the flow, and keep it in the right direction? The pump could of course also be a normal garden hose with water coming out. I am not sure, but maybe....
Until then here is a change which will most probably work:

[broli]

Oh you are right.  I did not see the image because I did not go back far enough in the thread.  This is not a funnel situation like I assumed.

This actually looks fiendishly clever.  But I think I know why it would not work.  The multiple pipes have to pull water from each other as well as from the main tank, and so you lose the presumed unbalanced effect, and water does not flow.

If that's the case aren't you then dealing with newtons third law. Both will be trying to suck each other off,(oh my what a sentence) so the suction cancels.

To get to the train analogy it would mean that the train would have equal amounts of carts on both sides of the hill and thus be in equilibrium, But it could get tipped over easily, in this case that can't happen as water is continuously being fed so the equilibrium state remains indefinitely.

[broli]

Okey this was done quite fast.
Still when I think about it, it only seem to be a problem in the beginning when the water doesn't know which way to flow. What if we had a pump connected to intake which forced water and through and made it flow through all the other outlets? If we then quickly put the intake below the water-level again the momentum of the flowing water could possibly keep on the flow, and keep it in the right direction? The pump could of course also be a normal garden hose with water coming out. I am not sure, but maybe....
Until then here is a change which will most probably work:

You could get a siphon;

http://www.germes-online.com/direct/dbimage/50314745/Siphon_Pumps.jpg

And either attach a bigger tube on the outlet or attach one or more y-pieces to increase the amount of outlet tubes. The advantage is that you would have a means to pump the water to get it flowing instead of having to suck on it with your mouth or perform some other trick.