No running water, but need ideas...

[duluthUPLAND]

In the middle of building out my 24x24 garage. It's a bit of a blank slate right now that will include a home office workspace, dog kennels and regular garage stuff.

Something else I would like to include is a sink and water system that will accommodate some basic water needs as well as dog washing, game cleaning and processing etc...

There's no running water and I don't intend to add it. What are some portable/stand alone options for running/pumped water and a reservoir that I could keep filled from the house? Room temperature water will likely be sufficient however warm water could come in handy.

I'm thinking a large laundry/wash tub will work well. I've been looking for a stainless steel sink but have had a hard time finding the right one.

A standard utility stink and stainless prep table might be what I need.

I really need some ideas and suggestions on the water pump and faucet system. Any ideas or examples out there?

 

[Old Man Roger]

Is there a specific reason not to add water? I only ask, because it seems it would be just as easy to run a couple pipes? Or maybe even a hose?

 

[Kevin54]

Do a search on CL, or Facebook Marketplace. You can get 275 gallon water totes for $100 all day long. This is from Duluth...

Garden
Food grade totes 275 gal
Duluth, MN · over a week ago ·
$100

These has sunflower oil and canola oil in them. Still need rinsed. No real smell food grade totes.

1-$100
2-$175
3 or more $85 each
Pick up is located by Duluth mall Less

https://scontent-iad3-1.**.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/99003904_10222667266892016_8434856959462604800_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=3b2858&_nc_oc=AQl3TDZNuJuvAhVqoVSJ9n2_orTCI3X3NoY1Qhwam0ryTGFYFmSamQmY1CTVe7HaAz0&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.**&oh=dc5ec392819d8bd5db837cac0a6a4957&oe=5F05BB84

 

[matt_i]

I'd just trench in a water line. Add in a yard hydrant and you don't have to worry about freezing.

Even if you did a reservoir you still have to fill that up from a hose dragged across the yard (?) The overground hose is a forevermore thing you have to do regularly, the underground pipe is a work-once & done system.

 

[duluthUPLAND]

I'd just trench in a water line. Add in a yard hydrant and you don't have to worry about freezing.

Even if you did a reservoir you still have to fill that up from a hose dragged across the yard (?) The overground hose is a forevermore thing you have to do regularly, the underground pipe is a work-once & done system.

Is there a specific reason not to add water? I only ask, because it seems it would be just as easy to run a couple pipes? Or maybe even a hose?

I guess I just assumed that trenching in the water line would be more work and cost than I wanted to get involved with for now. Especially since I don't exactly know how I will use the space at this point.

I plan to be out there plenty and would like to get as much used as possible so a water line or at least a hose could be an option at some point.

 

[Jazz1]

Do a search on CL, or Facebook Marketplace. You can get 275 gallon water totes for $100 all day long. This is from Duluth...

Garden
Food grade totes 275 gal
Duluth, MN · over a week ago ·
$100

These has sunflower oil and canola oil in them. Still need rinsed. No real smell food grade totes.

1-$100
2-$175
3 or more $85 each
Pick up is located by Duluth mall Less

Thats a great deal! They run about $240 up here. Son just got one(previous contents maple syrup) to hold water for his camp. We have one at our camp that we elevated 15' on posts to increase water pressure to cabin.

 

[Stuart in MN]

For what you describe, a couple 5 gallon buckets is probably adequate. Another thought is camping and outdoor stores sell various kinds of water containers, some with wheels and a handle so you can move them around easily. They also have sinks and showers of various types that work with a water container.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

How far from the house (where I assume you have running water)? What type of soil.
It isn't expensive to rent a walk behind trencher. Put a hydrant outside. Probably end up about equal cost to the tote and a quality hose.

I use an electric point-of-use water heater, it's good enough for hand washing. Actually I get an unlimited supply of hot water at a very slow rate.

 

[Gummi Bear]

I set up a basic rainwater collection system at hunting camp some years back. Used it for shower, toilet and washing dishes. We brought 5 gallon jugs for a water cooler for drinking water.

2 - 275 gallon tanks fed from gutter

1 - HF shallow well pump (gotta be sure to use the one way valve per instructions, else it misbehaves, and is frustrating)

Plumbed the cabin like a house. Added some bleach to the tanks now and again to keep the cooties at bay.





