Man Cave, Water PRESSURE TANK for 12V SOLAR system?

[Boeing]

All good comments guys, thanks.
The tanks are on a slight hill giving gravity feed TO the building (20' or so) but not any pressure to be usable. I have often thought of a cistern....I put gutters on the roof and big downspouts. I have trees all around filling the gutters with needles and leaves so it would require a pretty good screening system and filter and since the water would be BELOW the building wouldn't it need a different more powerful pump? A cistern would be nice since I wouldn't have to drain every winter. Guess I could keep "tanking" it in and fill the cistern from the clean tanks.....no leaves etc. Now, about that pump pulling the water UP.....?

 

[franklin2]

Look at the specs on the pump if you can find them. They will usually tell you how much the lift the pump has. Most cisterns also have a foot valve at the bottom of the pipe in the cistern. This is just a check valve with a screen at the end of the pipe. It keeps the water in the pipe and the pump so it doesn't lose prime.

Since you have solar, I am going to assume you are going to have to stick with the camper type pump for power reasons. The other guys are correct, it's designed to run all the time like it's doing now.

You can make your own filter system, as elaborate or as simple as you want. The cistern I had used a large hatch on top for access with a small hole in it for filling. What I did was remove all that, and made a wooden frame on hinges to cover the perimeter of the access hole. I then attached a fine metal screen across the bottom. I then put a layer of charcoal in first, then a layer of gravel, and then a more coarse metal screen on top, and then a coarse cloth like cheese cloth. The gutter outlets drained into this hatch. I could go by once and awhile and pick out the large coarse debris, and easily change the cloth on top when it got too dirty. About twice a year I would hinge the whole assembly up and dump it out and clean it up. Once a year I would divert the water away completely, run the cistern down as far as I dare, and then pump it out with another pump the rest of the way and get in there with a ladder and clean it out. Even with all your filtering, you will still get sediment in the bottom and on the walls of the cistern.

 

[1stDeuce]

Actually, I live in a King of the Road 35' 5th wheel, and it has a 12v 3gpm "demand" pump, but also uses a small 2 gal water pressure tank. It is just plumbed in the pressure side of the pump, and works very well at keeping the pump from short cycling when you're using small amounts of water, like brushing your teeth, or getting a drink. When I shower, the pump cycles on/off about every 20 seconds, but I'm using a low flow shower, which helps tremendously with water usage.

I don't think there's any harm to using a demand pump like you are, but a small pressure tank will make keep it from cycling so often, and make it "feel" more like home.

BTW, I HIGHLY recommend an Oxygenics shower head for your RV, or RV-like system, feels like lots of water, but doesn't use lots of water!! The one I'm talking about is commonly sold by RV places, and is often called a "body spa". Here's an amazon linky... I don't run it at full flow, but rather half or so, and it does fine.

 

[speedbump]

I don't think there's any harm to using a demand pump like you are, but a small pressure tank will make keep it from cycling so often, and make it "feel" more like home.

I fully agree.