Pump for irrigation help please

[kiwi]

Hi,
I am looking for some advice please on how best to water my paphs. I currently water my collection with a watering can that is filled from a 200L reservoir. This takes tooooo long. I am looking to get a larger reservoir and would like some help with deciding what would be the best type of pump required? The pump would be connected directly to a garden hose and would only need to pump a maximum of 10 metres. The reservoir is only a couple of metres in height. Thanks in advance.

 

[mrhappyrotter]

Hey, just to be clear, can you elaborate a bit on what you're trying to accomplish?

Are you trying to set up some kind of ebb and flow watering system or are you just trying to get water pumped through the hose so you can manually water the plants?

I see you mentioned the height of the reservoir, but I think the important height consideration is the height that the water has to be pumped. Is it safe to assume the maximum height (difference between the bottom of the reservoir to the end of the hose while watering) would be something like 2 meters or less?

I'm making a lot of assumptions about what you're trying to accomplish, but I wonder if a submersible sump pump would be sufficient for your needs? They are designed to screw directly into a hose, then you drop them down into the water. You can plug it in when you need to water. Even a really basic low-end model would probably be sufficient, so long as you bought a reliable brand.

 

[littlefrog]

I think what you are doing is what I do out of my 1000g water tank.

I just bought a sump pump - they come in different sizes, I bought one of the bigger ones, I think 1/3hp. If you get the right fittings, you can connect a hose directly to the pump (not what I did, but I have done that before).

I have a timer (the same kind you see in hotel bathrooms, turn it and it counts down) that runs the pump. When I need to water, I crank it up to half an hour or so and water, then it turns itself off. When I didn't have the timer I was prone to leaving it on overnight, which can put a serious hit on your electric bill...

 

[Ozpaph]

Connect a 'Davey' constant pressure pump (or eBay equivalent. See Davey website) via 25mm pressure plastic pipe, with an inline tap, to a hole in the water tank 15cm from the bottom (dont want to suck sludge). Connect water wand with adjustable flow regulator - off you go.
I added a cheap float autofill device to mains water to ensure tank cant run dry.