Worked pretty good for a few years, till the new landowners added a well.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[matt_i]

This is one place that PVC is perfectly acceptable for a pipe system

 

[dcg9381]

There's no running water and I don't intend to add it. What are some portable/stand alone options for running/pumped water and a reservoir that I could keep filled from the house? Room temperature water will likely be sufficient however warm water could come in handy.

I really need some ideas and suggestions on the water pump and faucet system. Any ideas or examples out there?

Those square tubs are good ideas - easy to find and cheap. I've done something similar for an RV with 300 gallon tank from Tractor Supply on a trailer.. That way I can refill it.

Our "new" shop IS our water source. That is, we collect rain water on it from the gutters, do a first flush system, then put it into tanks. We have 3 x 5000 gallon tanks. You could also do the same with a much smaller version if you don't want to do portable tanks.

Water pumps - 2 options:
1) RV water pump, simple, 12V under $80. Easy to figure out.
2) Our first 120V pump was a 1/2 horsepower pump from Amazon with 3-4 gallon pressure tank built in. About $120. We used a hose bib with the black-flow-preventor removed for a water main to the shop until we got a more perm system...

Shop has a 3 GPM propane-powered tankless unit for hot water.

 

[twistedstang]

If you're close to the house, put a hose bib outside the garage. You can run a hose from the house to the hose bib on the garage and you have live plumbing. Kinda like a motorhome.

 

[NUTTSGT]

When you say, building out, is it not built and in the planning stage or its built and just an empty shell .

If the electric isn't trenched yet, I'd trench the water at the same time.

 

[Sureshot]

I'd trench two pex lines from your house. One from the hot and one cold. Even if you never use the hot it's there as a spare for the cold. While doing it I'd add an airline which could also work as a water line in a pinch. Having compressed air at my previous house was fantastic.

 

[Pabird]

I trenched about 90' and ran pex water line. The guy I hired to wire the garage ended up running the electric, water and natural gas line to the shop in the same trench. Well worth it and was actually reasonable. I had him set up a drain valve in my basement so I can shut off the water and empty the line into a wash tub when the weather gets real cold.

 

[830singleshot]

I can't imagine not having a utility sink. I probably use it as much as anything else in my shop. Absolutely run a water line (and a extra, capped at both ends) and while you have the trench open, run 2 extra 1" electrical PVC runs with sweep 90's at each end. You will end up using one of these for hardwired internet for your office.
If you can't tie into the sewer/septic, you can always catch the water in a bucket or daylight it to the lawn.

The cost of doing this now while you already are running a trencher is so small compared to the long term benefits.

 

[duluthUPLAND]

When you say, building out, is it not built and in the planning stage or its built and just an empty shell .

If the electric isn't trenched yet, I'd trench the water at the same time.

I wasn't clear about that. It's an interior build out but an exterior retro-fit if that makes any sense.

The garage was already there, built by a previous owner. It had electric and a phone line run but that's it. The inside was completely unfinished.

 

[pbon]

Rent a trencher and run a line rather than carrying water. If no heat and the line is not deep enough you will need to drain it or blow it out if your area has winter.

You could also use storage tanks with a pump. Gravity feed is possible if you put the tank up high and pump into it or can mount it remotely on a hill and pump into it.

 

[Stuart in MN]

It's funny how many people ignored what the OP said...

There's no running water and I don't intend to add it.

The frost depth in Duluth is pretty deep, trenching in a water line is not a simple task.

 

[matt_i]

It's funny how many people ignored what the OP said...



The frost depth in Duluth is pretty deep, trenching in a water line is not a simple task.

60" deep from what I read.

One can also assist the process by using rigid foam and go shallower. Something around 1" of rigid foam takes the place of 1 foot of bare earth.

Of course it has to be wider than a tiny 4" trench.

But one could rent a mini-ex with a wide-r bucket, dig 3ft, apply sand, apply rigid foam lets just say 24" wide for starters, and backfill. A good 3-day weekend project if one can find a yard that would rent the mini-ex for 1 day price over a holiday weekend if its back the following Monday AM when they open for business. Use PEX which can take some freezing just in case. I'd leave open the option to blow it out seasonally if necessary which would be a low-point drain in the house.

 

[Old Man Roger]

It's funny how many people ignored what the OP said...

I rejected his reality and inserted my own..lol

 

[Mattlt]

On the topic of the sink and prep table, keep an eye on the local auction houses. I have a feeling there will be a lot of restaurants going under due to the covid situation. Should be able to find sinks, shelving, and tables at reasonable prices.

