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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Water pump
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mojo43
Member
# Posted: 7 Jun 2023 17:05
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I am thinking about getting a water pump to feed a shower and a sink from a river. I have recently installed solar and have AC power. The only problem is that the river is about 60 feet away and down a hill. Can anyone recommend something that would work well for this sort of distance?

Nobadays
Member
# Posted: 7 Jun 2023 18:16
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There are others on here with similar water systems that can help..... but I think the important bit has been left out, how many feet above the river. Line loss can be overcome by larger diameter pipe but I think the rise will dictate what is needed.

mojo43
Member
# Posted: 7 Jun 2023 18:45
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Thanks for the reply. I am not sure how I can figure that out. Is there a way I can measure that?

Brettny
Member
# Posted: 7 Jun 2023 20:27
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There are ways to figure out height above something. I used a laser level to figure out mine.

For the most part if a hill is fairly steep then a 12v pump may not be adequate.

Are you filling a tank at the cabin site or useing it directly out of the body of water?

Irrigation Guy
Member
# Posted: 7 Jun 2023 20:30
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If you have a hose long enough you could put a pressure gauge at the bottom and fill it with water. You will have 2.31feet of elevation per 1 psi.

spencerin
Member
# Posted: 7 Jun 2023 20:39
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Yep, just need to know the rise and run from the water source to the cabin, and the setup as already mentioned (pump it straight into the cabin, or fill a tank by the cabin). You have a ton of pump options.....

gcrank1
Member
# Posted: 7 Jun 2023 21:21 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Nail up a 5' T, on top tape on a laser level that you can see the bubble easily to level out.
You can figure the height from the shower head to the ground.
Walk downhill and fire the laser level back at the cabin ground level; you just went 5' down. Flag your spot and move downhill.
Repeat as needed.

jsahara24
Member
# Posted: 8 Jun 2023 07:12
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If you're looking for a rough number, you can use google earth. As you move around your mouse pointer, it will show you the change in elevation.

mojo43
Member
# Posted: 8 Jun 2023 14:53
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All great suggestions, thank you. It looks like from google earth that it's approximately 10m height, approximately 70 feet in length. I would be plugging to an outdoor shower directly, unless there are advantages to filling a tank up to feed to the shower?

spencerin
Member
# Posted: 8 Jun 2023 20:40
Reply 


A 10' lift is outside the range of most 12V pumps, except maybe some of Remco's higher-end models. But, RV pumps are nice because they're smaller, self-priming, and can run dry without damage.

The advantage of putting a tank by the cabin is that you can use a simple transfer pump to fill it up from the river, and then the water's already nearby, giving you a lot of other pump options to run the shower and sink. Plus, what if you want to run more plumbing in the future?

If you're really going to just want a shower and sink, they do make portable, pressurized showers. The nozzle could easily be used as a shower head and also a sink faucet head. Would keep it simpler, and probably cheaper, for you.

mojo43
Member
# Posted: 9 Jun 2023 08:06
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Thanks for the info. It sounds like putting a tank by the cabin is the way to go. Can you recommend a transfer pump? Also, can you recommend a pressurized shower?

Tim_Ohio
Member
# Posted: 9 Jun 2023 09:23
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I think to get the most out of the situation, you will want the pump located at the source, so that it "pushes" the water to the holding tank location. "Pushing" water is far more efficient and less demanding on a pumping system than "pulling" (locating the pump at the location of use). Deep well pumps were designed for pushing water and are far more efficient than the older style shallow well type that would have been located above ground. A type of pump that would quickly fill your holding tank might be a gasoline powered trash pump. Fit it with the hose or piping as you need and run it at the location of the water. It would be adaptable to a simple garden hose, but black poly might be more reasonably priced. Garden hoses might not require as much adapting since they already have threaded ends. I made an adapter for my trash pump to a garden hose and it worked well. Most pumps come with and intake hose with a filter screen on the end.
I bought a cheap Champion brand from Home Depot and it has worked well. You have to prime it and then drain it after use or it will rust and bind up.

Brettny
Member
# Posted: 9 Jun 2023 10:02
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Quoting: mojo43
Can you recommend a transfer pump

Go on amazon and buy the cheapest submersible well pump you can find. I just bought a 1hp stainless construction 230v version for $114. It was under there amazon "used" list.

Right now for water transfer I use a 1/2hp jet pump. It fills a 275gal tank with 60' of vertical in about 35min. Jet pumps can be a pain to prime but this one was $99 a few years ago, there about $160 now.

Irrigation Guy
Member
# Posted: 9 Jun 2023 21:14
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Is it 10 meters or 10 feet of elevation?

mojo43
Member
# Posted: 9 Jun 2023 22:10
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10 metres.

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