I have a large in ground cistern that harvests rainwater from the roof of my house. The water level is probably 5' underground. I also have a garden plot at the bottom of a very large steep hill (at least 100' downhill). I would like to run a garden hose from the cistern to the bottom of the hill to irrigate my garden. At this point, I would just be happy with watering by hand if the psi isn't enough to run low pressure drip. My problem is that I am looking for a convenient way to start my siphon. Like I said the water level is about 3-5' below ground and I would have to lift the water to prime the siphon. I do have access to electrical and rural water. What would be the most cost effective means of starting a siphon from the cistern? I have got ideas from friends ranging from using a Y hose valve to try to start a siphon by connecting it to the rural water. Filling the hose with water and bringing it down the hill. Running an air compressor on a pvc fitting to start a vacuum. Building a pvc piston hand pump. etc. Just looking for some cheap good ideas.