Sprinkler Pump from my Pond advice needed.

[EddieWalker]

My wife is constantly increasing her gardens, which is increasing how much water she needs to water them. Last year the most I paid for my city water bill was $200. This year, she hit $400!!!

My plan has always been to build a dock on my pond and install a pump so I could water the gardens with that water. The distance from the pond to my garden is 900 feet. From the pond to the garden, the topo maps say it's 20 feet in elevation change.

I have a 1,200 amp breaker box with three 200 amp breakers not being used. I plan to run the wire from one of those breakers, about 1,000 feet, down the the pond to power the pump. I'll put a subpanel in at the pump location, and then some day in the future, run power from it to my gazebo. Lowes has aluminum 2-2-2-4 direct bury for $4 a foot. This is more then I want to spend, but it is what it is. I'm unsure about voltage drop, or is it's enough to power a 2hp pump? From what I'm reading on pumps, 2hp pumps are 240 volts, and anywhere from 12 to 30 amps.

Which leads to picking a pump to buy. I no longer see any need to build a dock. It's not where I want a dock, so I'm thinking that I can pour a concrete pad for the pump, and run the power to the pad. I want enough power to have decent pressure for my sprinklers. I can run a single sprinkler if I have to, but the more I run at the same time, the better. Figuring out the sprinklers is simple enough, but deciding on the pump is confusing me. Ideally, I'd like to have at least 40psi at the gardens, with more being better.

I've been looking at different websites, but I don't trust their sales pitches. Amazon has ratings, and that's really all I have to guide me on better quality pumps out there.

This seems to be one of the better pumps on Amazon that I've found so far. https://www.amazon.com/Red-Lion-Imp...b-4b22-846a-166eee7f2613&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi

What do you have that you like, and what would you run away from?

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[plowhog]

You might consider posting your question also on the forum at pondboss.com

My .02 cents is to think really hard about direct bury and/or whether to also run conduit for future (not yet anticipated) needs.

Is the 20' of elevation change uphill or downhill?

 

[Diggin It]

Simplify. Gasoline pump to a storage tank or several located near the need.

For the kind of money you're talking about, you could rig up a fairly nice 2 or 3" pump, maybe even with electric start and all the buried pipe and valves necessary. Stock tanks of various sizes and shapes are available and you could build houses for them if appearance is an issue.

Run the pump to fill the tanks, then use gravity feed out of the tanks.

 

[old and tired]

Tractor forum, use your tractor!!!

Water Pump PTO Tractor Driven, 4 In., PTO Shaft Included

This PTO Driven Irrigation Water Pump is a great choice for fields, gardens, lawns, and removing water from flooded places at 352 GPM with 540 RPM.

www.agrisupply.com

I would also stock tanks, or even larger nurse tanks. Tie your gutters into the stock tanks...

 

[EddieWalker]

Is the 20' of elevation change uphill or downhill?

My house and gardens are 20 feet higher then the pond.

 

[ponytug]

Here is what I use;

Voltage Drop Calculator | Southwire

www.southwire.com

The underlying question is how much will the total draw be out there in the future.

I would be tempted to put a pressure tank up by the house, but the pressure switch by the pump for ease of wiring and control. If you would ever want fire water protection, I would pump up to a 10,000 gallon tank by the garden/house with a hydrant for fire fighting, and plumb the garden for low pressure gravity feed.

We had something similar as a kid, and my $0.02 is plumb the pipe from the pump for at least twice the flow; people seem to routinely underestimate the friction losses in pipe and the impact of couplings and elbows, and then blame the pump for low performance.

Have you thought about a floating intake, or are you planning to bury a pipe in the pond?

All the best,

Peter

 

[Dftodd]

Here is what I use;

Voltage Drop Calculator | Southwire

www.southwire.com

The underlying question is how much will the total draw be out there in the future.

I would be tempted to put a pressure tank up by the house, but the pressure switch by the pump for ease of wiring and control. If you would ever want fire water protection, I would pump up to a 10,000 gallon tank by the garden/house with a hydrant for fire fighting, and plumb the garden for low pressure gravity feed.

We had something similar as a kid, and my $0.02 is plumb the pipe from the pump for at least twice the flow; people seem to routinely underestimate the friction losses in pipe and the impact of couplings and elbows, and then blame the pump for low performance.

Have you thought about a floating intake, or are you planning to bury a pipe in the pond?

All the best,

Peter

I looked at a house on a well the other day. We passed because of really low water pressure.

Pressure tank was installed at the well. Had good pressure there.

Dawned on me on the way home, that the pressure loss was due to the 100ft plus worth of distance after the pressure tank. Was no telling what size line was used to run from the well to the house either.

Realtor told me that he showed another house we were interested in down the street. Said that house had even worse water pressure.

I wonder if it's a regional thing. But before this place we looked at and the other place down the street. I've always seen the pressure tank either close to the house or inside the house when on a well.

 

[old and tired]

...also, your link to the pump is bad....

 

[groundcover]

I use a Honda high pressure pump. Ran inch and a half poly pipe around the yard with hose bibs every hundred feet or so. Fire it up when needed , wife and I each run a hose and I have a sprinkler going as well.

 

[3Ts]

The voltage drop for #2 aluminum wire at 900' and 12 amps is 17.3 volts which is 2.9% loss. This is considered acceptable because it is less than 3%, but is very close to your limit. If you get a pump that draws 30 amps you'll be way over what is considered acceptable voltage drop. I realize that conduit is expensive, but I recommend that you use it and put underground cable inside it (not above ground cable). (The conduit will collect water!). And it should be 2' down.

Instead of buying from Lowe's you may have to go to the electrical wholesalers that the electricians use. They are more expensive, but will have larger wire.

If you use aluminum wire, the terminals it is connected to have to be rated for aluminum wire and an anti-oxidation paste needs to be used. The problem with aluminum wire is that it expands and contracts more than copper when it is heated which causes the connection to loosen which causes more heating, thus the reason to be sure the terminals are rated for aluminum.