Can a manual sink pump pair with a 50-100 gallon water tank versus bucket? (+ other manual pump ?s)

Online, I only see people hooking them up to 5 gallon buckets of water versus a tank. Will they work with a manual pump?

I'm considering a manual versus electric water pump in my off grid tiny house build because I learned that the electric pump has a huge electric draw (759 watts/day). I want the big water tank for convenience but I'm not sure they'll work together.

Other related questions:

- Does a manual water pump pair with hot water? (online, cold water only is all I seem to see). To note, I'd be willing to live without hot water. I've done it before by heating water as needed on the stove.  

- Is a manual water pump the "greener" choice? I would save electricity with no electric water pump, but perhaps it would take more propane to heat my daily water on the stove versus a propane tank which would be more efficient. The answer would be another factor in my decision.

(BTW, I use very little hot water. I haven't measured my exact use, but take bucket showers a couple times a week (sponge bathing otherwise) and wash most laundry by hand in cold (being minimalist, minimal laundry at that). I don't remember exactly how much hot water I used for dishes back when I had no hot water heater, but I do most of my cooking and eating at home. When I had no hot water, I would heat a gallon in the morning and store in thermoses to have as needed for dishes during the day. It stretched a long while because I often mixed it with cold to get the right temp).

Lastly, I am grateful to this forum (goofballs welcome ) for a place to ask my crazy off grid questions.

What I would need to know is the gallons per minute of the manual pump (gpm). If you could pump five or ten gallons per minute it would take 10 to 5 minutes to fill a 50 gallon tank. Also the electric pump you wrote about does it list the gpm or cubic feet per second or is it in metric measurements?

T Blankinship wrote:What I would need to know is the gallons per minute of the manual pump (gpm). If you could pump five or ten gallons per minute it would take 10 to 5 minutes to fill a 50 gallon tank. Also the electric pump you wrote about does it list the gpm or cubic feet per second or is it in metric measurements?

Thanks! In this question, I was actually referencing an indoor sink pump for daily indoor water use versus an outdoor pump for filling my water tank. Something like this: https://www.recpro.com/rv-manual-fresh-water-hand-pump/ . People often run a hose into a 5 gallon bucket under the sink but I'd like something bigger. As for the electric pump, I don't know the answer but could research it. I haven't picked one out yet. A solar guy I spoke with gave the wattage as a general estimate for "DC water pump".

I was thinking this thread the other day. Could you put the bucket above the sink? Say two or more feet above because this would give you pressure without a pump. In home brewing this bucket is called a bottling bucket. One down side is it would be a lot of Weight to move when it is full.

A manual RV pump could work, depending on how far down the tank is. The site linked above doesn't list the maximum height the pump can draw. Usually with RV's it's perhaps 5 feet from the tank to the counter

Another option might be a pitcher pump designed for shallow wells and cisterns.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/water-and-irrigation/water-pumps/10380-cast-iron-pitcher-pump?item=PD710

T Blankinship wrote:I was thinking this thread the other day. Could you put the bucket above the sink? Say two or more feet above because this would give you pressure without a pump. In home brewing this bucket is called a bottling bucket. One down side is it would be a lot of Weight to move when it is full.

I'm actually going to have overhead storage over my sink. That's something to consider, thanks!

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:A manual RV pump could work, depending on how far down the tank is. The site linked above doesn't list the maximum height the pump can draw. Usually with RV's it's perhaps 5 feet from the tank to the counter

Another option might be a pitcher pump designed for shallow wells and cisterns.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/garden/water-and-irrigation/water-pumps/10380-cast-iron-pitcher-pump?item=PD710

Thanks! My tank will be about 5 feet away so I just might get away with it. The well pump is something to consider. Does this pump water faster than a little RV foot pedal pump? If so, that might be a good thing. For the times a lot of water is needed fast, a foot pedal could be laborsome.

Well, this pump has a 1-1/4" connector for a standard size well pipe, so yes I think the volume would be greater.

I'm not promoting this specific unit. But I had one at my old propery, for emergency use on my shallow well. Not terribly useful now, with my deep well, and it's sitting in my garage. But then again, you never know where time and tide will take you. And spare parts are still available.

That hand pump needs to be right over the water source right?
A rod goes down to  a pump in the cistern or tank?
Like any other hand operated well pump.

Asking because you said your water source is 5ft away.
I don't think that can be a sideways 5ft.

I still see a few of those at flea markets for lawn ornaments.
That would look great near the sink.

No, it's a simple suction pump that can handle approx. 20 ft. vertical lift according to the specs. There is no rod pushing a deeper foot valve; that is for deeper wells. It should be able to go sideways quite a long distance. It's better to put a simple check valve on the end of the pipe to keep the line full and reduce the time between pumping the handle and getting water.

oops guess I should have followed the link.
It has the flapper valve right in it.

Good point about priming.
I bet it would take a few pumps to get water to start flowing
if you were pumping upwards very far and
didn't have a check valve on the bottom end.

craig howard wrote:That hand pump needs to be right over the water source right?
A rod goes down to  a pump in the cistern or tank?
Like any other hand operated well pump.

Asking because you said your water source is 5ft away.
I don't think that can be a sideways 5ft.

I still see a few of those at flea markets for lawn ornaments.
That would look great near the sink.

Thanks, I do think it would look great! And looks like it just might do the trick :)

My great-grandmother's house had a pump like the one pictured here at her kitchen sink. Unfortunately, I had just turned 7 when she died so I can't tell you much about how it worked, but I'm pretty sure the well wasn't exactly below her sink as there was another pump outside the house that connected to the same well.

Melissa Ferrin wrote:My great-grandmother's house had a pump like the one pictured here at her kitchen sink. Unfortunately, I had just turned 7 when she died so I can't tell you much about how it worked, but I'm pretty sure the well wasn't exactly below her sink as there was another pump outside the house that connected to the same well.

Cool! Thanks for sharing.

I think I'm going to go with this one: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/whale-pumps--gusher-mkiii-cabinet-mount-foot-pump-left-handed--P002509222 . I was happy to see that it pumps up to 7 feet.

The well pump would have looked cool in a retro way, but it is a bit big for my tiny kitchen. Also with this one, I can install a normal faucet with it. That means the needed stuff will be there should anyone wish to change to an electric pump down the line (without new holes in the counter and then being left with other holes from removing the well pump).

Oh, and I think I'm going to get the Eccotemp portable hot water heater should I ever need a bunch of hot water fast. Otherwise I don't use hot water that much and can use my kettle as needed.

I appreciate all your suggestions!

I like the foot pump idea better than the hand pump. It leaves both hands free to do actual work.