Pumping water from lake 100' below for sprinkler system

[BruceWard]

I want to pump water from the lake that is approximately 100' below my house for a sprinkler system. I can not use a submergible pump. Lets say the pump is placed 5' above water level. The suction hose has a filter that is placed 4" deep in the water. The water will be pumped through 200' of 1.5" pipe gaining 100' of elevation before it hits a pressure regulator and is pumped through 300' of additional sprinkler system pipe. The sprinkler system will use approximately a dozen Rainbird 5000 heads.

What would you use for a pump?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[breadtrk]

4 inches deep is going to vortex and suck more air than water. Did you mean 4 ft?

Every pump manufacturer has very detailed "head" charts for their pumps. Any other recommendations will be a brand preference, Ford vs Chevy deal.

Do your homework and don't do cheap.

 

[cycle_gator]

Best to also check pressure/flow/ coverage characteristics of RB 5000. You could easily be at 30 to 40 GPM at 30 to 40 psi. Doubt you need the pressure reg. the heads have one built in. It will take a very healthy centrifugal pump to meet those requirements.

 

[Sprinklerman]

I do irrigation residential irrigation , you are going to have a lot of water weight to move thru 1.5 in pipe . Question is why cant you use a submersible pump? If you only have 4 inches of water depth , thats not enough for either a submersible or a jet pump.. What do you have available for electric ? you will need a 220 pump , you will have to calculate the wire size . Will you be using a pump start relay off the controller or a pressure tank with a pressure switch ( I would use the tank) . I think 1.5 pipe is overkill for 12 heads , section that off to 4 zones of 3 heads each and 1 inch pipe sdr21 pvc would be fine . A 3/4 hp jet pump running off 220 volt should be sufficent , using a pressure tank and pressure switch would avoid water hammer . keep your nozzles sized so that each zone is running a total of 6 to 8 GPM. Space your heads no more than 30 feet . Never use the maximum spacing there is no room for adjustment . If you are looking for distance and higher gpm move up to the Falcon series , but that all depends on how well the water supply performs .

 

[chim]

Like breadtrk said, head is something you'll need to overcome. It'll take around 45PSI to just get the water lifted 100 vertical feet. Then there are other calculations someone like Sprinklerman might be able to help with.

 

[BruceWard]

4 inches deep is going to vortex and suck more air than water. Did you mean 4 ft?

Every pump manufacturer has very detailed "head" charts for their pumps. Any other recommendations will be a brand preference, Ford vs Chevy deal.

Do your homework and don't do cheap.

Sorry guys, the intake will be 4' (feet) deep.

 

[BruceWard]

I do irrigation residential irrigation , you are going to have a lot of water weight to move thru 1.5 in pipe . Question is why cant you use a submersible pump? If you only have 4 inches of water depth , thats not enough for either a submersible or a jet pump.. What do you have available for electric ? you will need a 220 pump , you will have to calculate the wire size . Will you be using a pump start relay off the controller or a pressure tank with a pressure switch ( I would use the tank) . I think 1.5 pipe is overkill for 12 heads , section that off to 4 zones of 3 heads each and 1 inch pipe sdr21 pvc would be fine . A 3/4 hp jet pump running off 220 volt should be sufficent , using a pressure tank and pressure switch would avoid water hammer . keep your nozzles sized so that each zone is running a total of 6 to 8 GPM. Space your heads no more than 30 feet . Never use the maximum spacing there is no room for adjustment . If you are looking for distance and higher gpm move up to the Falcon series , but that all depends on how well the water supply performs .

Sorry, 4'. I plan to run 220 service to a 50 amp panel near the pump. I will eventually have a dock down there. I also prefer the pressure tank / pressure activated pump plan. Would you place the pressure tank near the pump or at the top of the hill?

The lake management prohibits submersible pumps.

Any thoughts on filtering the often muddy water? Is lake water likely to clog the sprinkler heads?

 

[ultrarunner]

A farmer around here has his pump on a float... and seems to work well... rises and falls with pond level.

 

[STx]

You can't pull water up 100', it isn't physically possible to lift it more than 33.9' and that is only going to happen at sea level. You will have to get the pump within 20' above the water source to have a real chance, pumps can push water a LONG way up but they are limited in their ability to pull water.

For irrigation, you're going to want a pump start relay, not a pressure tank. Design the system to the pump capacity, pressure tanks will cause short cycling, which will cause short pump life. Use scrubber valves and heads designed for dirty water.

I've been a licensed irrigator for a number of years and I would strongly recommend finding a local, reputable irrigation company to help you at least with the design and material specification. Residential irrigation from pumps is more complicated than hooking up to city water and poor design will give very poor performance. I'd look on the Irrigation Association website and find someone local there.

 

[Sprinklerman]

What have neighbors run? That would be a good start see what they have and works . Shame you cant use the submersible . I would have the pressure tank at the pier area , build a small building to house the pump and tank . Put a few hose bibs to attach garden hoses if you need them ( cant do that with a pump relay ) . To keep the intake from clogging ...... take a 4inch pvc sewer pipe get a glue on cap for the bottom drill a lot of small holes in the pipe , a lot . Wrap the pipe with filter cloth and wire tie it on , set it in the water with 2 feet above high water set your suction in the 4 in pipe . Dont be tempted to get a cheap pump , I have had great luck with gould pumps