Garden hose inline transfer pump

[Pete76NYPa]

My Mother is getting too old to be carrying pails of water to her garden and raised beds, so I set up set up a 275 gallon tote on each side of the shop and ran down spouts to them, and a decorative cistern looking looking 35 or 40 gallon plastic basin by the house garage, also with a down spout in it. The spigots are on the bottoms so she can gravity feed about 75% of what she waters, but the rest is too high relative to the containers. She usually waters the rest with a hose from either the shop hydrant, or a silcock on the back side of the house. Problem is that it's been dryer than popcorn flatulence in the So Tier of NY, and if she over uses the well she eventually starts getting lots of sediment. I am thinking about one of those garden hose transfer pumps on one of the totes. My concern is that by the time she goes to the shop and plugs in the pump, then walks out to the garden, she is going to lose significant water, so if I put a nozzle on the end will the water not flowing while the pump is on cause an issue for the pump? I guess the alternative is another tote to fill out of the pond leave it on the trailer above the places she has to water, but that will tie up a trailer so my preference would be to not have to do that.
thanks

 

[Pete76NYPa]

Other option I see is some pvc coming off the discharge side with a pressure relief valve and a return line. Any ideas if they make a relief valve that low pressure?

 

[Butch(OH)]

Just as dry here in central Ohio and I am doing that exact same thing. I have a 110V Harbor Freight water pump in line on the garden hose and it doesn't seem to mind being dead headed for a minute. We haven't had a drop of rain here since the first week of May. I am slow filling the tote with the well, just running a trickle so as to take it easy on the well and pump.

 

[Pete76NYPa]

appreciate the info! Rain has been frustrating...I live about 16 miles from her into Pa , as the crow flies, and have had two good soakers the past two days, she got a slight mist for about 30 seconds once in the past three weeks. Good luck!

 

[showcrop]

It would take it awhile to overheat without movement. It is running dry that ruins them. I have been toying with the idea of collecting irrigating water from a gutter on my barn. I was thinking of putting the tote on an upper level of the barn in order to get pressure. Is there anyway that you could elevate your totes? Maybe on a stack of landscape timbers.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Amazon to the rescue.

TecHome Hose Pump, 115V 1/10HP 330GPH Waterbed Pump Electric Water Pump Rain Barrel Pump, With Water Hose Kit.
Brand: TecHome
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 712 ratings
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$49.99

 

[Dober_paw]

I have HF 110v pump submerged in rain barrel - hose goes up to the deck - flow is controlled by one of those remote wireless on/off switches - no need to run up/down to spigot / main switch. Uses bluetooth - may not have the range you require.

 

[Mule Meat]

Look at 120 volt RV water pumps.

Most of them come with a pressure switch installed and function much like a well pump.

With an extension cord to the tank. It could be plugged or unplugged at the tank.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Or even a 12V RV pump. Just put a battery and a maintainer on it and she doesn't have to plug or unplug anything.

 

[DoubleO7]

(quoted from post at 08:27:14 06/09/23)

Is there anyway that you could elevate your totes? Maybe on a stack of landscape timbers.

Call your tote seller and see if they have just the cage from a leaking tote they took out.
Set water totes on top of another cage.

Rain water is way better than well water.

This post was edited by DoubleO7 on 06/09/2023 at 07:56 am.

 

[Indiana Ken]

Yes, a centrifugal pump will tend heat up if run dead headed for extended periods. If you run a line from the discharge of the pump, back to the top of the tote, you can maintain a small flow through the pump for cooling. Install a 1/8" +/_ diameter restrictor in the line to allow for bypass flow but not significantly the reduce the output of the hose. I have drilled a hose cap to make a restrictor. Also for my garden irrigation lines I cut a washer from thin sheet metal, drill the hole and place it under the gasket at the hose connector fitting.

 

[Greenfrog]

Use remote controlled outlet. Ive got this on my sump pump in my rain barrel.

 

[da.bees]

I don't believe a centrifugal pump will mind deadheading for a short period but here's an option to consider. Add a tote closer to and above the high spot in garden (no trailer required). Use a pump to transfer water from existing tote to new tote so that she using same gravity feed as she's accustomed to. Alternately the new tote could be filled from well in off hours so as not stress well.
In the spirit of tightwad I am,the pump from a discarded washing machine would be dandy for this. The hose size has to be stepped down but that's easy enough. And to save another buck,grab the fill valve while you are in the old washer. Put the fill valve on a timer to 50% fill tote 10 minutes on,rest well an hour then 10 on,60 off between mid-night and an hour before she gets up. If you get good at estimating minutes to fill you can go for 75% but in any case we certainly don't risk overflow and waste well.

 

[Greenfrog]

I have two of those inline transfer pumps. Seems like they have to be primed first to get them to work. I want to use one to pump water out of a sump pit when power goes off. Havent tried it yet. Will it lift water out? Experimented with 5 gal. Bucket. Did fine, but had to prime/fill pump first.

 

[DoubleO7]

(reply to post at 09:54:57 06/11/23)

You better try it out before you really need it!

What voltage does it need?

12 vdc hopefully.

 

[Mark-Mi]

I hate to rain on your parade, but if you leave water in totes outside in the sunlight be prepared for lots of algae in the tanks.