Easier to keep a floating intake clean. Fasten to a pole or use a rigid pipe to it to push it out away from the shore.
Greenscape Pump Services
Bruce
Greenscape Pump Services
Bruce
irrigating my 1/2 acre garden using lake water
- Thread starter karnum
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boggen
Elite Member
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- SSTT (Sideways Snake Tain Tractor) and STB (sideways train box) tractor, dirt harvester
no longer remember 3/4 acre or 1 acre (front lake) and a pump was setup years ago to water cattle.
things i have learned.
you do not want the intake screen to be in mud, and you want to keep the intake screen in approx 5 feet or deeper water. anything shallower = nothing but nightmare clogs.
for years, a LP tank for like a outdoor gas grill. was used, with a stainless steel chain paddlocked (better than trying to wire or bolt chain to the LP tank (lasted longer other words) and then use chain to also hook to a 8x8x16 inch concrete block. the LP tank kept the chain and pipe end out of the mud. the concrete block acted like an anchor in the mud. that kept the LP tank and pipe end from going all over the lake or were ever it decided to go.
weeds are a big killer / clogger. and if you can get a big enough "intake screen" or foot valve. or simply take a piece of sch 40 or 80 pipe. and drill a bunch of holes, or place on table saw and only cut half way through pipe. you can make for a bigger screen inlet.
the strainer for end of pipe out in the lake is really needed. it keeps a vortex / whirl pool current from forming. and sucking air into the pipe. when the lake gets low, in the dry seasons and more so during drought years.
but weeds are not the only thing that are a killer, small fry (baby fish), tad poles, and other critters. will be sucked right through a stainer. and into the pump.
you could prolly use black poly pipe. for a intake pipe. but problem is most plastic and pvc pipe and hose out there will want to float up and out of the water. even when the pipe is full of water. so you going to want to figure out a way, to place weight over the pipe every so many feet to keep the pipe down in the mud between shore and up to near pipe end. you can normally find "sand bags" just the bags themselves. and then fill them up with some dry ready mix concrete (half full if that of concrete per bag) and then try to drop them and place them as best you can over the pipe. after a couple days the concrete will harden real good under water. and act like custom weights on the pipe. to hold it down.
when ya get the pipe near shore, dig into the dirt shore line, a couple feet. and then come up out the ground. were a quick connect. so you can easily connect a gas water pump to. going into the shore line a couple feet. helps protect the pipe from freezing ice during winter some.
EDIT: forgot one thing. install a TEE before the quick connect to gas pump. and then a valve. and then install a foot valve or check valve below water level (most likely at end of pipe that is 100 foot out into the lake) so that you can prime the pipe if you ever need to. placing check valve or foot valve on end of pipe. should allow you to pull LP tank or like float up and out of the water and give you access to check valve to replace or clean intake screen or like if you ever need to.
================
200 feet between pump and garden. is pretty far, and trying to use garden hoses. is really going to eat up friction loss. and amount of GPM you can get from pump. it might be worth again buying some black poly pipe. and just unraveling the coil along the ground on top of the grass. or just do a permanent situation and trench the pipe in. with a quick connect were gas pump will be. and then near garden use a barb fitting to a tee with a couple garden hose connections. (no valves)
===============
personally like to upsize my pipe one to 2 sizes bigger, than what the inlet size is on pump, and 1 size bigger than what the outlet size is on a pump. to reduce friction loss.
say 1.5" to 2" for pipe on inlet side of pump that goes out into lake, then 1" to 1.25" for pipe between pumps outlet and the garden.
