Off topic question on irrigation

V1rtu0s1ty · May 25, 2007

Hi folks,

I don't know where to ask this question. I was hoping you can shed some light. This isn't really for whole lawn sprinkler system. I'm thinking of buying a submersible pump which is 1/3 HP and capable of 22 gallons per minute according to the specs. What I am planning to do is submerge this pump in a 55 gallon plastic container filled with water, and then connect a garden hose with a sprinkler at the end. Will it the sprinkler be strong? I'm thinking of putting a maximum of 2 sprinklers only.

The purpose of this is for the application of actively aerated compost tea(ACT) which I am brewing. You can see my videos of my AACT brewing at http://restricted.dyndns.org/aactbrewinglog.html

That's the liquid that I'm planning to spread to my lawn using the submersible pump.

So guys, please let me know if it's strong enough to drive 1 sprinkler head. I just want to easily apply it rather than walking back and forth with a 2gallon water garden can.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Ron

Jimbo · May 25, 2007

Typical submersible utility pumps are designed to move a lot of water, but not at sufficient pressure to operate a sprinkler head, which probably requites 20 PSI minimum, and would be better at 25 to 40 PSI.

Look at the specs for the pump you want to buy. Look for the specs on head, which is in feet. Each 10' of head represents 4.4 PSI. SO, you would be looking for a head of 50' minimum, and probably wont find that in a submersible pump. They make sprinkler pumps to do this , but they are not submersible. You could go with a well pump. None of these are real happy about a lot of crud in the water.

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

V1rtu0s1ty · May 25, 2007

jimbo said:
They make sprinkler pumps to do this , but they are not submersible.

I can go with any solution as long as it can suck the liquid from the 50 gallon container and out to the sprinkler.

You could go with a well pump. None of these are real happy about a lot of crud in the water.

I'm sorry but I did not understand what you mean by this.

Thanks.

Ron

Jimbo · May 26, 2007

I was envisioning a lot of floating debris in your mixture, which can foul a pump. Perhaps I was wrong about that. If you filter it to remove sediment, there should be no problem. You can usually find a sprinkler booster pump at any hardware or home store.

V1rtu0s1ty · May 26, 2007

jimbo said:
I was envisioning a lot of floating debris in your mixture, which can foul a pump. Perhaps I was wrong about that. If you filter it to remove sediment, there should be no problem. You can usually find a sprinkler booster pump at any hardware or home store.

Oh so you mean, the subpump I showed to you will work? But I need a booster pump. How do they look like? I'm assuming I should put it in between the sprinkler head and subpump.

And yes, there will be very few debris. Most of them will just be 1mm or 2mm max.

Thanks again!

Ron

V1rtu0s1ty · May 29, 2007

What about this product, is this strong enough?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93819

And also, what is going to happen to the submersible pump if there isn't enough water coming out from the sprinkler head?

Thanks!

Wet_Boots · May 29, 2007

v1rtu0s1ty said:
What about this product, is this strong enough?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93819

And also, what is going to happen to the submersible pump if there isn't enough water coming out from the sprinkler head?

Thanks!

You can't run sprinkler heads with a sump pump. Not enough pressure.

V1rtu0s1ty · May 29, 2007

Wet_Boots said:
You can't run sprinkler heads with a sump pump. Not enough pressure.

There will be only 1 sprinkler head that I will be using. It's not really for watering the lawn. What do you think?

Jimbo · May 29, 2007

That pump is listed as max head 33 feet, which is around 14PSI. That is not enough to operate most sprinkler heads, not even one.

V1rtu0s1ty · May 29, 2007

jimbo said:
That pump is listed as max head 33 feet, which is around 14PSI. That is not enough to operate most sprinkler heads, not even one.

Can you please teach me how to calculate the PSI if max head is given? What do I need to add in order to drive at least 1 sprinkler head?

Thanks!

Rancher · May 30, 2007

.433 psi per foot

Lots of charts out there, just Google for psi water.

