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Old 03-17-2014, 04:38 PM   #1
Anson9110
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pump water from Lake?

Im just wondering if anyone has any experience with water pumps? I've been looking around online and I'm not finding any straightforward answers. I need to pump water from the lake, on a slight incline, and back about 120 ft to the trailer and into the holding tank. (using a honda eu2000i for power). I have absolutely no experience with water pumps so any info at all would be really appreciated. Thanks, Anson.
P.S. TWO DAYS UNTIL SPRING!!!
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Old 03-17-2014, 06:52 PM   #2
Steve S
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There's really not much to it, make sure you pump uphill, prime it if needed and filter what you drink.
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Old 03-17-2014, 07:02 PM   #3
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I think you will have a lot of time to do your research. Lakes are pretty covered with snow and about a foot of ice up here in Lindsay which is only an hour and a bit from TO. Cant help with the pump problem but good luck with it.
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Old 03-17-2014, 07:08 PM   #4
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Anson Im thinking you would need a small submersible pump same as the cottagers would use. A length of plastic water pipe with a male end and it should do the trick. I wouldnt be using it for anything but maybe showering unless it goes through a black light and filters and even then have it tested
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Old 03-18-2014, 03:37 AM   #5
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Thank you..

Thanks for your responses... I'm going to look into submersible pumps. I just didn't know the exact name as I keep seeing them called a bunch of different names. You're totally right about the now and ice... What is getting me through this winter is getting everything ready for the spring! Thanks again...
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Old 03-18-2014, 12:03 PM   #6
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What condition is the lake? Sandy / rocky / muddy / weedy bottom? First challenge is keeping your pump isolated in water so it doesn't become a vacuum.
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Old 03-18-2014, 12:58 PM   #7
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Pumping water

A great deal in this case will depend upon your pump.
You mention a slight incline, which is a good start; pumping water horizontally isn't a big issue. Simple factors of pumping water, the most you can draw water up in a pump is about 30' of rise. What that means is you need to have the pump closer to the water, and push the water to you, versus pulling the water. Of course, an inefficient pump can't push the weight of that water very far, so it gets back to your pump and it's efficiency.

Base on a few years experience as a Fire Department Engineer.
There are a lot of factors, but you really could get by with a good pump and a garden hose if you understand the limitations.
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Old 03-18-2014, 03:52 PM   #8
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Thanks HappyCamperMN...

The lake is small lake in Ontario so it has everything...mud and rock especially. I was given a 1/6 hp submersible pump from a friend of mine today who is in construction. I was thinking about putting in some type of rubbermaid container down about 5ft (with the lid off/just placed in it)....don't know if that's normal or if there's a better way to do it?
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Old 03-18-2014, 03:57 PM   #9
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Thanks Pmedic4....

I guess being an engineer with the fire department you probably know more about pumping water than almost any other human! From what I read last night it sounds like you are talking about a jet pump...not sure tho. I was hoping to make it totally simple and just be able to stick a pump in the lake, plug it into the generator and that's it.. Just enough to fill the holding tank and maybe a rain barrel or two....
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Old 03-18-2014, 04:48 PM   #10
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You've got a few issues to contend with pumping water from a lake for drinking and bathing purposes. First, if you try to place the pump on land, you'll need to determine how to draw water to prime the pump. If you place the pump in the lake, you'll need to suspend it so it doesn't draw from the bottom and foul itself or you'll need to use a filter of some sort to prevent trash from entering the pump. You could use a "trash pump" which is designed to be self cleaning and not foul as easily.

Now on to more "sensitive issues"... Lake water isn't filtered and usually isn't bacteria/cast free. As such, it can cause sickness very easily. You may be OK if you dip a drink out of a "clean lake" and suffer no ill effects. That may well not be true if you pump that same water into a storage container and let it "perk" for a few days in a good "bacteria breeding environment".

What looks like clean water to the naked eye and what you'd dip that drink from may well not be the same "location in the lake" where as the pump is filling the holding tank, a duck happens to swim by and deposit a "sinking treasure" that gets drawn into the pump..... You can imagine the rest.....