 

[GRivera]

Reviving and old thread. My shop is completed and has no running water so I'm also looking for a portable solution. Is there a commercially available option I'm overlooking. The one in the link below is a self contained unit but a bit spendy.

Portable Sink Mobile Hand Wash Station with Hot Water Handwashing 35-0092

Discover the Portable Sink Mobile Hand Wash Station with Hot Water from Concession Sinks. Ideal for events and locations without a fixed water source, this 35-0092 model provides convenient, hot water handwashing with a durable, mobile design. Perfect for maintaining hygiene on-the-go

concession-sinks.com

I'm not completely opposed to one without hot water but it would be chilly as I maintain about 60 degrees in the winter.

 

[TractorJeff]

This came up before!
Someone suggested a "Water Cooler Stand" with the 5 gallon jug on top. The reasoning is, those also have a "Hot Water" tap. This way you can wash your hands. It drains into a 5 gallon bucket you dump occasionally.

 

[duneslider]

24v Washer

I have one of these that I use for washing bikes in the winter. I fill it up with hot water and then wash the bike outside in the gravel and then take it back in the garage. Works great for little things.

 

[jkuro]

In the middle of building out my 24x24 garage. It's a bit of a blank slate right now that will include a home office workspace, dog kennels and regular garage stuff.

You need a bigger garage.

 

[GRivera]

Interesting concept

 

[danfromsyr]

I don't know why the use of insulated 'boiler' pex isn't a thing for domestic water..
it doesn't have to be heated to reap the benefits for the insulation..
so you don't have to go as deep.

add in that iirc pex doesn't burst even if it does freeze..
so a minor seasonal inconvenience if it's not deep or insulated enough

and can always leave the extra line hooked up but empty or as a heated line to to thaw the primary if needed..
just spitballing here.

the cheap stuff is ~$6/ft to $14/ft and looking at this stuff can easily DIY an insulated wrap.

Google Search

 

[Bert_]

I don't know why the use of insulated 'boiler' pex isn't a thing for domestic water..
it doesn't have to be heated to reap the benefits for the insulation..
so you don't have to go as deep.

add in that iirc pex doesn't burst even if it does freeze..
so a minor seasonal inconvenience if it's not deep or insulated enough

and can always leave the extra line hooked up but empty or as a heated line to to thaw the primary if needed..
just spitballing here.

the cheap stuff is ~$6/ft to $14/ft and looking at this stuff can easily DIY an insulated wrap.

Google Search

If the water isn't moving then the insulation won't help. The water will cool down to ground temperature, insulation will just make it take longer.

At $6/ft it would be a lot cheaper to just bury it below the frost line and never have issues.

 

[danfromsyr]

hmm..
w/o the addition of heat, insulation just slows the equilibrium rate.
dang

 

[HoosierMark]

Grivera You may want to consider how trailer RV systems are set up. They have small propane water heaters and 12 volt pumps. A fresh and a grey water holding tank (or simple drain) may work for you. There are also on demand heaters. It all depends on how much money you want to throw at the problem. I ran my utilities (excluding septic) 300 feet to pole barn. I figured one and done and have all the water I wanted.

 

[Showkey]

It's funny how many people ignored what the OP said...



The frost depth in Duluth is pretty deep, trenching in a water line is not a simple task.

That’s because there is often a few hundred dollars between doing it right vs half ***.
Then its few $1000 to do it right after the fact.

 

[jkuro]

You can bury a shallow cold water line to the new garage and use it for three seasons. Drain or blow it out for winter. A small water heater in the garage will get you the hot water.
If you want to use it all year you must bury below the frost line and keep the garage heated to prevent freezing.

Also if you use any of the other suggested systems above, if it's not heated you must drain down for winter or it will freeze.

 

[duneslider]

So sure, its pretty easy to run a water line out to the garage, not really that big of a deal but if you run water out and have sinks and stuff those are going to require a drain. Running a sewer line out to the back garage I am betting in most cases is a much bigger deal.

I know if I were trying to get a sewer line from any place in my back yard up to the connection in front of my house it would be a HUGE cost and make a huge mess of my finished yard. I would have to cross multiple sprinkler lines and all the other utilities to the house. It would probably cost more to put the sewer in than to build the freaking garage because it would turn into redoing the whole yard. I really don't see getting water to the garage as a couple hundred dollar situation.