A good siphon is quiet. If there is a lot of gurgling and bubbling, you have some air in the hose, which will slow or stop the siphoning.

It usually isn't worth the trouble to re-start a slow siphon unless the water flow has completely stopped.

Once the water is flowing, your attention should turn to the wet (source) end of the hose. Keep it underwater. The longer you can keep air from getting in, the more water will be removed. If you hold the mouth of the hose against the bottom, you may be able to get almost all of the water out.

Eventually, air will get pulled in and will interrupt the path of the water, stopping your siphon.

I've got a lot of instructions and photos here, but it really is a simple process.

Before I introduce the next method, here is a little tip for draining tanks with a garden hose - One end of a hose has a loose connector ring and a washer. Avoid having that end in your mouth because it is larger and has a path for air to escape.

If you are wary of sucking on this thing to get it started, a second option is to immerse the entire hose underwater. It is a little tricky to fill the entire hose with no air remaining inside. Don't just drop the whole coil in, feed it in from one end, like a snake crawling into the water. This will give the air a path out of the hose and you won't have bubbles stuck inside. Bubbles will stop the siphon.

When only a little dry tip remains above the surface, cap it with your thumb and pull the hose out. You might be able to avoid getting your hands wet, but don't count on it.

Move it into a bucket or can below the surface of the source water and remove your thumb. The water should immediately start flowing out of the hose.

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