External water pressure pump from tote

[racerboy]

We have well issues at my house (separate thread) and one of the fixes was to get a 275 gal water tote to collect rainwater to use for watering the garden, washing buckets, etc. I still have to install a garden hose spigot on it, but was wondering if I could run a water pressure pump off it so we could have pressure (as opposed to just filling buckets to water things). If this is possible, I’m assuming I could even use it to wash my car. I have a small HF transfer pump (1/10 hp) that I used to pump the water from the rain collection bucket into the tote? I’m not sure if this would work because I want something that will allow me to put a spray wand in the end of the hose and be able to turn off the spray wand without shutting power to the pump. I think if I did that with my little HF pump, it would burn out.

here’s my tote:

 

[The Cobbler]

shallow well pressure pump would work for you

 

[racerboy]

Thanks Cobbler!
Something like this? I realize this is a cheapie version but I was trying to keep my costs low. Some of the shallow well pumps were between $600-$1000. M

 

[mike93lx]

You want to wash your car and fill buckets with a 15gpm pump? 1hp is a lot of motor for this. Feels like installing trim with a drilling hammer. Maybe I'm off though

The well at my last house, that was 125' underground was half that

 

[The Cobbler]

you're on the track. probably a 1/2 or 3/4 HP would be fine too

 

[unslow1]

A friend of mine had problems with his well for years. His solution was to get a big portable tote like you. Instead of leaving it on the truck or trailer that he used he would use it to fill his well. The well would then do what it could and he would use water like normal. He would fill it about once a month from one of the small towns near him that had a water tower. They didn't charge much and as far as I know he never drilled a new well and he has since sold the place.

 

[unslow1]

A friend of mine had problems with his well for years. His solution was to get a big portable tote like you. Instead of leaving it on the truck or trailer that he used he would use it to fill his well. The well would then do what it could and he would use water like normal. He would fill it about once a month from one of the small towns near him that had a water tower. They didn't charge much and as far as I know he never drilled a new well and he has since sold the place. He said it was very cheap to buy the water and drilling a new well they wouldn't guarantee it would work.

 

[kbs2244]

H F has low cost shallow well pump/tank combos

 

[racerboy]

A friend of mine had problems with his well for years. His solution was to get a big portable tote like you. Instead of leaving it on the truck or trailer that he used he would use it to fill his well. The well would then do what it could and he would use water like normal. He would fill it about once a month from one of the small towns near him that had a water tower. They didn't charge much and as far as I know he never drilled a new well and he has since sold the place.

That’s an interesting thought. The issue I have is that my neighbor runs his sprinklers every day and has about a 2 acre lot. He actually has 2 wells on his property: one for the irrigation and one for his house. If I filled my well I feel like I would just be helping him water his lawn. My well and his irrigation well are about 70 ft apart and are on the same line of sight, so we are probably drawing from the same water table vein. They are both 500 ft wells, but neither are great producers. My other neighbor has a well that is only 100 ft down and he filled his 30,000 gal swimming pool last summer and never once ran out of water.

I called about getting a new well drilled and they told me the same thing that they told your friend, that there was no guarantee they would hit water. Another 500’ well in north NJ is going to be between $20-$25k. I’ve been looking into the Well Manager system as a way to more effectively use my low-yield well.

thanks to others about the pump hp. I’m assuming that no matter what I get, I want something with a pressure tank so that it’s not constantly running even when I turn the hose sprayer off.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Sure it can work. If you want to leave the pump running when you shut off the hose put a Tee in after the pump with a recirculating line that returns water to the tank. It will keep water flowing to cool the pump.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Thanks Cobbler!
Something like this? I realize this is a cheapie version but I was trying to keep my costs low. Some of the shallow well pumps were between $600-$1000. M

This is a quick, easy to use and available solution. Its what I would try.

 

[speedracerfx]

Holy overkill, guys. All he needs is something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DKV1NWX/?tag=atomicindus08-20 This will turn on and off based on demand, just like a pressure washer. I'm working on a rain collection system as well (2200 gallons) and will be using one of these pumps.

 

[MTY]

I have been using the HF Drumond pump since 2017. It runs 7 to 8 hours per day minimum from spring to fall. It will handle two rainbird sprinklers at a time. Three is too many with a couple hundred feet of hose. I have about 2000 gallons of water per day to get rid of. It is either water gardens and lawn or watch it run down the ditch.

 

[MTY]

You have to figure in line loss if you are going to run multiple hoses. For example, and this is just a rough example, with 200 feet of 5/8 hose I can squirt water about 15 feet. With another 100' added on the squirt distance drops down to half of that. This is with the HF pump.

I have a smaller pump sitting in the lawn shed. With more than 50' of hose it was worthless.

 

[PoorUB]

I don't know about the Horrible freight pump being over kill versus the little pump in the Amazon link. Put 100 feet on the 3.3 GPM pump and get back with me. Even if you are using a short run of hose, say 25 feet that pump I doubt that pump will run a small sprinkler head. For twice the price the HF pump will move some water.

 

[dcg9381]

My initial pump setup was this thing. I've had this for a few years, still works - comes with pressure tank. I believe you need a one-way valve with it. It's regulated, dead easy, 120 or 240v.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015Z7JLSE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[PoorUB]

You really don't need a pressure tank and switches. Most centrifugal pumps max out around 40 to 60 PSI.

 

[Sumboodie]

shallow well pressure pump would work for you

Yup, or RV pump

 

[TractorJeff]

My brothers remote cabin has a 12v powered demand RV pump. when pressure drops, it runs, when you close spigot, pressure builds, pump shuts off!

 

[u3b3rg33k]

You really don't need a pressure tank and switches. Most centrifugal pumps max out around 40 to 60 PSI.

even so you can't dead head a pump without adverse effects. you need some flow to avoid issues with localized heating and seal failure.

my recommendation would be to make sure the flow rate is high enough a heater of similar power to the pump power couldn't make the volume of the pump "hot". for something plug-in, that's probably 1/3 GPM or so.

 

[bucolic]

RV pump is your answer. Here is one with 65PSI and 5.5 GPM. They are very quiet also and turn on and off as needed. Also small and portable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RCSLFS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[PoorUB]

even so you can't dead head a pump without adverse effects. you need some flow to avoid issues with localized heating and seal failure.

my recommendation would be to make sure the flow rate is high enough a heater of similar power to the pump power couldn't make the volume of the pump "hot". for something plug-in, that's probably 1/3 GPM or so.

I agree, as long as you keep water flowing you will be ok.

 

[The Cobbler]

I used an old well pump for years & hundreds of hours for irrigation from a creek. I didn't have a pressure tank or switch . a small leak anywhere will provide enough flow to keep the pump cool . as said the pumps max out at about 60psi so no worries of over-pressuring

 

[MarlynOC]

Marine SHURflow pump 12V pump.