If you're going to pump water from a "relatively clean lake" to drink or to cook, you might want to consider a filter system and possibly a UV light to kill the "extras" that you'll likely be pulling into your storage tanks. The "living things" will be an issue. They will multiply and that makes drinking from that container much more risky than drinking the same water directly from the lake......
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Old 03-19-2014, 11:15 AM   #11
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Thank JRTJH

Whoa!! I'm so glad I thought of throwing my question out on this forum! I totally didn't even think of that... Our lake is small private, spring-fed lake but I know exactly what you're saying about even small amount of bacteria left alone in "container" of water multiplying etc...That makes so much sense. I'm going to look into the filter and UV light today and read up on it. Your advice literally probably prevented a lot of bad things that I don't even want to think about.. Thank you very much!
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Old 03-19-2014, 11:52 AM   #12
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There's always an alternative, maybe a bit more expensive, but much safer... Have you considered a shallow well with a "top mounted" pump? You really don't need a deep well with a submersed jet pump. If you could get a 20' or 30' well driven and use a top mounted self priming pump, you could likely find a good clean "naturally filtered" water pocket somewhere close to your RV. Just remember, if you're going to set a septic field to get rid of that water after you use it, you'll want the two separated by at least 50 -75'. It's probably easier to set the well away from the RV and to put your septic system relatively close (downhill) so you don't have to pump the effluent.

There's a great book available, "Back to Basics" printed by Reader's Digest in 1981, that really gives a tremendous amount of insight to living off the grid or "almost off the grid". Your local library may have a copy. Or they may have a similar book that would help you with your planning.
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Old 03-19-2014, 02:51 PM   #13
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Easiest way is to get a submersible well pump.1/2 hp. will do it fine.Use gallon plastic jugs and rope to "float" the pump off the bottom.That way you wont pump as much muck.I hae done this several times pumping lake water for irrigation.The 1/2 hp pumps come in both 115 or 220 volt and are not interchangable.The 115v will pull about 12-15 amps and the 220 v will pull around 7amps.Hope this helps
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Old 03-19-2014, 04:02 PM   #14
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Look into copper as well. The Romans learned to line the viaducts with copper.
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Old 03-19-2014, 08:08 PM   #15
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You guys have been great.. Thank you very much. I've inquired about a well for the cottage but it's crazy expensive (have to blast). The plastic jug and rope is great idea.. Going to do that for sure. I've found a decent 1/6 hp pump and looked into a filter tonight (even learned about micron #'s.) Again, thanks very much for all the help.. Only good thing about winter is making plans for the spring!


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Old 03-23-2014, 07:49 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Anson9110 View Post
You guys have been great.. Thank you very much. I've inquired about a well for the cottage but it's crazy expensive (have to blast). The plastic jug and rope is great idea.. Going to do that for sure. I've found a decent 1/6 hp pump and looked into a filter tonight (even learned about micron #'s.) Again, thanks very much for all the help.. Only good thing about winter is making plans for the spring!
Definitely planning for Spring! Seems like all my DW and I think about during March is "When are we getting it ready, when and where are we going, What do we need to do, Did you winterize correctly, what's not working, and what new gadgets do we need!


Regarding your water situation, even pumping from the lake you could get a shallow well pump, and actually put in place a nice regular water system. Sounds like you've already researched some filtration and a UV system for potable water.
Interesting note on water safety, we lived in village in NY State about 30 miles from NYC in the '80's, and the water system was gravity fed directly from a lake up in the mountains, without a filtration system. There was a chlorine injection system to sanitize the water, but most people didn't like it when the water was chlorinated, as it then had a bad algae smell and taste. So actually people preferred the untreated water. Yes, there were all sorts of wildlife in and around the lake, but houses weren't allowed within 1/2 mile of the reservoir. We did have a whole house water filter, but nothing special, only about $30-40 filter. As far as I know, they still don't have anything different for this village of 5000 people. They had considered wells, but found ground water contamination from high levels of Tricholorethylene, which is strictly regulated by the EPA, so the lake was a cleaner, cheaper source of water. So lake water isn't necessarily all that bad - maybe
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