Water from Dam to tank

**jaspr** · 14th August 2007, 10:58 AM

We pump our water from a collection tank next to the house over a distance of about 150 metres 'across' and 40 metres 'up' to a holding tank. This gives us a natural gravity feed water supply to the house with good pressure and we do not lose water to the house when the power goes out (as it often does in a rural area - and also during bushfires).

We use a small Davey electric pump which has been operating for about 15 years. It takes about 48 hours to fill the top tank if it starts near empty.

The pump is very quiet - you only hear it going if you walk over to it. And it cost about $350, back then. Aldi had one that would do the trick for $99 a few weeks ago.

And yes - definitely 'push', rather than 'pull' your water. Much more efficient (according to the hydraulic expert in this house (not my field)).

With a diesel/petrol pump, you need to be careful to make sure it doesn't run out of fuel - and/or use a very good one way valve (that will handle the back pressure) - to make sure the water doesn't start running the wrong way.

[d*mn, I've broken my own rule of not reading/replying to non-wood threads!!

]

**Bleedin Thumb** · 14th August 2007, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

.

Here we go, check this one out.

A hydram pump that only requires a head of 0.5m, and yet is capable of pumping water to a height of over 200m.

The problem is, it will make a clunking noise.

The Glockman-Peck pump in that link is the way to go. I wasn't aware of any noise issues. The only thing that needs maintenance in the pump is the rubber diaphram that you make out of a tractor inner tube, so even though it may seem expensive ......running costs = Nil,
maintenance costs = Almost Nil and compared to electric or petrol pumps it will outlast them many times over.

Also imagine the size of pump that will give you 200m of head!

**Amb** · 20th August 2007, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by DavidG

Ahhhhh. Something like this will do the job.
You will need a foot valve to keep the system primed.
Make a sump for the foot valve. Cover it in mesh then vegetation to hide it.
Bury the pipe.

Could someone please explain how the foot valve and sump keeps the pump primed, for pumping out of a dam? ie. How does it work.

**Barry_White** · 20th August 2007, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by Amb

Could someone please explain how the foot valve and sump keeps the pump primed, for pumping out of a dam? ie. How does it work.

A foot valve stops the water flowing back out the pump because if there is no water in the pump there is no prime so it can't suck the water up. The sump is something to keep water around the foot valve but if it is sitting in a dam with a float attached to the the foot valve you really don't need a sump.

**Amb** · 20th August 2007, 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by Barry_White

The sump is something to keep water around the foot valve but if it is sitting in a dam with a float attached to the the foot valve you really don't need a sump.

Right, thanks BW, that's all it is. The sump, and mesh, and vegetation to hide it, threw me.

**DavidG** · 20th August 2007, 11:51 PM

Originally Posted by Amb

Right, thanks BW, that's all it is. The sump, and mesh, and vegetation to hide it, threw me.

That was because the area is a storm water runnoff area.
May not be deep and the inlet must be hidden. (not quite legit.

)
See the earlier posts.

**dvdhack** · 29th August 2007, 03:22 PM

We have a dam that we pump from to fill the header tank for watering cattle through gravity fed troughs. We found a petrol fire pump to be best due to the need to have one on our property any way.

We need to pump this header tank because the bore that was feeding it went dry but that allows another option we havent tried but you may like to. I have thought of moving the windmill that previously ran the bore to the dam and pump directly from the dam to the header tank, my issue is that it is 450m but for you 35m would be fine. Secondhand windmills are cheap.

**Ashore** · 29th August 2007, 04:12 PM

Have had some experiance with onga and jabsco pumps and found them reliable and easy to maintain and get parts
Rgds

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