===============
if you go with a larger 2" inlet/outlet gas pump. you might want to think about taking 2 plastic heavy duty milk crates. and place over the intake screen out in the lake and fasten with some zip ties or heavy duty nylon fishing line. to help keep sticks and fish from being sucked to the side of the intake screen and clogging things up good.
things i have learned.
you do not want the intake screen to be in mud, and you want to keep the intake screen in approx 5 feet or deeper water. anything shallower = nothing but nightmare clogs.
for years, a LP tank for like a outdoor gas grill. was used, with a stainless steel chain paddlocked (better than trying to wire or bolt chain to the LP tank (lasted longer other words) and then use chain to also hook to a 8x8x16 inch concrete block. the LP tank kept the chain and pipe end out of the mud. the concrete block acted like an anchor in the mud. that kept the LP tank and pipe end from going all over the lake or were ever it decided to go.
weeds are a big killer / clogger. and if you can get a big enough "intake screen" or foot valve. or simply take a piece of sch 40 or 80 pipe. and drill a bunch of holes, or place on table saw and only cut half way through pipe. you can make for a bigger screen inlet.
the strainer for end of pipe out in the lake is really needed. it keeps a vortex / whirl pool current from forming. and sucking air into the pipe. when the lake gets low, in the dry seasons and more so during drought years.
but weeds are not the only thing that are a killer, small fry (baby fish), tad poles, and other critters. will be sucked right through a stainer. and into the pump.
you could prolly use black poly pipe. for a intake pipe. but problem is most plastic and pvc pipe and hose out there will want to float up and out of the water. even when the pipe is full of water. so you going to want to figure out a way, to place weight over the pipe every so many feet to keep the pipe down in the mud between shore and up to near pipe end. you can normally find "sand bags" just the bags themselves. and then fill them up with some dry ready mix concrete (half full if that of concrete per bag) and then try to drop them and place them as best you can over the pipe. after a couple days the concrete will harden real good under water. and act like custom weights on the pipe. to hold it down.
when ya get the pipe near shore, dig into the dirt shore line, a couple feet. and then come up out the ground. were a quick connect. so you can easily connect a gas water pump to. going into the shore line a couple feet. helps protect the pipe from freezing ice during winter some.
EDIT: forgot one thing. install a TEE before the quick connect to gas pump. and then a valve. and then install a foot valve or check valve below water level (most likely at end of pipe that is 100 foot out into the lake) so that you can prime the pipe if you ever need to. placing check valve or foot valve on end of pipe. should allow you to pull LP tank or like float up and out of the water and give you access to check valve to replace or clean intake screen or like if you ever need to.
================
200 feet between pump and garden. is pretty far, and trying to use garden hoses. is really going to eat up friction loss. and amount of GPM you can get from pump. it might be worth again buying some black poly pipe. and just unraveling the coil along the ground on top of the grass. or just do a permanent situation and trench the pipe in. with a quick connect were gas pump will be. and then near garden use a barb fitting to a tee with a couple garden hose connections. (no valves)
===============
personally like to upsize my pipe one to 2 sizes bigger, than what the inlet size is on pump, and 1 size bigger than what the outlet size is on a pump. to reduce friction loss.
say 1.5" to 2" for pipe on inlet side of pump that goes out into lake, then 1" to 1.25" for pipe between pumps outlet and the garden.
===============
if you go with a larger 2" inlet/outlet gas pump. you might want to think about taking 2 plastic heavy duty milk crates. and place over the intake screen out in the lake and fasten with some zip ties or heavy duty nylon fishing line. to help keep sticks and fish from being sucked to the side of the intake screen and clogging things up good.
muddstopper
Veteran Member
I know of no state where any waters are the property of the state. All water that doesnot originate and terminate its flows on your property are the property of the United States. Further, you only need a permit if you are withdrawing less than 100,000 gal a day or 1 million gals a year if you are drawing from public waters. Unless they have changed the laws in the last couple or 3 years. I have had to fight more than a few nosey folks about this subject over the years back when I was in the hydroseeding business. I finally got to a point where I carried an actual copy of the law in my trucks and would tell the busybodies to go stickit. Even made one sheriff debuty eat crow when he tried to prove he was mister badguy and was going to lock me up for pumping water from a highway bridge over a creek. Which is very legal to do as long as you provide proper flagging protection and dont obstruck traffic flow. Mind you, you cant go on private property to reach a stream or pond, but you can from public highways and roads.
