Hello, new poster here. My sprinkler system has been up and running for 14 years. I currently draw off city water. I would now like to take it off city water and use my lake water instead. I have approximately 1 acre of turf. My backyard backs up to a lake, which is 40' down a steep hillside. My front yard is approximately 200' away from the lake and is 50' up from the water. There are five heads per station @ 3 gpm/head. I can adjust my heads down to 1.5-2 gpm's if necessary. So I'm looking at 7.5 to 15 gpm with a total lift of 50'. Can I get a recommendation for a good pump setup. Thanks, Jack
Planning sprinkler irrigation project
- Thread starter jkmason
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Well you need more than 50' of lift. You need an additional 115' of lift to get 50 PSI for your sprinklers. That would make a total for the pump of 165' of head. A jet pump will not be a good choice because of the 50' of lift straight up a cliff. If you can install a submersible in the lake, you will only need a 3/4 HP motor with a 12, 13, 15, 16, or 18 GPM pump, depending on which brand you choose.
If all you are running is automatic sprinkler controls (no garden hoses), then a pump start relay from your sprinkler timer can be used to start and stop the pump. I would then take the check valve out of the pump and let the lines drain back when the pump shuts off. This will keep the lines from freezing.
If you have hydrants and garden hoses, then you need a pressure tank and pressure switch. A Cycle Stop Valve would then allow you to use a much smaller tank. Without the CSV I would use at least a 60 gallon size tank. With a CSV you can use as small as a 4 gallon size tank.
If all you are running is automatic sprinkler controls (no garden hoses), then a pump start relay from your sprinkler timer can be used to start and stop the pump. I would then take the check valve out of the pump and let the lines drain back when the pump shuts off. This will keep the lines from freezing.
If you have hydrants and garden hoses, then you need a pressure tank and pressure switch. A Cycle Stop Valve would then allow you to use a much smaller tank. Without the CSV I would use at least a 60 gallon size tank. With a CSV you can use as small as a 4 gallon size tank.
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Please supply your location. Some states have laws against placing submersibles in an open body of water, and the reason for that is the possibility of electrocution. Even without a legal prohibition, that possibility will still exist. I use jet pumps for lake-water sprinkling, but no question that having a lawn that's 50 feet higher in elevation than the lake, means that a single stage jet may not easily deliver high enough pressure for you. I use the word 'easily' because we don't know how much pressure loss will be in the system plumbing, and we don't know what pressure your sprinkler heads need for proper coverage.
No question that, starting from scratch, a lakeside jet pump could water your lawn, and could do so for your system today, if the placement of sprinklers isn't asking for too much distance from heads that would only have about 30-35 psi.
No question that, starting from scratch, a lakeside jet pump could water your lawn, and could do so for your system today, if the placement of sprinklers isn't asking for too much distance from heads that would only have about 30-35 psi.
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