Water Pump for Portable Water Tank

[fordmantpw]

Hello all! I've got a homemade portable water tank that consists of a 55 gallon drum on a cart that I tow behind my ATV. It has an attachment that I just screw a water hose on. It works great for watering trees and such, but I want to be able to use it to water my small food plot or to water my driveway to keep the dust down. I would like to hook a small sprinkler up to it just to get some moisture down, but there just isn't enough pressure and the water trickles out. I'm looking for a 12 volt pump that I can attach to up the pressure enough to make it work. I know I won't be able to water a large area with 55 gallons, but it should be enough for the small areas I want to water. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[CCWKen]

I have a 400 gallon tank that I'd like to use to do the same. There's not much out there that will provide the volume on the cheap. I started looking at motorhome water pumps that might work if you add a small pressure tank. But even those provide only 3-4 GPM and they're pricey. I'm thinking of using a 12vdc to 120vac inverter and using a pond pump or similar. But that can add up too, dollar wise. And I'm not keen on having 120vac on a tractor/trailer with water and no true ground. I may be stuck just biting the bullet and using a PTO pump.

I'll see what others have done/think too.

 

[fordmantpw]

Yeah, I've thought about a motor home pump, but I'm honestly not sure what GPM rating I need. Like you, I would like to stay away from 120 vac as well.

 

[CCWKen]

You can guesstimate your own needs using a 5-gallon bucket, a water hose and the sprayer/sprinkler you intend to use. Connect the hose and sprinkler to your house and open the valve to the desired flow. Kink the hose and remove the sprayer. Release the hose into the bucket and time the seconds it takes to fill the bucket. If it takes 30 seconds to fill the bucket then you know you'll need a 10 GPM pump to achieve the equivalent. Or whatever yours works out to. Just calculate a ratio.

 

[fordmantpw]

That should work. I don't need a lot of flow, so just turn it down real low and give it a shot. Thanks for the tip!

 

[JPRambo]

Is the tank water/air tight? Maybe you can pump air into it.

 

[fordmantpw]

Is the tank water/air tight? Maybe you can pump air into it.

Well, it isn't, but I could work something out to make it that way. I had thought about that, but thought that would be more complex. Which is easier? Pumping air in or pumping water out?

 

[George2615]

Yeah, I've thought about a motor home pump, but I'm honestly not sure what GPM rating I need. Like you, I would like to stay away from 120 vac as well.

Northern tool has several 12V RV pumps. We use one at work with a 100 galon water tank for watering flowers.

SHURflo Self-Priming 12 Volt Diaphragm Water Pump — 180 GPH, 1/2in. Ports, Model# 2088-343-435 | 12 Volt Pumps| Northern Tool + Equipment

Ebay also has several between 3-5 GPM

12 volt rv water pump | eBay

 

[nikdfish]

We do something similar with an upright poly barrel in the back of the gator to water transplants & fill bird baths. I just ordered a cheap submersible bilge pump ($24 delivered via Amazon) and plumbed the output to a hose. It gets plugged into the 12v socket in the glove box & I ran wires to a switch by the delivery end to control it.

Nick

 

[Haoleguy]

I use an ibc tank(275 gal) with a 12 volt boat deck washing pump. The pump itself is made to handle salt water for the wash downs. Purchased pump from Defender Industries in Waterford,CT.

Update - The pump is a Jasco 6.0 washdown pump which operates at 6gpm and 70 psi max pressure. The model number is #82605-0092. This pump has been used for 3 years now without any issues. Comes with attached quick disconnect filter.