Rock knocker
Veteran Member
You learn something new everyday.
Water Rights | Water Resources Program | Washington State Department of Ecology
Laws which may be in use in wetter areas often are completely different that laws in the arid west
Remember, as late as 1922, the National Gaurds of Arizona and California were on the verge of an actual shooting war involving entrenched troops and automatic weapons
Read about it in this book:
Cadillac Desert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
charlz
Elite Member
I have something like that on my pond for the intake on my electric pump... consists of a 20' section of PVC, a 90degree elbow with a foot valve and screen on the end... all suspended by a goose decoy
At the shore is a PVC compression coupling so you can loosen it and remove the floating section for cleaning etc.Hi, sorry been quite here. Mostly because we had some much needed rains and that kept busy in the garden doing more planting and keeping the weeds down. These rains almost made me think of dropping the irrigation idea but sure can't trust mother nature so I am back on it.
Boggen: Thanks much for your detailed note on your experience.. very much appreciate that. Your input gave me a lot to think about.
The first thing I pondered about was the horse-power on the motor. The two choices I was debating over was the 2.5 HP and the 6.5 HP. The price difference is about $50 but I wondered if I really needed that much more water goes from 6000 GPH to 13000 GPH and I only have 1/4 ac. Anyway, I decided to go with the 2.5 HP and try out the technique suggested by Boggen and others.
I will let you know how it goes.
Boggen: Thanks much for your detailed note on your experience.. very much appreciate that. Your input gave me a lot to think about.
The first thing I pondered about was the horse-power on the motor. The two choices I was debating over was the 2.5 HP and the 6.5 HP. The price difference is about $50 but I wondered if I really needed that much more water goes from 6000 GPH to 13000 GPH and I only have 1/4 ac. Anyway, I decided to go with the 2.5 HP and try out the technique suggested by Boggen and others.
I will let you know how it goes.
WBWI
Gold Member
I just bought this pumpPowerhorse Semi-Trash Pump — 2in. Ports, 7860 GPH, 5/8in. Solids Capacity, 208cc Powerhorse Engine | Semi-Trash| Northern Tool + Equipment from Northern Tool so I could water some young trees. I created a PVC "y" that has a garden hose connector on one leg and a bypass/relief on the other leg to divert water back to my pond. I control the pressure to the garden hose by opening or closing a ball valve. I was worried that I would stall the pump by trying to force water from a 2" discharge hose into a 3/4" garden hose. I bought a boat dock bumper and use it to float my intake hose. It all works better that I expected. I'm pushing water 200' plus with this setup.
woodlandfarms
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2006
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- Los Angeles / SW Washington
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Can someone talk me through water pumps... I have a pond 100 feet below the house,at least 100 feet in front (probably more like 150fteet) so a nearly 200 foot run 100 feet in vertical climb.
Would WBWI pump work for me or do I need something else for watering trees or maybe just filling a storage barrel?
Would WBWI pump work for me or do I need something else for watering trees or maybe just filling a storage barrel?
WBWI
Gold Member
Woodlandfarms, see if this helps explain things, Calculating Pond Head Pressure - Everything-Ponds.com
Smokepole62
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- Jun 5, 2012
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Another thought on this subject would be to go ashore a few feet and dig in a shallow well. This could be laid up with
concrete blocks , plastic drum, or a short poly culvert pipe on end. After you backfill just pump with a trash pump
to clear out the silt. Just make sure you dig a few feet farther than your lowest water level. This eliminates weeds, sticks,
and small aquatic animals.
concrete blocks , plastic drum, or a short poly culvert pipe on end. After you backfill just pump with a trash pump
to clear out the silt. Just make sure you dig a few feet farther than your lowest water level. This eliminates weeds, sticks,
and small aquatic animals.
