water supply in detached shop

[oiler]

I've got my shop about 200 ft from my house on a acreage out of town
we're on our own well and septic but I'd like to have water in the shop
Not real wild about tieing into the house just so I can wash my hands
thinking about a 45 gallon plastic drum with a RV on demand pump with a small sink going to a gravity drain thorugh the wall
Any ideas good bad or otherwise??
Thanks
Jeff

 

[Ray-CA]

How are you planning to fill the 45-gal. drum? Another thought is how often will you be going through a tank of water? If the water is not used/exchanged you will most likely have a mold/bacteria problem unless you treat the water.

Ii looks like a feasible plan, just needs a bit of tweaking.

Good luck,

Ray

 

[D KRAGER]

Should work ok. I know of a farmer that built a new shop, there was no water at the time so he put a 250 gl tank above the office area, then just used gravity, no need for a pump. He had another water tank and pump that he re-filled it with.

 

[oiler]

I was thinking I'd fill from the house with the garden hose in the summer and just before winter closes in (gets awful cold here in Northern Canada)
I could always top it up with 5 gallon bottles from the house
I use waterless hand cleaner so I'd just use it for rinsing off.
Should be able to make a drum last 3-4 months

 

[Mattlt]

How about a rain barrel? Catch the water from the gutters on the shop. You'll need some way to deal with the overflow. (just put a pencil to the numbers as to how many gallons of water fall on the surface area the size of a roof during an even small amount of rainfall - it adds up quickly)

My uncle made a similar contraption that sits on the south side of a building at his farm, so he'd have warm water to wash up with. Kind of a solar water heater.

 

[Lloydthumper]

Not trying to be smart but poly ethelene pipe is cheap why not just buy a 250ft roll and dig a trench 18-24" what ever the frost line is in your area and run it from your house?

 

[oiler]

I have considered it but I'd have to punch a hole into the house which is all finished inside and I've got 200 feet of brick walkways ,asphalt and brick walls to get to the shop

 

[Torque1st]

Run an underground line and install a freeze proof hydrant in a dry well in the shop.

 

[ghlkal]

I have a similar situation and was also thinking about using a 55gal drum.

If the water is not used/exchanged you will most likely have a mold/bacteria problem unless you treat the water.

I hadn't thought about this ... anyone use a drum and "treat" their water?

 

[mad57]

use a 45 gallon poly rv tank in the inside heated shop up high so it wont freeze. either fill it from hose in summer via copper plumbing in wall off a garden hose tilted so it drains easy in winter and just use gravity, or tap off the rain gutter and put over flow on tank so when it full it just runs out side . this will last you along time if just for hand washing or pisser. if its located in the attic add rv anti freeze so it wont freeze also non toxic. sounds like a good plan have fun mike.

 

[mad57]

I have a similar situation and was also thinking about using a 55gal drum.



I hadn't thought about this ... anyone use a drum and "treat" their water?

regular bleach in gallon bottle add some here and there last forever if not in direct sunlight.

 

[PJDiesel]

Run an underground line and install a freeze proof hydrant in a dry well in the shop.

Just finished mine this evening, ran one right out side the house, the other into the building.

It's the only way to fly, might as well run a drain line while you're in there.

 

[PurdueSD]

Dont you want to be able to hook up a hose to wash cars or water lawn/ hose out the floor...?

It may be a pain to trench one in now. But it wont be a pain everytime you need a hose....

 

[larry4406]

You don't need to connect to the house and drill thru the house foundation to install a garage water line.

At the well head, install a tee - one leg to the house, the other leg to the garage. On the garage leg, install a 1/4 turn valve with valve box close to the tee (get this from a real plumbing supply house, not HD or Lowes). This will let you get the house back on line fast, and take your time with the garage water line install. The valve has a port that bleeds the pressure in the down stream garage line when closed, so bed the valve good in gravel.

At that point, run a new water line to your garage, below the frost line, sleeve the line where it comes thru the garage footing and floor, then run your plumbing. With this setup, you do not need a separate expansion tank for the garage as it is hydraulicly common with the house.

This is how I did mine, works nice. I have a filter and electric water heater in the garage, and a full bath with shower.

 

[PJDiesel]

With this setup, you do not need a separate expansion tank for the garage as it is hydraulicly common with the house.

Except, isn't there a check valve at the expansion tank? Meaning, the pressure switch at the house wouldn't recognize the pressure drop?