Water but pump

Does anyone have any experience with non submersible pumps? I have 5 water buts so I don't want the hassle of lifting a pump in and out?

 

Can you join the water butts together? I have a hose daisychaining mine (either connected to the tap at the bottom, or just dangled over the lip and syphoning). The water butts are limited in height to the rim of the lowest one, but I find it convenient to have them automatically readjust height after I take water from one. You could then put your pump in one "permanently" so to speak.

The main water butt I use is a large diameter corrugated iron type model. This allow "instant" fill of watering cans by dunking them, much more efficient I think than filling them from a tap at the bottom of the tank.

You can get "pressurising pumps" - I don't suppose that's the normal term used for them. The pump has an expansion vessel and builds up pressure a bit like a compressor I suppose. When you turn the tap on the expansion vessel provides the Umph to propel the water, and once the pressure drops the pump comes on automatically to boost it back up. Dunno if that is the type you are wanting? I don't suppose they are cheap. Definitely not the submersible type, they are just plumbed "in line"

 

I just had my old back boiler ripped out a couple of months back. The pump out of that I was told you could wire a plug to and attach a hose pipe and then use as a non submersible pump for water butts.

I still have mine, didn't feel right throwing it away, but doubt I will use it. We had it fitted about a year and a half ago, so is pretty clean. It's yours if you want it.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/wilo-smart-pump-domestic-circulating-pump/33590

 

Blinking 'Eck JJ ... I've got one of those sitting around, been in the garage for more than 4 years since we had the central heating redone. Never thought to wire it up ... worra-prat-and-I !! definitely can put it to good use. Thanks JJ

 

Hmmm ... on reflection I'm not sure its the right tool for the job :(

Either way, make sure its well filtered ... any rubbish in the inlet will wreck the pump impellers.

 

These are the Irrigation Pumps that Screwfix have - they will pump out of ponds etc.

http://www.screwfix.com/search.do?fh_search=irrigation+pump&fh_view_size=20 £70-£80

This is the sort of thing I was thinking of (including a pressure vessel)


http://www.access-irrigation.co.uk/shop/irrigation-pumps/electrical-pumps
but prices start at £200

I've bought from Access Irrigation before, and also from City Irrigation (I find their prices generally to be very competitive). Both companies have been fine.

http://www.cityirrigation.co.uk/acatalog/pumps.html

 

Hiya Kristen.

I think your first idea would work well.....making a 'daisy chain' and just pumping from one. There are plenty of submersible pumps out there that come with an inbuilt filter, for not a lot of money.

 

Of course, we're assuming that the butts are in close proximity...

 

Similar level more important I think. Mine are miles apart ... I run a hose from the water butt by the house to a pair of IBCs hidden in a hedge, and from there to both water butts (of more modest size) by the greenhouse.

As luck would have it the house one is at the highest point, so it runs "empty" and if we have a huge thunderstorm it acts as a buffer for the pathetic flow rate of the 50M of 1/2" hose to the IBC's.

When I dunk my watering can in the butt by the greenhouse I lower the level quite a lot during a good watering session but by the next morning its back to about the same level - as if by magic!

But I'm in the process of replacing the Heath Robinson stuff with a Blue MDPE pipe all around the garden, hooked up to a 50K Litre rain water tank, itself plumbed into all the downpipes. Hopefully that will solve the probably properly in the long term.

 

5oK Litre!

 

Should be enough! I figured that for the drought of 2011/Spring 1012 we would have needed over 100KL and would have had to have stored from the Winter before in order not to run dry ... Looked at a borehole, but too expensive really ... so am going with an overground tank - probably an old Grain Silo, if I can find one cheaply at a farm auction, and a liner - might put some water lilies & fish in it

 

I figure:

My Garden tap delivers about 20L per minute (timed filing a bucket). Call it 1K litres per hour. So a 50K Litre tank is only good for 50 hours watering with a hose. I expect many people use a hose for an hour a couple of times a week during Summer ?

 

I was looking at a surface pump along these lines:

http://www.tooled-up.com/product/ho...p-3500-litres-hour-max-flow-rate-240v/146269/

I don't really fancy lugging the pump in and out of buts when they empty, plus I have 2 in one place and 3 in another Thought it would be easier hooking a suction pipe into the buts rather than using energy to pumpm one to another.

 

The Spec on Hozelock's site looks good:
http://www.hozelock.com/watering/garden-pumps/ultra-metal-garden-pump.html

Max 40M of hose - that would be on the flat I expect. I'd be very interested to know how long it takes to fill a bucket straight out of the pump, and then again with (say) 25M of 1/2" hose connected. The pressure drop, with the hose fitted, will be the acid test. If you can operate a sprinkler with 25M of hose fitted then its definitely champion The two included filters (coarse and fine) is very prudent, along with the included spare seals etc. Reads like it is quality - but proof-of-pudding is in the using of course.

 

I don't see why not. Surely there is more toot floating around a central heating system after several years and personally can't see what the problem is. It has to pump a large amount of water around at probably the same rate if not more too. This was suggested to me by the engineer who took it out, he said that's what a lot of people do with them now as they are no longer needed.

Perhaps I will just add some flex to mine and see what happens. The worst that will happen is that I break the thing or become toast. I don't have much to lose. But I personally wouldn't pay £80+ for something that might be available more cheaply if one "thinks outside the box".