I was able to rig and old bilge pump on a piece of black pipe and used it to fill the pipe if the water was full. Otherwise, if the pond was down some, I tied a 5 gallon bucket to a rope and used it to fill the pipe. When the lower pipe was full I put a cap on the tee, went to the bottom of the pipe and pulled the cap off. That started the siphon.
I usually put the end of the pipe on a block of styrofoam to raise the Tee up a foot or so. That made the water run down the pipe rather than back to the pond side. When I got ready to start the siphon I would lower it off the block of styrofoam.
On the second siphon I put a 45 degree Tee on the end rather than just a angle. That way I can bury the pipe and let it fill itself when the pond gets full. It will also work as a overflow pipe when the water gets to that point. I can cap it or leave it open. I put a fitting and a screw in plug on the end of it.
