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Sprinkler pumps? shallow (30') well pumps for irrigation?

 
Judith Browning
Posts: 9280
Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain
2632
4
posted 3 years ago
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We've been searching for a shallow well potable water pump for drought time garden watering.
The well has 24' of water 10' from the surface with a six inch casing.
Has been covered in the well house here for probably 30 years or more and was used for the house water before municipal water came through so assuming it will replenish often enough to be useful.

Just ran across sprinkler pumps and that sounds exactly what we are interested in so am wondering if anyone here has experience with one and recommendations?

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

 
John C Daley
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Install a bladder tank to ensure the pump is not switching on and off.
Match the pump flow with the sprinklers  total outflow.
Be mind full of pressure losses.
Use large pipe to the sprinklers and try to run a circular layout, not a lateral [ tree like ] system so the sprinklers have similar output.

John Daley Bendigo, Australia The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
Benefits of rainfall collection https://permies.com/t/88043/benefits-rainfall-collection
GOOD DEBT/ BAD DEBT https://permies.com/t/179218/mortgages-good-debt-bad-debt

 
Judith Browning
Posts: 9280
Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain
2632
4
posted 3 years ago
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Thank you John
Good advice...
We were hoping to keep the set up as simple and low cost as possible. Running a hose from pump to garden and manually turning the pump on and off as needed with no pressure tank....is that possible?

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

 
John C Daley
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Location: Bendigo , Australia
495
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I have to ask some questions.
- What are you trying to keep growing
- how many times will you need to move it
- how often will you water
- what is the cost of one sprinkler
- what is the cost of the pump

John Daley Bendigo, Australia The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
Benefits of rainfall collection https://permies.com/t/88043/benefits-rainfall-collection
GOOD DEBT/ BAD DEBT https://permies.com/t/179218/mortgages-good-debt-bad-debt

 
Mike Haasl
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Yes, it's very possible.  A normal sprinkler pump from the hardware store should do the trick but make sure it says it can exceed the amount of lift you'll be expecting it to do.  The 10' down to water is the number you're after even if your suction hose goes 15 more feet down into the well.  Unless it sucks the level down quickly and then the "working" water level would be the amount the pump has to lift.

I'd put a "foot valve" on the inlet so that once you get it primed it won't lose prime between watering events.

I'm assuming the pump doesn't have to push the water more than 40' uphill from the pump's location?  Otherwise you'd need to be mindful of the pump's specs in that department as well.

Manually turning it on and off is just fine for your purposes.

SKIP books, get 'em while they're hot!!! Skills to Inherit Property
See me in a movie building a massive wood staircase:Low Tech Lab Movie

 
Judith Browning
Posts: 9280
Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain
2632
4
posted 3 years ago
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John C Daley wrote:I have to ask some questions.
- What are you trying to keep growing
- how many times will you need to move it
- how often will you water
- what is the cost of one sprinkler
- what is the cost of the pump



We won't be moving the pump, only the hose connected to it.
How often we water will depend on the weather and how quickly this shallow well replenishes.
We have the sprinkler already.
The sprinkler pumps cost around  $150 depending on brand and quality.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

 
Judith Browning
Posts: 9280
Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain
2632
4
posted 3 years ago
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Mike Haasl wrote:Yes, it's very possible.  A normal sprinkler pump from the hardware store should do the trick but make sure it says it can exceed the amount of lift you'll be expecting it to do.  The 10' down to water is the number you're after even if your suction hose goes 15 more feet down into the well.  Unless it sucks the level down quickly and then the "working" water level would be the amount the pump has to lift.

I'd put a "foot valve" on the inlet so that once you get it primed it won't lose prime between watering events.

I'm assuming the pump doesn't have to push the water more than 40' uphill from the pump's location?  Otherwise you'd need to be mindful of the pump's specs in that department as well.

Manually turning it on and off is just fine for your purposes.



Thanks Mike...
The area is pretty flat in all directions so no elevation unless we fill a 50 gallon barrel at one of the locations.  Planning to move 150' of hose to whatever needs the water, usually just freshly planted seeds or very young plants.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

 
Mike Haasl
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Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
4948
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posted 3 years ago
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Cool, then the elevation won't be a problem.  The length of hose may pose a restriction, no way to know till you try it out.  Bigger diameter garden hoses will be better.  If all the plants are in the same direction, putting in 100' of 1" black poly irrigation pipe from the pump towards the garden, then going with a garden hose from there would be an option.  But I'd only do that if the pressure is too low at the end of your intended set-up.

SKIP books, get 'em while they're hot!!! Skills to Inherit Property
See me in a movie building a massive wood staircase:Low Tech Lab Movie

 
John C Daley
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Dragging a hose 150' may drive you mad.
Mikes idea of running a black poly main pipe [ large diameter ] will help a lot, because the loss
of flow [ pressure ] through 150 ft of hose will be great, causing the pump to work harder.
Could you fit a tank somewhere, pump to that and gravitate from that tank to the watering spots?

John Daley Bendigo, Australia The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
Benefits of rainfall collection https://permies.com/t/88043/benefits-rainfall-collection
GOOD DEBT/ BAD DEBT https://permies.com/t/179218/mortgages-good-debt-bad-debt

 
Mike Haasl
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Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
4948
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Thanks John!  Gravity won't run sprinklers though.  It's dicey for drip unless you have a healthy elevation drop from the tank to the irrigation line.  Judith says she's on flat ground so.....

SKIP books, get 'em while they're hot!!! Skills to Inherit Property
See me in a movie building a massive wood staircase:Low Tech Lab Movie

 
Judith Browning
Posts: 9280
Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain
2632
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posted 3 weeks ago
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thanks john and mike!

finally back to this project...we've borrowed a well bucket and have emptied twice...rusty colored but no smell and looking clearer.

It takes 50 two gallon well buckets (100) gallons to get down towards the bottom so even summer time when the water table is lower, hoping for 40 gallons to replenish daily.

...back to pricing pumps.

-something for potable water and something that could last our lifetime and beyond.

-planning to use daily over the summer during the drought.

-I would like to be able to store the water in our cubes and barrels when we run out of rainwater.

Any recommendations for brands?

I lost track of one we liked on line that was for potable water and also had brass or maybe stainless parts?





"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

 
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