Rancher

Speedbump · May 30, 2007

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]50 gallons per minute
Thermal overload protection
Pumps water to a height of 33 feet
Drains water from a depth of 16 ft.
UL listed
[/FONT] [FONT=arial, sans-serif]120V, 60 Hz, 1 HP, 750 watts; 6 working amps; 1-1/2"[/FONT]

They have a lot of damned nerve calling that pump a one horse pump. My 1/3hp effluent pump pulls 9 amps at 115 volts and only pumps 35 gpm at no head. What a bunch of false advertising.

Get a 1/2hp jet pump from somebody that sells real pumps and it will do what your trying to do. I have them for $257.04, my prices are very low for quality equipment and you can see it's a lot more money than Harbor Freight wanted for their hyped up sump pump.

bob...

V1rtu0s1ty · May 30, 2007

Just got a reply from the vendor. This is what she said:

This may be to powerful for the size tank you are going to use.
SUBMERSIBLE DIRTY WATER PUMP-1 HP, 750WATTS,PVC RUST RESISTANT HOUSING,W/FLOAT ,12500FLOW,OR 3000 GALLONS PER HOUR,50 GPM,MAX DELIVERY HEIGHT:33FT, MAX 16FT SUBMERSION DEPTH MAX PARTICLE SIZE: .196" OR 5MM

Now, I am a little bit confuse. My faucet outside(from outside wall) can do 5 gallons in 40 seconds or roughly 6 to 7 GPM but I can operate 3 to 4 sprinkler heads. However, the product mentioned says it's capable of 50GPM but cannot operate a single sprinkler head. I'm sorry, I'm new to this realm. What is the relationship of GPM an PSI?

Thanks!

Ron

V1rtu0s1ty · May 30, 2007

speedbump said:
They have a lot of damned nerve calling that pump a one horse pump. My 1/3hp effluent pump pulls 9 amps at 115 volts and only pumps 35 gpm at no head. What a bunch of false advertising.

Get a 1/2hp jet pump from somebody that sells real pumps and it will do what your trying to do. I have them for $257.04, my prices are very low for quality equipment and you can see it's a lot more money than Harbor Freight wanted for their hyped up sump pump.

bob...

Thanks bob for letting me know. At least, I won't buy it anymore.

V1rtu0s1ty · May 30, 2007

I have them for $257.04, my prices are very low for quality equipment and you can see it's a lot more money than Harbor Freight wanted for their hyped up sump pump.

Can you please send me the link?

Thanks!

Ron

Speedbump · May 30, 2007

That pump is totally wrong for what you want. Sprinklers require at least 30 psi in order to work. Submersible sump pumps are made to move a lot of water but not make much pressure. It's a trade off. More water less pressure per horsepower and visa versa.

bob...

V1rtu0s1ty · May 30, 2007

speedbump said:
That pump is totally wrong for what you want. Sprinklers require at least 30 psi in order to work. Submersible sump pumps are made to move a lot of water but not make much pressure. It's a trade off. More water less pressure per horsepower and visa versa.

bob...

Ok, if I use your jet pump, how will I pull the water from the big container? Do I just connect a hose from your jet pump then put it to the container?

Here is a text diagram

50g plastic container --->hose--->jetpump--->hose--->sprinklerhead

Is this correct?

Speedbump · May 30, 2007

Yes that will work, except for the hose between the pump and the tank. That should be either PVC or Poly pipe, preferably 1-1/4". I think your 55 gallon drum is a bit small though. The water isn't going to last long using two sprinklers that may be capable of 2.5 gpm.

bob...

V1rtu0s1ty · May 30, 2007

speedbump said:
Yes that will work, except for the hose between the pump and the tank. That should be either PVC or Poly pipe, preferably 1-1/4". I think your 55 gallon drum is a bit small though. The water isn't going to last long using two sprinklers that may be capable of 2.5 gpm.

bob...

55 gallons is too big for me already.

Is there a smaller version of that jet pump?

Speedbump · May 30, 2007

Nope. Sorry.

bob...

Off topic question on irrigation

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