Small reliable (low maintenance) irrigation system from pond?

[Mendonsy]

I have a somewhat similar situation so maybe my setup will give you some ideas you can use. My wife has two gardens with raised beds which inevitably need regular watering during July and August. I get the water from a small stream that is about 200' away and 35' below the gardens.
I have four 275 gallon IBC tanks that I have set up about 5' above the gardens. I fill them as needed with a 2" trash pump that I set up near the stream to pump the water uphill.
Each of the raised beds has a PVC pipe with a garden hose adapter on one end and a pipe cap on the other end. I drilled 1/8" holes on 4 inch centers in each of the pipes and connect them to the tanks with garden hoses and shutoff valves.
The 5' drop from the tanks allows enough pressure to drip water each raised bed in about 5 minutes every couple of days as needed.

 

[Valveman]

A lot of people irrigate from rivers, ponds, lakes, etc. With drip you have to filter it. With sprinklers the sediment will just be pumped out the sprinklers. Always better to push water than draw water with a pump. So, a submersible well pump would be best. You can use some PVC sell casing and screen installed at a angle into the lake. Sliding the submersible down the casing makes it easy to install, and the well screen at the bottom keeps out the turtles, small fish, and most of the lake trash. Install the pump above the well screen or use a flow inducer sleeve to keep the motor cool.

 

[ultrarunner]

I've seen floating pump in a lake... avoids the bottom muck and top floatsum...

 

[Valveman]

Here is a picture of some floating submersibles with a control system that sits on the shore.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

You could also use one of these, either water by hand / hose, or tie it into a drip irrigation system.

1 HP Stainless Steel Shallow Well Pump and Tank with Pressure Control Switch - 950 GPH

Amazing deals on this 1Hp Stainless Steel Shallow Well Pump at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[ultrarunner]

My neighbor bought the Harbor Freight with extended warranty…

Said the warranty quickly paid for itself and then on his last visit they refunded all what he paid.

He would irrigate all day once a week which was too much for the pump…?

 

[Valveman]

You could also use one of these, either water by hand / hose, or tie it into a drip irrigation system.

1 HP Stainless Steel Shallow Well Pump and Tank with Pressure Control Switch - 950 GPH

Amazing deals on this 1Hp Stainless Steel Shallow Well Pump at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Every tool and box store is selling that pump. It is the only pump I have seen that says, "Not for Continuous Use". What the heck is the duty cycle then? Is it only OK to run for two minutes or ten minutes at a time? Then how long does it need to cool down before restarting. As was said, they don't last very long. I would not use one for irrigation. They might last a while supplying water to an RV or something that uses water very sparingly.

 

[Yander]

Shed roof next to your garden... setup a rain barrel or two. Or Mendosy's idea seems like it would be economical.

 

[jaxs]

My neighbor bought the Harbor Freight with extended warranty…

Said the warranty quickly paid for itself and then on his last visit they refunded all what he paid.

He would irrigate all day once a week which was too much for the pump…?

Despite there being countless brands of better quility tools available,someone always recommends Harbor Freight. Seriously can anyone name a single brand or source recommended just half as often as Harbor Freight?
While you are messing with exchanging the pump you can lose your crop.
One more instance where HF warranty can cost more in damages than a quality product to begin with.

 

[JasperFrank]

We are all now in a Harbor Freight world. Its the Wall Mart, of Chinese made stuff. At least they are honest about it. And you may pay a premium of something you think is made in Germany or in the USA, only to find out later, its really a china made product any way. Every one sold out to the cheap labor. This is how international Corporations work. They find least cost. Regarless of the social implications, that they don't care about. In 20 years, all of our cars will be made in China and we will think nothing of it.