Tiny water project

[CleverNickname 1,321]

I have a tiny water impoundment on my property. I wouldn't even call it a proper tank. I'd like to pump water up and out to a small water trough. Something between 60 and 300 gallons. Anyone have a good way to do this? I could easily pump it with a generator and a pump if I was there, but I'd like to try and figure out some way to have it work when I'm not there. 

Ideally I'd like something like an inexpensive wind generator or a solar panel working on a 12v sump pump. Probably wouldn't need more than 20 ft of lift. Maybe as little as 10 ft. If I could rig up a cut off that would be great. I've got a couple of wildlife water troughs that fill up via a float valve and a rainwater collection tank, but none of that is powered. 

I'm usually pretty good a googling a solution but this has me stumped.  I must be missing something easy.
 

[Fuck Tim Beck 3,834]

Saw the title and was hoping this was going to involve midgets, a cement pond, and an inflatable swan. But alas. 

[davidg 4,038]

How much elevation, how far away and how big is the trough that you want to pump into?   Solar pumping can be done but all 3 of those can affect the size of pump needed.   

 

ETA:  Obviously I can't read.  A better question would be how much do you want to spend?  Solar panel,  charge controller, 12V battery,  12V  pump  and float switch or timer.   20' of head is less than 10psi so any small 12V marine or rv pump would work.

Edited July 7, 2020 by davidg

[Reagan1k 3,024]

You could rig a solar water well pump and put it in a flow inducer sleeve (pipe with holes in it) and suspend that in the pond or lay it on board set on the bottom of the tank (anything to keep it out of the mud).  Put a normally closed pump switch on the tank you are filling, or use a fill switch if you buy it as part of a kit.  That switch turns the pump on at low level and off when you reach a high level or fill point.

Solar well pumps don't put out a lot of flow but based on what you described, you don't need a lot of flow - just something you don't have to babysit.

Several companies make kits that include everything you need to do just this application.

 

[CleverNickname 1,321]

Awesome. I knew there had to be systems like this out there. Anything that would work as an off switch if the source goes dry?

[EE2B 1,565]

There is a Hellerman-Tyton submersible pump that runs on DC and can be run dry without damaging the pump. It’s priced at $150. Here is a link:

https://www.amazon.com/Submersible-Solar-Battery-Alternate-Energy/dp/B00DPWOF24

[Steel Shank 9,428]

Cool problem solving, gentlemen. Nice seeing guys get help to their problems.

[HOOKEM4 5,039]

Maybe I am not understanding but you essentially want to fill a trough to keep water going on the property right? Instead of mechanical why not rig up a passive system that will only need to be filled by you every few months? I have setups with 200 gallon cattle troughs and float valves. Then I rigged up 2-250 gallon ibc totes and then a shed roof on top with rainwater collection. I actually havent installed the roof on them yet but have all materials sitting and waiting for me to complete. The tanks last 3 months during summer even with pigs knocking water out. I would rather rely on passive systems than anything electronic when you are there on odd weekends...

 

Edit: maybe I am misunderstanding, you want to pump water out of a tank to somewhere else? If so, the answer was posted, but I wonder why you wouldn't just fill it yourself and then improve the tank some for additional volume. For the cost of the solar pump and install it may be a wash with slightly more effort but more positive impact. Either way, post pics.

Edited July 7, 2020 by HOOKEM4

[CleverNickname 1,321]

22 minutes ago, HOOKEM4 said:

Edit: maybe I am misunderstanding, you want to pump water out of a tank to somewhere else? If so, the answer was posted, but I wonder why you wouldn't just fill it yourself and then improve the tank some for additional volume. For the cost of the solar pump and install it may be a wash with slightly more effort but more positive impact. Either way, post pics.

I've got 3 wildlife troughs that are fed by a rainwater collection system. My cabin has been off grid for years (only got electric run to it a couple years ago). Just built a shed roof last year that sole purpose is to fill a 500 gal tank that keeps a 60 gallon trough full on the other side of the creek. They work great!

I've got a little low spot that keeps water, but it would be swell if I could pump it out and stored a little better. Probably 1500' from my power and cabin. I could do another water collector. But been there and done that. 

Basically I want to harvest the water from an intermittent hole. As a logic statement:

If (hole > 0) AND (container < full) then pump into container/trough.

[CleverNickname 1,321]

Maybe one of these days I'll try to recreate the old La Casita cabin building thread on the old site. Image sites died. Plus the whole SB brouhaha. 

Currently building a 8x16 elevated cabin for my kiddos dubbed the "treehouse."

[Reagan1k 3,024]

1 hour ago, CleverNickname said:

Awesome. I knew there had to be systems like this out there. Anything that would work as an off switch if the source goes dry?

Some of the pump packages that contain everything from solar panels to pump have a little control panel that provides an on/off switch for the fill tank to stop an overflow and a low level cutout that shuts the pump off if the event the supply tank gets low.

Its a two switch system.  An electrician Or water well driller could also built the same thing with a contactor, a couple of relays and some basic knowledge.

You’ll need a starter panel to have control over both the fill side and the supply side. Probably a pressure switch for the supply and a float switch for the fill tank but there are multiple ways to skin that cat depending on the exact setup Of your system. 

[deadshank 24,653]

Call Parker Schnabel

[dingleberryswitzer 2,724]

2 hours ago, Steel Shank said:

Cool problem solving, gentlemen. Nice seeing guys get help to their problems.

Bud lites for all!!

[HOOKEM4 5,039]

18 hours ago, CleverNickname said:

Maybe one of these days I'll try to recreate the old La Casita cabin building thread on the old site. Image sites died. Plus the whole SB brouhaha. 

Currently building a 8x16 elevated cabin for my kiddos dubbed the "treehouse."

I think you should. I will contribute as well. I have plans to build a multi platform tree house in a grove of oaks for my boys and it will double as a great bow stand as the deer walk right through the area I am building it. I started it before it got hot then the idea of a cook shack came into play so that is what I have been doing now. I need to take a shitload of pictures and start posting as I go on things. People here will have some constructive criticism I would bet.

[Gil Bang 25,980]

Maybe one of these days I'll try to recreate the old La Casita cabin building thread on the old site. Image sites died. Plus the whole SB brouhaha. 
Currently building a 8x16 elevated cabin for my kiddos dubbed the "treehouse."

Please include a photo of the pump switch

[TexasEd 8,067]

[Llano Estacado 1,257]

Find an online calculator for head pressure and elevation and see if a hydraulic ram pump will work. $100 in pvc if you have a suitable location to drive the wasting check valve.

 

Bonus points: you can blow folks’ minds with claims of “free energy” and “perpetual motion”